question about sighting in rifle...need help
 

My question is in regards to sighting in my newly purchased Savage 270. I tried to a few days ago, but my pattern was not good at all. Most of the time, it seems as if the bullet didnt even hit the target. How can i sight in my gun when i cant even see where the slug is hitting, i have nowhere to start - i cant say "ok, its down 1 inch and to the left 2" and work from there. How can i sight my gun in more efficiently. Also, are there scopes that give more eye relief. Once in a while my scope will come back and basically hit me in my forhead....how can i prevent this? any suggestions will be hreatly appreciated.

thanks

RE: question about sighting in rifle...need help
 

This is going to sound a little silly, but one good way to get started with sighting-in is to start pretty close to the target--as close as 25 yards. Once you get an idea of where the bullets are hitting the target, increase the range until you're at a hunting distance.

Also, the rifle should be boresighted first--that basically assures that the scope is lined up with the barrel. You can have someone boresight the rifle or you can do ityourself, of course, but it takes some practice and/or investment in a boresighting tool like a laser boresighter.

(I'm sure someone will chime in with how to boresight a rifle without using a special tool; me, I have a laser, and it's pretty easy that way.)

RE: question about sighting in rifle...need help
 

I could write a whole book here to help but dont have time. The 1st thing you should do is tighten all of the screws on anew gun. I would take the scope off if its a combo rifle (came with scope attached) and tighten everything myself. If you dont have a gun shop close to get it bore sighted. Get a very good rest(very important tohave a good rest)remove the bolt and look thru barrel at the target and slowly move head into scope and see how close it is(this only works if guns doesnt move when your head does). I use a paper plate at 50yrds for this. This usually gets me on the plate. IF you cannot do this because your rest isnt good enough, use a large piece of cardboard at 25 yrds or so and see where your hitting. Then adjust scope from there.
Make sure you put the scope on your rifle as far forward as possible(and still seethru it ok)so when there is recoil it has more room to come back. If it is a combo rifle the scope is prob kinda crappy and wont have the eye relief as a quality scope.
Take your time shooting and let the gun cool down between a couple of shots. Make sure you clean the gun after shooting. You should have cleaned it before you shot the 1st time. There are more posts on this subject so usethe search feature to get more advice. If you cant find what you need from there then Pm me I'll give you my phone # and talk you thru it.
Getting popped in the head is no fun and shouldnt happen. Being unexperienced and getting a gun with a higher recoil like that isnt the best thing to do, but thats what you have and you'll get the help you need here one way or another. Dont get to discouraged.

RE: question about sighting in rifle...need help
 

one hting i would say is go to a range that has the sand/dirt hill behind the target, so you can see(hopefully) which side of the target your bullet is hitting

when i got my savage 30-06, i didnt have to change a thing, right out of the box it was perfectly sighted in.

RE: question about sighting in rifle...need help
 

Thats why i like this place,people helping people...

RE: question about sighting in rifle...need help
 

thanks alot, i guess i will have to try to invest in a new scope or something, b/c it feels that my eye is directly on the scope, and it spurts back at me after the recoil takes place. Another ? is: do guns comme bore sighted when they are new. I bought mine from bass pro shop annd they told me that most, or all, guns are boresighted in the factory. Is this true? if not i guess ill just take it to dicks and see if they will do it for me. Thanks for the replies

RE: question about sighting in rifle...need help
 

Moose told you right! sight it in at 25 yds then move out to range wanted this will save time and money on shells!

RE: question about sighting in rifle...need help
 

Ditto on tightening all the screws. Loose screws can mess you up big time.

You never told us how close to the target you are. Like someone said, even with a properlyboresighted gun, you need to start at 25 yards or even closer. If you try to shoot further than that, any small inaccuracy is multiplied by the distance and the bullet that would be a few inches off at 25 yardscould miss the target totally at 50 or 100.

Use a larger target. I use largish (2 foot or even larger) cardboard moving boxes. Throw a rock or two intothe bottomto weight them down, and you have a good, large target holder to staple or tape targets onto (for transportation to and from the range, I simply fold the box flat).I use a box large enough to put at least two conventional100 yard targets horizontal.

If you're not hitting a normal sized target, for initial sighting, cover the whole thing with plainpaper ornews print or such with an X or spot in the middle (I use stick on orange target spots). If you don't hit THAT target at 25 yards, move the target to 10 yards. I see guys at the range all the time shooting new guns very close, so it won't be that odd. Go from there and move out once you get the thing zeroed in close. You can cover old holes with masking tape or replace the paper.

Once you get it close to sighted in you can use regular size targets (I still use the box as a holder and carry a staple gun to attach the targets.)

If this doesn't get you on the paper and zeroed, take it to any gun shop - they should be happy to bore sight it for you. Buy some ammo from them and I'll bet they do it for free. After bore sighting take it back to the range with a large target at close range.

As for cleaning the gun: be aware that an oiled bore can throw the shot significantly different (several inches possibly) than a dry or previously fired barrel. Whenever you oil your barrel, consider the first shot a throwaway. I personally would never go hunting with a freshly cleaned and oiled barrel. I'd shoot at least one shot through it before taking a shot at game.

When you adjust the scope, knock the scope fairly firmly with something that will jar it without damaging it (some guys use little rubber hammers like a doctor's reflex hammer). The reason for this is that sometimes scopes won't perfectly follow the adjustment until jarred by a shot or by the rapping.Consider this before any first shot after adjustment: If you don't give it a rap, that first shot might be closer to the original scope setting than the adjusted scope setting. The second shot should reflect the adjustment. This isn't always true, justa good routine thing to do to make sure.

Good luck.

RE: question about sighting in rifle...need help
 

Oh, another couple of points: For sighting I really recommend some sort of solid rest. I have a cheapish (~$40) gun "Vise" that can be used for sighting as well as in the shop at home to hold it for cleaning etc. After initial sighting I always shoot it on sand bag rests (I made from old denim and sand from the kids sandbox!). That's because I think the vise holds the gun in such a way to affect the zero. But it's handy to have for initial scope adjustment (do a search for "two shot zero"). Sand bags or similar will do though. Don't try to just hold the gun for sighting in. After you get it sighted in, you should indeed practice a LOT by just holding the gun in common hunting positions though.

Second point - regarding the eye relief. Another reason to take it apart to tighten all the screws is to adjust the positon of the scope. With the rings loose, hold the gun in a comfortable, natural position and slide the scope forward or backward in the rings to where the relief is correct. Then rotate it so the cross hairs are square. Then tighten slowly and carefully.

RE: question about sighting in rifle...need help
 

zekestar-

So, in regards to the scop adjustment, your saying that i can move the scope up or down on the gun and that will give me more eye relief? i thought that the scope was precisely placed in that position, I didnt know i could move it and still have it work. You think i can do it myself, or should i take it to the store. Also, will this adjustment give me much needed eye relief or just a little. Thank you very much for your ideas, it is appreciated.

RE: question about sighting in rifle...need help
 

All these are very good pointers. They all would will work really well. but time is of the impotrtance right now. with firearm season in or coming in very soon in most states i would just take it todicks or bass pro shopsand have them bore site it. this will get you at least on paper at 50 yards. then adjust from there. since you are new at this or at least it sounds this way that is what you should do. it will save you alot of time and headaches. I had mine bore sited at dicks about 3 years ago and when i went to the range i fired 3 shots at 100 yrds. the furthest 1 from the bullseye was about an inch. i left it alone. figured that would do me.

RE: question about sighting in rifle...need help
 

You can move the scope how you like. Heres on I use its not perfect but it may get the point across. With the scope rings lose enough that you can move the scope without it sliding on its own. Slide the scope all the way forward and shoulder the gun with you eyes closed. Then open them and slide the scope back to you and stop as soon as you can see the whole picture. You want the scope as far forward as possible to help with the eye relief.

P.S. you dontNEED to shut your eyes, I just having a hard time explaining what you need to do. THe main thing is make sure the gun is comfortable and natural when you shoulder it. Adjust you scope not your head position, if you head is comfortable thats where its suppose to be. Good luck with deciding if the x-hairs are striaght up and down. I check recheck and still never seem satified with it. The are many devices that can help with that but just hold the gun up and look at something that is straight up and down and you should get it very close.

RE: question about sighting in rifle...need help
 

I SIGHT MINE IN THE WAY LIGHTFIELD SLUGS TELLS U TO AND IT WAS quick and easy. start a fifty yards and shoot. if u still arn't hitting the target either get a bigger target or move closer. once you have it zeroed at fifty look on the back of the box for the trajectory or the web site and add the correct hight to your shot. i shoot 3" lightfield ids commanders and at fifty yards i should be about 1 inch high. this puts me dead on at 100 yards. did it today, took me half an hour and it worked perfect. at 125 yards my bullet drops i believe 2 1/2 inches and at 150 yards almost 7 inches. good luck and go kill aslob.


THE FOOT

RE: question about sighting in rifle...need help
 

For eye relieve, you're not moving it "up and down", you're moving it forward or rearward - either forward toward the end of the barrel or rearward closer to the stock.

RE: question about sighting in rifle...need help
 

I sight in my30.06 rifleat 30 yards. If I'm hitting the target 2 inches high at 30 yards, then I will also be 2 inches high at 100 yards, and I will be perfect at 200 yards.


Best of luck.

RE: question about sighting in rifle...need help
 

That may work with your rifle but it maybe several inches outwith another 30-06.The only way to know where the point of impact will be at 200 yards is to shoot the gun at 200 yards.

RE: question about sighting in rifle...need help
 

You have probably received all the direction and advice you need, but I'll chime in with my method also.

For most modern cartridges and scope set-ups, a rifle zeroed at 100 yards will shoot the bullet approximately through the aim point (bulls eye) at 25 yards, the bullet will rise above the line of sight, and the bullet will drop back down to the line of sight and aim point (bulls eye)at 100 yards. Begin by sighting in your rifle to hit the aim point at 25 yards. Shoot 3 shots at a common aim point. Your three shots should be a tight group at 25 yards -- maybe less than the size of a quarter. If the group is very close to the aim point, then set up a target at 100 yards. Otherwise, adjust the scope reticle to move the aim point to coincide to the bullet trajectory at 25 yards. Shoot another group of 3 shots. You can be more efficient that this: if you take one shot and it is one inch off the aimpoint at 25 yards, I would bet that it will be on the paper at 100 yards and you could skip directly to 100 yards. Since you are having trouble getting on the paper at 100 yards, however, I just recommend you follow the more deliberate approach of shooting 3 shot groups. This may be necessary, for example, to identify a problem that causes your shots to NOT group. For example, what if your scope is moving in the mounts or the scope reticle itself is failed? If it doesn't group at 25 yards it sure won't group at 100 yards!

With your scoped rifle producing a good group at 25 yards hitting at the aimpoint, you can now shoot a group of three shots at 100 yards. Your group should be expected to be larger at 100 yards, but still your shots should stay within a 3" diameter circle. Presuming this group is all on the paper, you can then adjust your reticle so the group is located on the target where you want it to be. If you have a flat shooting rifle, you may want to have your group centered about 2" high at 100 yards. Thus, if you shoot at a deer at 100 yards, your shot may be 2" high, but this will be close enough to be a fatal vitals shot if you do your part. If you shoot at a deer at 200 yards, your shot may be exactly on your aimpoint, if you do your part. If you shoot a deer at 250 yards, your shot may be 4" low, but this still should be a fatal vitals shot if you do your part. The precise numbers are dependent on the specific cartridge you are using, but this general discussion should apply to any flat shooting cartridge.

Again, the first trick is getting all your shots on the paper. It is best to shoot groups so you can see what is happening. At 25 yards, you should have small, tight groups or you better diagnose that problem before trying to shoot at 100 yards. Scope slippage in rings, bad reticle are possible problems. Is the scope assembly solid or sloppy and loose?