Guys,

Since I didn't have a lot of time last year to get my scope zeroed, I simply by-passed the iron sights. I did install the Warne QR rings in case I needed them. You can obviously tell where I'm going with this. As soon as the weather provides a decent weekend day to shoot, I'm headed out to zero the iron sights. I have two questions:

1. Where do you aim...cover the target, 6 o'clock on the target??? and,
2. At what distance do you zero your iron sights...25, 50 or something else?

My Burris scope (3x9) topping a PH is dialed in for 100 - 225 but the open sights are another issue. I'll be shooting either SW's or TEZ's pushed by 110-120 gr of T7 or BH209 (experimentation to follow).

Thanks,
Hammer

if you think of your round front sight and the round bulls eye, I aim like this... 8 the bottom circle being the sight and the top circle of course being the bulls eye. I want that bullet hole to appear right on the top of the bottom circle. As for sight in distance I like to be about two inches high at 50 yards. This puts me in the general area for most shots out to 100 yards. I do not care to shoot further then that with open sights anymore. Actually I might even close that down to 75 yards to be honest.

Aww Dave - Ya beat me to it. Its amazing how great minds think so much alike. I would have given him the same information.

yep, when I changed to the 6 o'clock hold (described by Cayugad) it sure tightened my groups up!

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While there are many ways of doing things all the top competition shooters will normally set there sights so they can see what they are shooting at, once you cover up what you are aiming at you may drift off target.
Personally I use a florsent red dot that is 3 inches in diameter hold the top of the front sight at the bottom edge and "0" that way at 100yds. This gives just a bit of leeway if you misjudge the yardage a bit. Lee

Great schematic semi. For the shooting gurus out there, I have a question. I use a peep sight, but don't do it as seen in H above. I use a front bead and center this front bead in my peep. then put the bullseye on top of that. So the bullseye is not centered, the front bead is. Would that be as accurate as centering the bullseye? Would be hard to retrain myself to do it differently, but if it would mean more accuracy, I would try it.

With a peep, I do it the way you do it TXhunter.

When I competed it was easy....you installed a front aperture in your front sight that was just bigger than the target bull so your eye naturally centered the bull in the circle...but that was with a known sized bull at a fixed distance. No such luxuries in hunting!

Not sure what you call it, but with a leaf and post/globe I set the sights so that I level the top of the front sight with the rear leaf, and the bullet will impact right at the top edge of the front sight. That way the target size has nothing to do with my sight picture, I am aiming for a discrete point that sits right at the top of the front sight.

I never did understand the ones where they wanted you sitting the bull on top of the front sight like a ball on a post. Bull size and target distance will both change the point of impact significantly.

As for distance, typically I only shoot irons if I plan on the shot distance being 100 yds or less. I will zero a bit high at 50 yards, then fine-tune so I'm on at 100 yds.