Post Your Do's and Don'ts of Sighting in a Rifle.
11-21-2002, 08:28 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: willies flordia USA
Posts: 44
Post Your Do's and Don'ts of Sighting in a Rifle.
well I went to sight in the old rifle today and had a heck of a time. I learned some valuable lessons. Thought i'd share and maybe you could too.
Here's what i did wrong today.
My rest consisted of sandbags on top of 2 bullet boxes. First problem is -two bullets boxes stacked on top of each other are NOT sturdy. So make sure your rest is sturdy. It felt sturdy but when i shot they shifted all over. Which i didn't notice at first unitl my friend said something. Take the time to be comfortable and abosulutly steady.
2nd thing. If your using a 4 power only scope. Don't buy the targets that are a real big orange circle. I figured it'd be better to shoot with but in reality its no. Why? cause with a four power scope, all you see is a big blob of orange at 100 yards. No definition as to where the bullseye is other than the fact that you know its somewhere in the middle. I found that even though i thought i was holding in the middle. Most of the time i wasn't. It seemed ok but in reality i was maybe 2 inches high and 2inches right. So i ajust for that but next time i was the opposite without ever knowing.
Solution - Draw big crosshairs through the orange circle so u can depict the middle of the circle.
3rd problem - Take your time, make every shot count. Today my friend was running late. we didn't get to the range until maybe 15 minutes before dark. I was rushing shots. Tuhs making bad shots.
All that combined to give me some pretty wack results and a lot of frustration.
In the end i wasted a box of bullets and really didn't get any where.
I'll be headed out saterday, a little more organized and ready.
Feels free to post your blunders or tips
Here's what i did wrong today.
My rest consisted of sandbags on top of 2 bullet boxes. First problem is -two bullets boxes stacked on top of each other are NOT sturdy. So make sure your rest is sturdy. It felt sturdy but when i shot they shifted all over. Which i didn't notice at first unitl my friend said something. Take the time to be comfortable and abosulutly steady.
2nd thing. If your using a 4 power only scope. Don't buy the targets that are a real big orange circle. I figured it'd be better to shoot with but in reality its no. Why? cause with a four power scope, all you see is a big blob of orange at 100 yards. No definition as to where the bullseye is other than the fact that you know its somewhere in the middle. I found that even though i thought i was holding in the middle. Most of the time i wasn't. It seemed ok but in reality i was maybe 2 inches high and 2inches right. So i ajust for that but next time i was the opposite without ever knowing.
Solution - Draw big crosshairs through the orange circle so u can depict the middle of the circle.
3rd problem - Take your time, make every shot count. Today my friend was running late. we didn't get to the range until maybe 15 minutes before dark. I was rushing shots. Tuhs making bad shots.
All that combined to give me some pretty wack results and a lot of frustration.
In the end i wasted a box of bullets and really didn't get any where.
I'll be headed out saterday, a little more organized and ready.
Feels free to post your blunders or tips
11-22-2002, 09:50 AM
#2
Typical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: North East PA. but not home.
Posts: 743
RE: Post Your Do's and Don'ts of Sighting in a Rifle.
<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle> TIPS ? Never rest the bare barrel on your sand bags or what ever you use for a front shooting rest . Use the wooden { or plastic] fore arm on the rest. If you rest the barrel only,you will not get the gun to be consistant.
As for targets , use the ones that have a big ,sorta +,thru the center. I never use targets that have a big black bulls eye,either. You can't see the bullet holes thru black. I use orange ones,with the +,that look like it has the orange in 4 pieces of pie with a plus sign thru it.
For shooting in a new scope or gun,with some one else,I use a piece of 2 ft, X 3 ft poster board, with the target centered on it.
Don't move your scope after only ONE shoot? Try maybe 3 ,then move the settings.
Don't exspect 1 inch groups,at 100 yards: A,using factory ammo B,using a low power scope C ,an out of the box ,untouched rifle.
1 inch groups can happen,but don't waste ammo trying to get them,with out a little work on the gun and shooting style.<img src=icon_smile_kisses.gif border=0 align=middle>
Mounting Man/in PA.
As for targets , use the ones that have a big ,sorta +,thru the center. I never use targets that have a big black bulls eye,either. You can't see the bullet holes thru black. I use orange ones,with the +,that look like it has the orange in 4 pieces of pie with a plus sign thru it.
For shooting in a new scope or gun,with some one else,I use a piece of 2 ft, X 3 ft poster board, with the target centered on it.
Don't move your scope after only ONE shoot? Try maybe 3 ,then move the settings.
Don't exspect 1 inch groups,at 100 yards: A,using factory ammo B,using a low power scope C ,an out of the box ,untouched rifle.
1 inch groups can happen,but don't waste ammo trying to get them,with out a little work on the gun and shooting style.<img src=icon_smile_kisses.gif border=0 align=middle>
Mounting Man/in PA.
11-22-2002, 11:00 AM
#4
Dominant Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: land of the Lilliputians, In the state of insanity
Posts: 26,274
RE: Post Your Do's and Don'ts of Sighting in a Rifle.
Do sight in on a target, Dont sight in on a friend. <img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>
The only suggestion I would say is start close 25 yards or so. Use a target but put it on a big piece of plywood or card board so you can see where the shoot is. Make sure you have something to rest the gun on to insure your shoot is true.
Sight in your gun for the load you intend on shooting. If you use factory loads stick with one size and company. A good factory load is a remington cor lock.
One last thought. Dont shoot your gun to many times in a row. Dont let the barrel get to hot. Let it cool between shots.
"Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity" Martin Luther King Jr.
The only suggestion I would say is start close 25 yards or so. Use a target but put it on a big piece of plywood or card board so you can see where the shoot is. Make sure you have something to rest the gun on to insure your shoot is true.
Sight in your gun for the load you intend on shooting. If you use factory loads stick with one size and company. A good factory load is a remington cor lock.
One last thought. Dont shoot your gun to many times in a row. Dont let the barrel get to hot. Let it cool between shots.
"Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity" Martin Luther King Jr.
11-22-2002, 01:39 PM
#5
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: York Springs PA USA
Posts: 76
RE: Post Your Do's and Don'ts of Sighting in a Rifle.
After ya finally get that rifle sighted in, don't clean and oil your bore. The first shot you make with it will usually be quite high. I bet quite a few misses occur because of that.
Do clean and dry the bolt innards before hunting in sub freezing weather if the rifle was out in the pouring rain days before another hunt. I've only read about frozen firing pins 'til it happened to me one 20 degree frosty morning on a what could have been a very close shot.
Do clean and dry the bolt innards before hunting in sub freezing weather if the rifle was out in the pouring rain days before another hunt. I've only read about frozen firing pins 'til it happened to me one 20 degree frosty morning on a what could have been a very close shot.
11-22-2002, 03:44 PM
#7
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: McKinney, Texas
Posts: 515
RE: Post Your Do's and Don'ts of Sighting in a Rifle.
The rangemaster let me in on this and it helped me this year. My trigger is too heavy and with the way I gripped the gun (cheek to the stock, forefinger on the trigger, <u>thumb wrapped over the top of the stock</u>) was causing me too twist the gun very slightly when I squeezed the trigger. He told me to align my thumb with my trigger finger to keep from twisting the gun on the shot until I go to a gunsmith to adjust my trigger. My groups improved immediately.
Good luck everybody.
Good luck everybody.
11-22-2002, 03:55 PM
#8
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Saskatchewan Canada
Posts: 6,921
RE: Post Your Do's and Don'ts of Sighting in a Rifle.
Don't forget ear protection, stapler, roll of masking tape or shells!!!
Speaking of ammo, make sure the bullets are the same make, grain and even lot. Don't laugh I have seen guys shooting 180 grains, then 150 and back to 180 and chase the bull all over the place, it happens. I have also noticed with factory ammo sometimes the lot of different ammo can change the reulst ever so slightly...so never take it for granted.
Lastly always shoot a min. of 3 shoot groups before turning that adjustment knob and allow time for the barrel to cool between shots (especially if you shoot a magnum or hot loads).
Speaking of ammo, make sure the bullets are the same make, grain and even lot. Don't laugh I have seen guys shooting 180 grains, then 150 and back to 180 and chase the bull all over the place, it happens. I have also noticed with factory ammo sometimes the lot of different ammo can change the reulst ever so slightly...so never take it for granted.
Lastly always shoot a min. of 3 shoot groups before turning that adjustment knob and allow time for the barrel to cool between shots (especially if you shoot a magnum or hot loads).
11-22-2002, 09:49 PM
#9
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: summerville sc USA
Posts: 120
RE: Post Your Do's and Don'ts of Sighting in a Rifle.
I like to take my .22 caliber rifle with me when shooting the 30-06. I'll shoot the .22 between groups on the big gun. This allows the big gun's barrel to cool between groups, I'll normally shoot empty shotgun hulls lined up on the 40 yrd berm with open sights on the .22. shooting 15-20 rounds of .22 between groups of 30-06 tends to keep me from flinching.
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