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February 2007 Feature Article:

5 Tips for Sighting in Your Rifle

So you've acquired a new hunting rifle. After saving your hard-earned cash and landing permission from your other half, the gun rests in your hot little hands. It looks great, feels great... it probably smells great... but more importantly does it shoot great? Now its time to hit the range and get this baby sighted in. Read more...

Please use this area to post comments or questions about this feature article.

[Don Fischer]

That's intresting. I always start at about 25 yds with a new scope on the rifle and bore sight as he say's. But I also zero for max point blank range at a 6" target. I also shoot group's in three's but I don't use a scope to look at them. I walk down range and look, forces me to cool out the barrel. Another thing is the spot where your grouping. Draw a straight line from bullet holr to bullet hole and the center of the lines is bullet impact. That is where you make the adjustments from.

Now to get zero' d in faster, after I shoot one round down range at 100 yds, I re-sight and holding the rifle still, move the cross wires with the adjustment knob's from the aiming point to the bullet hole. Using that method I can usually sight in a rifle in under 5 shot's. Recently I did that with a rifle and fired one shot at 25yds and then one more at 100 yds. the third shot was just off the aiming point at 100 yds. Never did it quite that fast befor.

He make's a good point about people believing that bore sighting does it, it don't. Lot's of people think so tho.

[fuzzybear]

I never even gave any thought to the fact that someone would actually think that bore sighting was an accurate zeroing. :roll:

[atomikall]

Great article. I usually site in starting at 50 then moving back and I take groups of five at a time to better see exactally where Im hitting I take five then walk to my target and x off those five with black marker then walk back.I then move back 50 more and take 5 more unless my rifle is off at 50 then I will take 5 more after adjusting. I just bought a new bushnell scope 2 years ago and it was so off when I put it on it took me atleast 4 trips to the range to get it right where I wanted it. I still believe once or twice a week to the range or a pit is the best way to practice and atleast when you go in the bush you know your ready and so is your rifle.

[Don Fischer]

Atomikall,

Beter than a magic marker is a roll of masking tape. Put it over the holes and you can still see the holes but new ones are obvious. If you get shots in the black, put the tape on the back and magic marker on the hole in front. I do reuse target's. Not that I'm cheap but thrifty! :D By the way, I make them on my home printer to save money.

[atomikall]

Awesome Idea man thanks never thought of that one Im gonna use that from now on. :thumbsup1: Tommorrow when I go to the range Ill try it out thanks man.

[Wingman]

I have been reading all the articles and must say they are all great. One thing I would like to add and this is for old as well as new hunters. Look after your gun/guns all year around and not just at hunting season. My gun is a 7mm Remington Magnum Parker-Hale Bolt and I fire four shots each year to sight it in. One at 25 yards and the next three at 100. Always grouped around the bull, for one reason, I take care of my gun all year around. Never let it get banged or jarred (locked in Cabinet) clean it on a regular basis throughout the year. It is just like a good woman, you look after her and she will look after you.

I would however recommend that the first timer take this suggestion that was given to me over 40 years ago. When you first mount your scope take the rifle and pick out an object or set one up ( I used a fire hydrant) say 25 yards away. Now look down the barrel of your gun if it is a bolt action and try and center the object in the barrel. Now set your scope sight on the object. This will give you a little edge when you first go to the range. You won't be dead on at 25 yards but you will be pretty close and it will make your final sighting that much easier and not as expensive for shells.

[Don Fischer]

Welcome to the site wingman, where you from? I think that "wingman" means something?

[Wingman]

The Wingman is from the east coast of Canada in some of the best whitetail country you have ever seen. Not bad fishing and birding either.

[ratrivertrapper]

Wingman wrote: The Wingman is from the east coast of Canada in some of the best whitetail country you have ever seen. Not bad fishing and birding either. don't forget black bear and oh yea... the beer :thumbsup1:

[ratrivertrapper]

First thing to do is give it a good cleaning ! then bore sight ,the method i use is pretty simple , i take a yellow tenis ball and nail it to a post at 25 yrds remove the bolt and line up with the nail looking through the barrel clamp the rifle in a wood vice that i have covered with leather then i zero the scope to the nail, fire one round at target 25 yrds adjust if required move out to 100 yrds to finish the job ,then you can move up to 200 if needed , i always clean after i'm done and let barrel cool after 3 shots

[That Mean Guy]

I never realized how off bore sighting could be. I have always sighted my rifles in and went through much ammunition to zero (we have a stable platform but no vice). I decided to get them bore sighted by our local gun shop and made the mistake of not realizing that they could be off. Went hunting with them and couldn't hit a thing. My 30.06 was off 32 clicks up and 18 left @75 yards, and My father's 270 WBY Mag was about half of both of those (they wern't off that much to start off with). I wish I had found this forum before I wasted a day. Thanks for being here I will be checking this forum any time I try anything new from now on.

[ratrivertrapper]

That Mean Guy wrote: I never realized how off bore sighting could be. I have always sighted my rifles in and went through much ammunition to zero (we have a stable platform but no vice). I decided to get them bore sighted by our local gun shop and made the mistake of not realizing that they could be off. Went hunting with them and couldn't hit a thing. My 30.06 was off 32 clicks up and 18 left @75 yards, and My father's 270 WBY Mag was about half of both of those (they wern't off that much to start off with). I wish I had found this forum before I wasted a day. Thanks for being here I will be checking this forum any time I try anything new from now on. The bore sighting is only to get you on the paper the rest is up to the shooter to zero in also recomend to use the same bullit you will be using for your hunting and if you change the wt .. or brand take a trip to the range :thumbsup1:

[That Mean Guy]

ratrivertrapper wrote: The bore sighting is only to get you on the paper the rest is up to the shooter to zero in also recomend to use the same bullit you will be using for your hunting and if you change the wt .. or brand take a trip to the range :thumbsup1: We try to stay brand and load specific with our ammo, easy to do with the WBY mag but expensive. Not so hard with the .06 either. The bore sighter was not a laser and the .06 was off paper so I think I will stick with sighting through the barrel to get us on paper. Thanks for the advice, and good hunting :thumbsup1:

[ratrivertrapper]

fuzzybear wrote: I never even gave any thought to the fact that someone would actually think that bore sighting was an accurate zeroing. :roll: ..I once had a hunter come by my camp one time while i was having a cup of tea we got talking and he asked me if i would look at his rifle , he explained he had just bought it and the scope was not to good as when he looked through it everything was a blur I discovered he didn't know that it had to be focused ??? nor did he know how .then I asked if he didn't have dificulty sighting it in , he explained that he hadn't fired it yet !doh ! there are all kinds out there never ever assume that all of the guy's out there in orange know what there doing ! or know what you know