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How to Sight in Your Rifle Scope - Bullseye!

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As an ethical hunter, you want to make sure that your rifle is properly sighted in before your hunting trip starts. Here’s a foolproof way to sight in your rifle.

Points of Clarification

First, let me clarify a few points for you. If you have your scope mounted on your rifle by a gunsmith, he will usually say he has “bore sighted” it. This is not sighting it in, and bore sighting should never be thought of as making your rifle ready for hunting. Bore sighting is a gross approximate alignment meant to assist with the actual sighting in process explained below. The bore sighting will make the sighting-in process easier by hopefully helping you place your first shot at 25 yards on the paper target.

From there, you can dial in your shots to the target bullseye and be ready for your hunting trip. Here’s what you need to do to sight in your rifle.

Out to the Range from Here

At your local range or wherever you are sighting in your rifle scope, start at the 25-yard position. Put up a large paper target such as an NRA 100-yard small-bore rifle target, which has a large black bullseye. Get really comfortable on the shooting bench so that none of your muscles are cramped or in tension. Bring a pillow or a folded-up blanket to sit on (as required) to get your head and shoulders at a comfortable height at the bench rest.

When you are seated and comfortable, position one or more sandbags on the table so that you can comfortably rest the forearm of your rifle. Anything that is a solid rest with an old blanket for comfort and to protect your rifle is fine; you just don’t want a “hard” surface. Never rest any part of a rifle, and particularly the barrel, on a hard surface. On recoil, the rifle will jump away from a hard surface, giving you a false point of impact.

Because you will be holding the forearm of your rifle in your hand in the field, I would do the same at the range. Rest your hand over the sandbag and grip the forearm of your rifle in your hand, just as you would in the field. Try to hold the rifle as firmly as you would in the field. Changing the way you hold a rifle will change its point of impact, so I try to hold my rifle at the range the same way I will be holding it in the field.

Remember that you are sighting-in a hunting rifle. You could probably get somewhat smaller groups by minimizing all human contact with the rifle, especially by letting the sandbags or rifle rest entirely support the forearm. Small groups are desirable, but in this case getting the point of impact correct is even more important. You can always shoot for the smallest possible group size later. The recoil from larger rifles can cause bad habits after prolonged shooting, so many times two sessions are required to get it “right on.”

By now you should be in a steady position at the shooting bench with the rifle pointed at the 25-yard target. If you are using a variable power scope, set it to the highest practical power. In other words, the highest power that delivers a sharp, clear image. This may not be the maximum power. Many scopes look better slightly below their maximum magnification. For example, the view through a 3-9x scope may look better at 7x or 8x than it does at 9x.

Taking Your Shots

Now load one round into the chamber and prepare to shoot. Put the crosshairs directly on the center of that big, black bullseye. Before you shoot, close your eyes for 10 seconds and then open them. Did the crosshairs drift off the center of the target while your shooting eye was closed? If it did drift, it means that your muscles are under tension trying to keep the rifle on target. Shift your position slightly until you can close your eyes and find that the rifle is still aimed directly at the point of aim when you open them. Now your muscles are properly relaxed and you are in a position to do your best shooting. Go through this little routine before you fire every shot.

Carefully fire one round, striving to get a perfect surprise break of the trigger for the best accuracy.

Now examine the target and find the bullet hole. You can probably see it through your riflescope and certainly through your spotting scope. (You did bring a spotting scope, didn't you?) Even though your rifle is bore-sighted, the bullet hole is probably not going to be in the center of the target at 25 yards. However, the bullet hole should at least be somewhere on the paper. Measure (or at least accurately estimate) its distance from the "X" in the center of the bullseye. Let's say, for example, that single perfect shot hit 3 inches high and 2 inches to the left of the center of the target.

Making Your Moves

Adjust your scope the number of clicks or increments required to move the point of impact to the center of the target. For example, let's say the instructions that came with your scope advise that each click moves the point of impact 1/4 MOA, which is 1/4 inch at 100 yards. However, since we are shooting at only 25 yards, we will need to multiply the number of clicks by 4. This is standard for most hunting scopes today.

To move the point of impact down the required 3" at 100 yards would require 12 clicks (four clicks per inch). At 25 yards, remember, we will have to multiply the number of clicks by 4, so turn the elevation adjustment in the down direction 48 clicks (12 x 4 = 48). It is a good idea to go a little past the new setting and then come back whenever adjusting a scope. I'd turn, say, 50 clicks and then come back 2 clicks for a total of 48 clicks down. This helps settle the adjustments of many scopes. I also tap the adjustment dials with an empty cartridge case after setting them for the same reason.

Now adjust the windage (right and left). You need to move the point of impact 2 inches to the right, which at 100 yards would require 8 clicks. At 25 yards that means 32 clicks (8 x 4 = 32). Turn the windage adjustment a total of 32 clicks to the right (usually marked "R" on most scopes).

Your Next Shots

Okay! Now get back into that comfortable position and fire one more perfect shot at the 25-yard target. Ideally, if the scope's adjustments are accurate, it should hit inside the "10-ring" of a 100-yard small bore rifle target. If it does, your preliminary 25-yard sighting is close enough. There’s no need to waste ammunition getting it perfect. You will do that at 100 yards.

If the second shot is not within an inch of the center of the target, you will have to adjust the scope again. By the third or fourth scope adjustment and shot, the bullet should be landing inside of the 10-ring. If it isn't, something may be wrong. Check the scope mount screws for tightness. They must allow absolutely no movement of the scope under recoil.

Let's assume that your rifle is now hitting within an inch or less of the point of aim at 25 yards. Great! Now it will at least be on the paper at 100 yards. The rifle's barrel is probably not too hot, your shoulder is hopefully still in good shape, and you haven't wasted a lot of ammunition.

Moving it Out

Now you’re ready to put up a 100-yard target. If you have one that is overlaid on 1-inch grid lines, it makes it easier to see how far your bullet holes are from the point of aim using only your spotting scope. This saves a lot of steps when shooting at 100 yards because you won’t have to measure.

Wait until your rifle barrel has cooled to the ambient temperature (keep it out of the sun).Then get back into your comfortable bench rest shooting position. Remember to close your eyes before you shoot to check for a perfect, tension-free hold. This time you will slowly and carefully fire 3 shots at the exact center of the 100-yard target. Take your time and make each shot a perfect surprise break. Call your shots and check each one through your spotting scope. That way, if you call a flyer, you will know which bullet hole to disregard. Re-shoot any flyers so that you have 3 good shots on the target.

Next, estimate the center point of impact for the three bullet holes. If you have an accurate rifle and you’ve shot it well, the three bullet holes should be within about a 3-inch (or smaller) circle somewhere on the 100-yard target.

Now it’s time to get serious about sighting in at 100 yards. Remember that at this point in the process it is best to adjust the scope in only one direction at a time. Scope adjustments frequently interact with each other (they should not, but in the real world they may); so by changing only one at a time the effect is minimized. Move the elevation adjustment 4 clicks in the "down" direction. That should be 1 inch at 100 yards for the scope in our example.

Now shoot another careful 3-shot group, making sure that the barrel has time to cool between shots. Take your time and do it right. Did the center of the group move so that it is now 2.5 inches over the point of aim? If it did, then that’s good enough; if not, you will have to make another elevation adjustment and shoot another 3-shot group. This is where a good scope with precise adjustments really justifies its higher price.

Once the elevation is correct and the center of your group is the necessary 2.5" above the point of aim, go on to the windage adjustment. The rifle in our example is hitting 1.5 inches to the right, so we need to move the center of the group 1.5 inches, or 6 clicks, to the left. Go ahead and make the required adjustment. After the barrel has again cooled to the ambient temperature, fire three more careful shots, always holding on the exact center of the bullseye. If all went well, the rifle should now be putting its bullets 2.5 inches directly over the center of the bullseye, the point of aim. In most “Western Deer Rifle Calibers,” this will provide a “dead on” at 200 or 250 yards, which is usually just right for the wide open country of northwest Colorado.

If you have the extra ammunition, shoot a final 5-shot group to ensure that everything is as it should be. If all went well you have probably used about a box of cartridges to sight-in your rifle. That's not too bad.

Congratulations, your rifle is now correctly sighted-in.

A Quick Note About Legal Big Game Hunting Rifles in Colorado as Mandated by the Colorado Division of Wildlife

In Colorado a center fire rifle is required and:

Good luck and happy hunting from Larry Bishop and Rocky Mountain Ranches

About the Author

S. L. Merriam is a freelance writer and outdoor enthusiast.

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