How do YOU sight in your rifle?

[M-61]

I will have to respectfully disagree with you. If I am 3 inches low and 3 inch right, I need to dial up 3 inches

Which if you hold your reticle on that LOW hole and you move the crosshairs to the bull you are moving the NEW impact up 3 and left 3
You achieved 3 up and 3 left for next shot.

 

[Murray Brook]

I have reached the point where my brain is full. If I learn something new, something old falls out my ear.

My problem is nothing falls out the ear so nothing new can stay in.

 

[danny]

I boresight with an optical boresighter at home, then "let them fly" at 100 or 200 yards. Usually, very little correction is needed.

Danny

 

[BoydAllen]

After sighting in from the bench, using a front rest and rear bag, for a game rifle, rest your wrist on the front bag and move the rest so that your hand will be on the same place on the stock that it will be in the field, and remove the rear bag. Pull the rifle into your shoulder like you do when shooting in the field. Adjust POI if needed. This is not as steady but the rifle should react the same as it will when hunting.

 

[nakneker]

I’ve been bore sighting bolt rifles for years by taking the bolt out and finding an object through the bore that I can center in the bore as I look through it, kind of like using a peep sight. Best done when the rifle is stationary in the bags. I make the needed adjustments to get the crosshair where I want it at 100 yards and then starting shooting on paper and making adjustments. I’m usually within 3-4 inches of being zeroed after bore sighting. I’m usually zeroed in 5-6 rounds.

Then I shoot on paper and make the needed adjustments fine tuning my zero. Most of my lone range rifles are sighted in dead center at 100, rifles I don’t dial get sighted in an inch high. I’ve never been one of those guys who sights my rifles in 3-4 inches high at a 100. That’s just a personal preference thing, just what I like. Many of my rifles are used on small targets and I like my zero to be fairly close at a 100. To each their own.

So bore sight and fine tune at 100 using a good rear bag and soft bag up front on top of a SEB mini.

For semi autos or levers I set up at 25 yards with a 4x4’ target. Shoot and adjust, then fine tune my zero at a 100 or whatever the desired range is for that rifle.

The other method that makes a lot of sense to me but I don’t do it is to bore sight the rifle. Then shoot it, once you have a POI just move the crosshairs to where the bullet hit. That requires the rifle to remain in the position. Makes sense but I’ve never tried it,

 

[6Creed73]

This goes extremely well BUT easily confusing
A steady rest is mandatory
Placing the crosshairs on the bull
Fire
Wherever the bullet hit put your crosshairs on THAT hole
Steady as you can torn the turrets until THEY are on the bullseye
Fire
Steadiness is mandatory as when you are turning your turrets ( depending on the scope) are sometimes harder to turn than you think causing the rifle to move
The steadier you hold the rifle during this operation is how close you be in the bull on the 2nd shot. Maybe dead on if you did your part but no matter what that second shot is closer to the bull which is your point of aim
I hope this made sense.

This will definitely work. But I just see how far away (inches) the shot is from bull and dial the correct moa/mil. I use targets with 1 inch squares, so it's very easy.

 

[Eagle Six]

If your gun on recoil is jumping up or off the front rest, reach up and hold on the hand guard. Light and/or heavy recoil rifles do that. Holding down on the hand guard may not be as steady as using the off hand to manipulate the rear bag, but we don't always get everything we like.

As for the 1 shot zero, it isn't! If it worked well why do almost everyone fire a at least a 2nd shot, and many fire a lot more?!?! Yes, I have used the technique on known rifle, loads, and optics, but it works better when shooting a group and hunters should always let the barrel cool, clean the barrel as it will be for that first shot of the hunt and confirm on paper that whatever method was used it is in fact zeroed.

And the adjustment method is align on the bull and move the crosshairs to intersect the bullet hole.

If I use this method of adjustment on an unfamiliar optic, I like to also measure the distance up/down and side/side from the bull to the hole and count the clicks while making the adjustment. I do a little math to see if the clicks equal the amount of movement required just to get an idea if the scope increments work out.

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

Everybody has a different sight in distance that works for them. I primarily hunt with my 280 AI shooting Berger 168 hvld bullets. I zero it 2.65 inches high at 100 which coincidentally(sorta) is dead on at 265 yards. Easy to remember My shots average about that 265, so it works for my hunting situation. My max distance is about 515. I just keep up with drop values from about 350 to 515 and I'm set.

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

This goes extremely well BUT easily confusing
A steady rest is mandatory
Placing the crosshairs on the bull
Fire
Wherever the bullet hit put your crosshairs on THAT hole
Steady as you can torn the turrets until THEY are on the bullseye
Fire
Steadiness is mandatory as when you are turning your turrets ( depending on the scope) are sometimes harder to turn than you think causing the rifle to move
The steadier you hold the rifle during this operation is how close you be in the bull on the 2nd shot. Maybe dead on if you did your part but no matter what that second shot is closer to the bull which is your point of aim
I hope this made sense.

I do similarly but I fire, then aim at the bull again and adjust the crosshairs to the fired bullet hole, while the gun is well rested or held very steady.

 

[V35]

I put a 8.5”x11” target at 300’ with a 1” grid pattern printed on it. Remove bolt and center paper in barrel. Move crosshair to bull. Verify again by looking through bore and checking crosshair. Fire a shot, it is normally 3” from bull. Fire two more shots. Take measurement from center of group using the grid on paper. Adjust scope, fire another three shot group to verify zero. Set zero stop. Shoot targets at 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, and 800. Record dope and put the rifle in the case.

 

[Riesel]

This goes extremely well BUT easily confusing
A steady rest is mandatory
Placing the crosshairs on the bull
Fire
Wherever the bullet hit put your crosshairs on THAT hole
Steady as you can torn the turrets until THEY are on the bullseye
Fire
Steadiness is mandatory as when you are turning your turrets ( depending on the scope) are sometimes harder to turn than you think causing the rifle to move
The steadier you hold the rifle during this operation is how close you be in the bull on the 2nd shot. Maybe dead on if you did your part but no matter what that second shot is closer to the bull which is your point of aim
I hope this made sense.

No, Move crosshair to bullet hole, that's were the rifle is shooting, you can't move the bullet to the bull.

 

[M-61]

No, Move crosshair to bullet hole, that's were the rifle is shooting, you can't move the bullet to the bull.

No you can’t
But your second shot has moved the impact point of the bullet, by moving crosshairs, so you in effect have moved the bullet hole(2nd shot) to the bull.

Think of it like this. 1st shot crosshairs on bull. Bullet hole is 2” high 2” to left
Crosshairs on that hole. Go 2” low and 2” right
Where are you ? On the bull and where the where the 2nd shot will be.

 

[TaperPin]

I shoot one into the bank at 100 yards, a second shot, then adjust scope. Zero at 300 yards with three.

For mule deer:
0 to 200 yards hold 1/3 the chest depth up from bottom.
250 to 300 yards hold half way up.
350 yards 3/4 way up.
400 yards just on top of the back.
450 yards half a chest over the back.

This hold works for 243, 270, 7 mag or 300 mag with moderately heavy bullets.
Every time I hear of someone talking about dialing their scope for any distance over 100 yards, I remind them out to 450 by the time they adjust the scope the deer will already be dead if someone who doesn’t dial is also shooting at the deer. Real world deer also dont stand around waiting to be shot - adding 5 or 10 seconds to the shot may be too much time and all you’ll see is it bouncing away. The second largest deer I’ve ever seen in the wild was a fairly easy shot 150 yards away, but I needed about 5 more seconds - ever since that day I swore to reduce the time to get a shot off as much as possible. Lol

 

[Infrequent Shooter]

If you are lucky enough to get to a 25 yard range that is a big help to get on paper. boresight at that distance. easy(er) for worn out eyes.

 

[Acyr]

I do similarly but I fire, then aim at the bull again and adjust the crosshairs to the fired bullet hole, while the gun is well rested or held very steady.

This is how I do it also. Easy way to think of it is your making your point of aim (POA) match your point of impact (POI).

 

[Eagle Six]

Think of it like this. 1st shot crosshairs on bull. Bullet hole is 2” high 2” to left
Crosshairs on that hole. Go 2” low and 2” right
Where are you ? On the bull and where the where the 2nd shot will be.

If you place crosshairs on the bullet hole 2" high and then adjust elevation to place the crosshairs on the bull you will need to run the turrets up, 2" worth. That is going to make you next shot 4" high. If you align the crosshairs on the bull and adjust them to the 2" high hole, the turrets will need to be run down, 2" worth placing the second shot on the bull.

When looking through the scope the turret adjustments are backwards.

 

[davidjoe]

When ammo starts getting wasted frustratingly, I always revert to bore sighting. Bore sighting prone off a rest can eliminate shooter movement.

It’s honestly as reliable to bore sight at 600 or 1,000 yards on the big bull as it is at close range.

Making sure you are on the right target, just center up the bull in the bore, and dial the crosshairs to the X.

Go back and forth between the scope and the bore several trines to confirm it’s on, and then - step two is to dial in your memorized come ups. You’ll be on paper and probably in the 8 or 9 ring or better.

At 100 or closer, that dialing in of come ups isn’t necessary. Just bore sight and walk it in. Obviously the trick is to put the target in the true middle of the sight picture through the bore.

 

[LRPV]

I’ve used various methods through the years. Todays version consists of a BR gun in its rest or a normal rifle in a CTK cleaning cradle sitting on a rolling table at one end of a 100’ pole barn and a 600yd BR target on the door at the other end. I’m still able to see good enough and the blue bullseye fills up the hole in a 22-30 cal barrel just good enough to be able to center it in the bore. Dial the scope to it and I’m good enough to get on paper at 100-200. From there, with a BR rifle that’s sitting solid in a rest I fire a round, make sure the dot is still in the bull and dial the dot to the impact. Confirm and I’m done, as I don’t shoot that close anyway and will catch a nice day while I’m shooting at 500 or 1k and zero my windage good at that point, elevation is different day to day.
Hunting rifle, I use an X type bag and jam the magazine against the bag putting as much weight out front as I can to reduce the jump, use a game changer type bag in the rear. Shoot one, measure it with reticle, adjust, confirm and done.
PRS, same as hunting except use a bi pod up front.

 

[Triggernosis]

Guys, as the OP, I appreciate everyone's thorough descriptions of your sighting-in procedures. I guess I should have been clearer about what I was asking about. It's the bouncing up off my Caldwell "The Rock" front rest and throwing shots off.
I'm a Master level Service Rifle shooter and know the procedure for zeroing a rifle. It's the bouncing that was flustering me on a light-weight bolt action in .270 Win. My 12 lb AR15 service rifle doesn't jump, so I've never had any trouble with it.
I will look into a softer front rest like the Caldwell Tack Driver. In the field I shoot off a shooting stick, so I will need to confirm my shots with it.

 

[Eagle Six]

Guys, as the OP, I appreciate everyone's thorough descriptions of your sighting-in procedures. I guess I should have been clearer about what I was asking about. It's the bouncing up off my Caldwell "The Rock" front rest and throwing shots off.
I'm a Master level Service Rifle shooter and know the procedure for zeroing a rifle. It's the bouncing that was flustering me on a light-weight bolt action in .270 Win. My 12 lb AR15 service rifle doesn't jump, so I've never had any trouble with it.

There have been a few members comment on the bounce including myself. Maybe a photo of your bench setup with the rifle in the rest will help you get recommendations that you like.