What distance to start with a scope

[173ABN]

I was told that when you put a scope on a rifle you should sight in at at 25 yds before goig to 100 yds. Is this true.

 

[R.Morehouse]

I put my rifle in a secure rest, take the bolt out and look through the barrel so it is aimed at the center of the sight in target. Then I crank the scope to that spot as well ( at 50 yards ), then squeeze one off. I have been doing it that way for a while and can usually get within an inch or so. Then it's just a scope adjustment to finish the job.

Regards
Rick

 

[Big_Daddy]

I use a decent quality bore sighter.
99% of the time, a hole appears at 100 yard target and then it is an easy process.

My last one I did even showed the first round fired at 500 yards.

 

[Dimner]

I was told that when you put a scope on a rifle you should sight in at at 25 yds before goig to 100 yds. Is this true.

If this is your first time mounting a scope, I 100% suggest this method. Get it withing one inch of your aiming point at 25 yards, then move to 100

 

[Dimner]

I put my rifle in a secure rest, take the bolt out and look through the barrel so it is aimed at the center of the sight in target. Then I crank the scope to that spot as well ( at 50 yards ), then squeeze one off. I have been doing it that way for a while and can usually get within an inch or so. Then it's just a scope adjustment to finish the job.

Regards
Rick

This is how I do it at 100 yards, but i have only gotten good at it after alot of experience with standard scope mounting. At 100 yards I can get within about 2-4 inches with this method.


I also make sure to dial the windage and elevation to the exact center of the adjustment range before I start this process.

 

[Walt Krafft]

I will be bore sighting and making first shots at 600 yards tomorrow. Will have a spotter on a scope behind me.

 

[shoobe01]

I start at 7. Yes, really.

The shortest pistol range. More than once things have been REALLY far off, and it helps. For longer range stuff I have to start at like 15 (we have a lot of pistol ranges here) to get the scope even sorta focused, but if you bench it, do your best trigger control and dial carefully, you can usually be within a click of windage and maybe 4-5 elevation when you go to zero range (100 yds or whatever it is you do).

For those very short range things, I'll usually also just assume mechanical offset alone. Give myself a POA (aim) that is different from POI (impact) instead of just totally guessing or forgetting and dialing to POA and screwing it all up.

 

[6MMsteve]

if your good at sighting in a scope 100 is fine///but 25 will do, set it to shoot 1.250 inch low at 25 and you will be very close at 100

 

[moondog]

I set the rifle up, bolt out looking down the bore at 100 yards. Adjust scope to match picture. I've never had a problem being on target.

 

[JEFFPPC]

I have found by boresighting from my cleaning bench to the wall, about 10ft, so the bore is 2 inches lower that the reticle I am on paper at 100 yds. An easier method if your shooting into a bank or berm is pick out or place a small obvious stone for your first shot. It's doubtful you will miss the whole bank. Adjust from there. A lesson learned from silhouette shooting.

 

[mchees1]

All of my scopes are ffp so it is easy to get very close with just 2 or 3 shots. I have a large 2.5' x 2.5' piece of cardboard with cross drawn on it. I put it up at 50 yards. Fire one shot and use the scope to see how far off it is. Then use the reticle to count how many moa clicks is needed. Dial those clicks in and fire 2nd shot. Usually vey close. I use a ballistic calculator to know where the impact will be at 50 yards even though I am sighting in for 200m (220 yds). Then fine tune the last shot if needed. Then I move to 200m and fine tune the final settings. If not ffp scope, you can measure where the 1st shot hits from aim point. Then calculate how much moa you need. Remembering that at 50 yards if your bullet hits 2" left, you will have to dial in 4" on your scope (you have to double the click value of the scope because you are only half the usual 100 yard click value).

 

[Bill K]

Some bore sight at 25, some at 50, for the first shot. Then move to 100 and finish POI. Check out the daily bulletin and there is, now, a four shot reccomendation on sighting in procedure.

 

[Eagle Six]

Over the years I cannot count how many folks I have observed trying to zero at 25 yards or further and wasting a box of ammunitions. I would ask if they bore sighted and the answer is generally no, followed by the question, how do you do that. Most have been AR type guns, but also bolt guns as well. I would move to a 100 yard target, bore sight and the first round was within a few inches of the X.

If you don't have one of those cute little boresite gizmos, or cannot bore sight because of rifle design (M14/A1, Remington or Browning auto-loaders, etc), then I recommend getting a big target and getting close for that first shot. Otherwise, I like to bore sight at a 100 yards. With an unknown gun, ammunition, and optic, i will use three rounds to check the grouping and make adjustments from the center of that group. This will usually save ammunition in the long run.

 

[6ShotsOr5?]

Bolt action: I do it like @R.Morehouse but I go straight to 100 yds. If you are new to doing this 50 yds is a good idea.

Semi auto: I start at 25 yds after counting clicks and adjusting the elevation and windage adjustments to the middle of their range.

My target is about 24” x 30”.

 

[MClark]

If you are asking this question you should start at 25 with target on a big piece of cardboard.
It is one or two shots and could save many at 100.

 

[TrapperBR549]

I think it comes down to the size of your target.

 

[10XSHOOTER]

I have found by boresighting from my cleaning bench to the wall, about 10ft, so the bore is 2 inches lower that the reticle I am on paper at 100 yds. An easier method if your shooting into a bank or berm is pick out or place a small obvious stone for your first shot. It's doubtful you will miss the whole bank. Adjust from there. A lesson learned from silhouette shooting.

Grab a box of International Clay birds. Put on bank at 100 and shoot until you break it!

 

[BigBolt]

I was told that when you put a scope on a rifle you should sight in at at 25 yds before goig to 100 yds. Is this true.

I started using a laser barrel bore sighter.

SITE-LITE SL-100 Laser Boresighter SKU: 100000843

Check out SITE-LITE SL-100 Laser Boresighter SKU: 100000843 available Online at Brownells Today and many more Scope Mounting Tools products are available in our Optics Department.

www.brownells.com

 

[std7mag]

I pull the bolt and sight through the barrel at 25 yards. Then adjust scope to the bore.
Couple of things to remember when doing this though.

1) takes 4 times the amount of clicks. IE 4 inches to move the scope 1 inch.

2) you turn the adjusters opposite of the direction you want to go.

 

[JEFFPPC]

Grab a box of International Clay birds. Put on bank at 100 and shoot until you break it!

Stone or leaf fits my budget. 2 shots you should be at least in the 9 ring. I have put the little ones, I think minis, at 1000 to shoot at.