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

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.

RE: Post Your Do's and Don'ts of Sighting in a Rifle.
 

double post

Edited by - burniegoeasily on 11/22/2002 12:01:28

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.

&quot;Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity&quot; Martin Luther King Jr.

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.

RE: Post Your Do's and Don'ts of Sighting in a Rifle.
 

Start with a good gun!


IN THE KILLZONE!

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.

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).

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.


YEEEEHAAWWWWWW!!!!

MARK IN S.C.

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RE: Post Your Do's and Don'ts of Sighting in a Rifle.
 

Never have your wife downrange holding your targets for you no matter how tempting it is!!!!!!

RE: Post Your Do's and Don'ts of Sighting in a Rifle.
 

My tip for sighting in is: don't assume that just because your rifle is hitting an inch high at 25 yards and your ballistics table shows it is dead on at yardage X that it is true. Shoot it at every distance so you KNOW where it will shoot.

RE: Post Your Do's and Don'ts of Sighting in a Rifle.
 

where's a good place to get ballistic tables?

RE: Post Your Do's and Don'ts of Sighting in a Rifle.
 

A lot of the reloading manuals will have ballistic tables

RE: Post Your Do's and Don'ts of Sighting in a Rifle.
 

I do the 3 shot groups then go look to see where they are hitting on the paper. I circle each hole and mark it with a number :ie first group shot Marked #1 2nd shot group #2. This helps in alot of ways.

You get to see if groups are getting tighter or spreading out as well as where the shots are moving to.

To me (my prefrence) is to have good groups all hitting in same place then Zero in scope. It may take 6-9 shots before i move my scope once.

Hunt for the sport, share the outdoors and most of all be safe and enjoy it......know your
back stop when shooting!!
http://www.hunting-pictures.com/members/nicholal

RE: Post Your Do's and Don'ts of Sighting in a Rifle.
 

when going to see where your bullets hit. Don't run back and forth to the target. If your shooting at 100 yards and are running back and forth to the target your heart will get to beating. Once your heart is beating really fast its harder to shoot.

I learned that one today. I shot better groups after walking to and from target.

RE: Post Your Do's and Don'ts of Sighting in a Rifle.
 

Of course, if you're not sighting in the gun, and actually practicing shooting for the hunt, it might help to run around a lot before taking some shots. Very few hunters I know would claim to be perfectly calm with a resting pulse when they've decided to pull the trigger on that monster buck...

Nate

RE: Post Your Do's and Don'ts of Sighting in a Rifle.
 

I'd like to emphasize what berniegoeasy said about letting the barrel cool. I got a ruger mark II 7mm mag. I shoot alot and reload my own shells. That gun will drive nails starting out but if you don't take the time to let that barrel cool between shots, it will start putting holes everywhere in that target. It can be warm, but if it's uncomfortable to touch, it ain't gonna group. Maybe heavier barrel rifles are better.
Also, if you clean that barrel after you sight it in, your next shots are going to be way high. I clean mine after the season is over and that's it.

RE: Post Your Do's and Don'ts of Sighting in a Rifle.
 

Make sure all scope mounts are tight and free of damage before starting. It really is frustating when you can't get the gun to group with any ammo. Then find out your mounting screws are loose.

Shoot your last group out of the box of ammo you plan to hunt with(You'll be sure of where they shoot).

RE: Post Your Do's and Don'ts of Sighting in a Rifle.
 

I assume you are after deer with this rifle since this is a deerhunting board. My particular load groups at 0's at 25 and 225. Its about 1.5 inches high at 100 yds. Since this is a load I know and have used in this rifle for years with the load it made it easier when I put a larger scope on it this year.

Simply put, I started at 25 yards to get it centered. Then shot the 75, 150, 225's. Saved ammo.

Oh and I like target 2 on this link. I print these down and use them. much easier to see those 1 inch blocks even through the 4 power. http://<a href="http://www.remington...argets.htm</a>

&quot;Size isn't important, but it HELPS!!!&quot;

RE: Post Your Do's and Don'ts of Sighting in a Rifle.
 

1) bore sight your rifle, that will save some shots. 2) get dead on at 25 yards, 3) shoot a GOOD three shot group at 100 yards, 4) as your rifle is sitting solidly on your rest, preferable a sight vice, look through your scope w/o moving the rifle at all and move your cross hairs to your three shot group or below the group if you want to be X inches high at 100 yards. Your now sighted in, but take another three shots to make sure.

RE: Post Your Do's and Don'ts of Sighting in a Rifle.
 

Use a target PLAINLY marked. We tried sighting in a n orange Circle target with iron sigths at 100 yards...couldn't see the middle of the target. W had to put 3 thick bands of black electrical tape up and down. and across so we could see the middle. Then it was a simple task tomake sure the gun was on! <img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>