How do you guys sight in your rifle?
12-23-2010, 08:13 AM
#1
Spike
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 93
How do you guys sight in your rifle?
I generally sight my rifles in using a bench, sandbags, and a target set up 100 yards away. I was wondering if any of you used a gun vice or Lead Sled and if you felt those type things were beneficial? I hunt whitetails, with most shots being taken at under 100 yards.
12-23-2010, 08:33 AM
#3
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 1,320
I have the opportunity to sight in a couple of dozen rifles every few months so I have it down pretty well. We shoot alot of pds at some long distances and rifles have to be on or you waste a ton of ammo.
I usually start by checking the bore and the scope to make sure they are at least in the same general time zone. Then I will shootone shot at 25 yds. from a decent shooting bench with bags for support. If I plan to shoot the rifle with a bipod, I sight it in with one, other wise bags. Make whatever corrections and shoot again at 100 yds., make whatever corrections and then I'll do a bit of testing at much longer ranges to get a feel for what the gun will do out to say 300-400 yds.
Never have used a gun vise or sled, just bags and bipods.
I usually start by checking the bore and the scope to make sure they are at least in the same general time zone. Then I will shootone shot at 25 yds. from a decent shooting bench with bags for support. If I plan to shoot the rifle with a bipod, I sight it in with one, other wise bags. Make whatever corrections and shoot again at 100 yds., make whatever corrections and then I'll do a bit of testing at much longer ranges to get a feel for what the gun will do out to say 300-400 yds.
Never have used a gun vise or sled, just bags and bipods.
12-23-2010, 09:06 AM
#4
Typical Buck
Join Date: May 2003
Location:
Posts: 920
I'll either use a laser bore sighter or if possible take and look down the bore and roughly alighn the scope reticle with a object( rock,piece of paper, etc.) I typically use a clean 3x3 target face (brown wrapping paper bought in a roll) and will fire one shot at a center aiming point. Note where the bullet struck. This will take some type of holding device, I use a rear bag and a front rest.... place the scope back on your aiming point and adjust the reticle to the bullet hole without moving the firearm. Depending on how much you move the firearm doing this will dictate how close you will be to having it shoot dead on. Depending on your skill level, you may have to shoot more shots to fine tune but it shouldnt take more than 2-3 shots total to get it dialed in. It might sound hard but is easy to do. I can never understand how someone can take a 15-20 rounds to sight in.
12-23-2010, 09:07 AM
#5
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: S.W. Pa.-- Heart in North Central Pa. mountains-
Posts: 2,600
I use an adjustable front rest with a sandbag and a rear low-eared bag near the toe of the stock, held with my left hand (I'm a right-handed shooter) for small adjustment while on target. It's the free-recoil method. I have tried the LeadSled thing, and find it way too cumbersome for me, even with some of the bigger magnums and other heavy recoilers.
I boresight the gun first if it's a bolt action. If not, a lever or pump, I will start at 25 yds. and an 18" square or bigger target, and work it in from there before going to 100 yds.
A good boresighting can put you on target at 100 yds. usually, if you are diligent about having the gun on a firm, stone-solid rest, keeping the target in the dead center of the bore, and making certain the bore is totally concentric to the target... in other words, see the same amount of bore around the edges.... Then very carefully adjust the crosshairs of the scope to target center.
I boresight the gun first if it's a bolt action. If not, a lever or pump, I will start at 25 yds. and an 18" square or bigger target, and work it in from there before going to 100 yds.
A good boresighting can put you on target at 100 yds. usually, if you are diligent about having the gun on a firm, stone-solid rest, keeping the target in the dead center of the bore, and making certain the bore is totally concentric to the target... in other words, see the same amount of bore around the edges.... Then very carefully adjust the crosshairs of the scope to target center.
12-23-2010, 09:53 AM
#6
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Kansas
Posts: 3,903
I usually sight in using the same set up I use for benchrest shooting, front and rear sandbags (bulls bag front bag). Occasionally I'll use one of my adjustable front rests from my 1,000yrd rifles, but usually, the sandbag is plenty stable.
For sighting in at 100yrds, I usually mount the scope and use a laser bore sighter at 50yrds, then take ONE shot at 25 to make sure it's on target. I usually want it somewhere between dead-on to 1" high at 25yrds. If it's more than 1" in any direction from that line, I'll adjust and take one more shot. (2" off at 25yrds is 8" at 100yrds, so that much error might be off the page at 100yrds). All I care about at 25yrds is that I'll be on the target PAGE at 100yrds. I don't fine tune at 25, and then RE-TUNE at 100.
I then move to 100yrds and take a 3 shot group. I make the necessary corrections and take a 5 shot group. If the first 3 of the 5 shot group aren't dead-on (using spotting scope), then I'll adjust after 3, and fire another 5 shot group.
So typically, I use 9 shots to sight in any given rifle.
For sighting in at 100yrds, I usually mount the scope and use a laser bore sighter at 50yrds, then take ONE shot at 25 to make sure it's on target. I usually want it somewhere between dead-on to 1" high at 25yrds. If it's more than 1" in any direction from that line, I'll adjust and take one more shot. (2" off at 25yrds is 8" at 100yrds, so that much error might be off the page at 100yrds). All I care about at 25yrds is that I'll be on the target PAGE at 100yrds. I don't fine tune at 25, and then RE-TUNE at 100.
I then move to 100yrds and take a 3 shot group. I make the necessary corrections and take a 5 shot group. If the first 3 of the 5 shot group aren't dead-on (using spotting scope), then I'll adjust after 3, and fire another 5 shot group.
So typically, I use 9 shots to sight in any given rifle.
12-23-2010, 01:26 PM
#7
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Texas and Arkansas
Posts: 1,496
Sometimes I'll do it off of a bench and sometimes off of a pack across the seat of a four wheeler.
12-23-2010, 02:00 PM
#8
Fork Horn
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Upstate NY/Prescott AZ
Posts: 129
With most factory ammo, there's a ballistic table available for each caliber based on the numbers found on the box.
For myself, I boresight first.
Then, I figure out what I want my zero to be (100, 200, 250, 300, etc.), and reference the tables to find out where the ballistic parabola intersects line of sight on the upswing.
For example, for my 308WIN, I wanted a zero of 300 yards. Per the tables, it shows 17 yards (50.5 feet) as the point of intersect on the upswing, 300 yards point of impact on the down.
So, I set the bench up at 17 yards, take 3 shots, and adjust in the extreme (I usually go a little past where I think the adjustments need to be), and take 3 more from the bench. I make my final adjustments, and take 3 more, verifying my zero.
Then I take it out to the full zero range (300 in this particular case), and take 3 shots.
I make any fine adjustments needed to dial it in just right, then take 3 more to verify.
If I need to adjust any more, I still have 5 rounds to make it happen, or I can just continue the range time as I see fit.
I do my best to get as much trigger time as I can muster and pay for the ammo to boot.
IMHO, one can never have too much trigger time...
I also pack my prized rifles in hard cases with extra padding, just as added protection. They don't get tossed around by gorillas, and keeping them "armored" is just peace of mind. I have yet to have a rifle get knocked off zero using my methodologies, including multiple segment flights cross country.
An ounce of prevention....
For myself, I boresight first.
Then, I figure out what I want my zero to be (100, 200, 250, 300, etc.), and reference the tables to find out where the ballistic parabola intersects line of sight on the upswing.
For example, for my 308WIN, I wanted a zero of 300 yards. Per the tables, it shows 17 yards (50.5 feet) as the point of intersect on the upswing, 300 yards point of impact on the down.
So, I set the bench up at 17 yards, take 3 shots, and adjust in the extreme (I usually go a little past where I think the adjustments need to be), and take 3 more from the bench. I make my final adjustments, and take 3 more, verifying my zero.
Then I take it out to the full zero range (300 in this particular case), and take 3 shots.
I make any fine adjustments needed to dial it in just right, then take 3 more to verify.
If I need to adjust any more, I still have 5 rounds to make it happen, or I can just continue the range time as I see fit.
I do my best to get as much trigger time as I can muster and pay for the ammo to boot.
IMHO, one can never have too much trigger time...
I also pack my prized rifles in hard cases with extra padding, just as added protection. They don't get tossed around by gorillas, and keeping them "armored" is just peace of mind. I have yet to have a rifle get knocked off zero using my methodologies, including multiple segment flights cross country.
An ounce of prevention....
12-23-2010, 07:55 PM
#10
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Idaho
Posts: 1,081
I'll either use a laser bore sighter or if possible take and look down the bore and roughly alighn the scope reticle with a object( rock,piece of paper, etc.) I typically use a clean 3x3 target face (brown wrapping paper bought in a roll) and will fire one shot at a center aiming point. Note where the bullet struck. This will take some type of holding device, I use a rear bag and a front rest.... place the scope back on your aiming point and adjust the reticle to the bullet hole without moving the firearm. Depending on how much you move the firearm doing this will dictate how close you will be to having it shoot dead on. Depending on your skill level, you may have to shoot more shots to fine tune but it shouldnt take more than 2-3 shots total to get it dialed in. It might sound hard but is easy to do. I can never understand how someone can take a 15-20 rounds to sight in.