Sighting in opinions

kcult

kcult

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I'm looking for opinions on sighting in a rifle.

Today or tomorrow, I want to sight in my Ruger American in 6.5 Grendel. It has a Vortex crossfire II 4-12x44 mounted on it, as well as my Specwar 7.62 (because it was just laying around). The ammo is Hornady 123gr SST.

Shots on animals this season could potentially be up to 200yds, but most likely will fall under 100yds.

I have a bench, a lead sled, a spotting scope, and just about 90yds of distance available. Although I have sighted in plenty of rifles over the years, I don't consider myself very proficient, nor efficient.

Got tips?
 
You can visually bore sight it. If you can lock it down in the sled, remove the bolt, look through the bore, and visually sight the bore to your paper. Then adjust the scope to zero, take a shot and adjust from there.

I have zero experience with suppressors but I’d imagine you’d want it on when sighting to account for any POI shift.

I’ve done the above countless times but much prefer using my laser bore sighter.
 
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Bore sight it at 50 yards. Get it zeroed at 50. Then go out to 90 and adjust as needed. Mine ended up an inch or so high when I checked at 100 and I left it there.
 
hp468 said:
You can visually bore sight it. If you can lock it down in the sled, remove the bolt, look through the bore, and visually sight the bore to your paper. Then adjust the scope to zero, take a shot and adjust from there.
Click to expand...

At what range would you start? Go ahead and set up a 90yd shot?
 
Burt Gummer said:
Bore sight it at 50 yards. Get it zeroed at 50. Then go out to 90 and adjust as needed. Mine ended up an inch or so high when I checked at 100 and I left it there.
Click to expand...

Gotcha.

Thanks!
 
How big is your target? The smaller the target, the closer you might have to start in order get shots on paper.
 
And remember kids, when doing a zero at 50 yards, or 25 yards, that if your scope has 1/4”/100 yard clicks, it takes MORE clicks at 50 amd even more at 25 to move it even a small distance. So at 50 yards it’ll move an 1/8” and at 25 it’ll be a 1/16”.

There’s your happy math for today
 
Burt Gummer said:
And remember kids, when doing a zero at 50 yards, or 25 yards, that if your scope has 1/4”/100 yard clicks, it takes MORE clicks at 50 amd even more at 25 to move it even a small distance. So at 50 yards it’ll move an 1/8” and at 25 it’ll be a 1/16”.

There’s your happy math for today
Click to expand...

Follow these rules. It also helps a lot to actually measure the distance on paper before you make your adjustments. You know, keep it mathematical.
 
Bore sight if possible. If not you'll probably be on paper at 25 or so roughly zero there. If boresighted or "zeroed" at 25 you should be on paper at 90 so adjust your windage and set your elevation about 1" high there. You'll be in the vitals to 200.
 
Burt Gummer said:
And remember kids, when doing a zero at 50 yards, or 25 yards, that if your scope has 1/4”/100 yard clicks, it takes MORE clicks at 50 amd even more at 25 to move it even a small distance. So at 50 yards it’ll move an 1/8” and at 25 it’ll be a 1/16”.

There’s your happy math for today
Click to expand...

I have an old high school chum living in Texas. He sent me a picture of a target with a hole in it. He was curious how many clicks did he need to go for it to be on the dot. I think he said he was either 25 or 30yds away. I gave him some numbers that he thought was ridiculous. I think he needed about 28 clicks down. He didn't understand why so many.

The next text I got was "You da man!"

Edit: I just read the texts again from last year. And apparently, I'm a bad mofo. 🤣
 
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MOA gets smaller the closer you are; thus a lot more clicks.
I bore-sight at 25 (eyes aren’t what they used to be) because i HATE chasing holes at 100 and up.
Be clear you want to know the difference in your cold bore shot and where you group once the barrel warms up.
So, bore sight at 25 ( move your reticle to where you’re grouping there. Then check at 100 for confirmation. 1inch high at 100 has been the hunting standard for a long time for a lot of calibers cause it just works.
If you can’t group at 25, put the gun down and go drink a cuppa coffee, watch tv, whatever… then go try again. You’re in no hurry, so make every shot as perfect as possible. If you still can’t group, go put it up and shoot slowfire .22 until you’ve “knocked the rust off”.
If you’re shooting over 10 centerfire rounds while zeroing, stop and come back to it.
 
kcult said:
At what range would you start? Go ahead and set up a 90yd shot?
Click to expand...
I have RSOd at club which opens up for public sight ins before deer season many years. What a BLEEP show.
Seen guys burn thru 40+ rds and still leave frustrated.
Here's my magic fix:

Step 1: BIG sheet of paper, ONE shot at 25 yards. Make any gross adjustments to just get close.
Step 2: same paper at 50 yards, ONE shot and fine tune windage, elevation within an inch or so.
Repeat 1 and/ or 2 if you like but if you can count clicks worth a hoot you won't need to.
Then go to whatever range you want, 3 shot group, adjust vs center of that group.

Final group as many as you like for last 1 or 2 clicks.

Oh and it really helps to know how many MOA each click on your scope is . . . And what inch adjustment that is at 25/50/100 yards . . .

But I can get any rifle zeroed for hunting out to 200 yards with 5 shots max using the above approach. Can't stress how important BIG paper is for sight in !!! Think 30 inch square. I prefer plain light color paper with a single paster dot aiming point. Easy to see holes thru the scope that way. Final group I use a crosshair pattern sight in target and hang with a bubble level to keep from canting the rifle.
 
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Zeroing tips:

Do not zero using individual shots. Each shot represents a single data point in a cone of deviation created by inconsistencies in bullet construction, powder charge, barrel construction, and shooter ability.

If you “zero” to an individual shot, you have no way of knowing whether it was at the edge of deviation for windage or elevation or somewhere in the middle.

Shoot a group to a consistent point of aim, then zero to the center of that group. That’s the only way to zero an optic. Anything else is just “close,” and might even be suitable for short-to-mid range steel, but not for hunting.

Three shots is not a group. Five is. Nine is even better. More data is better.

If you are inexperienced with sighting in rifles, do not try to do it off a wobbly bench or at an unknown distance. Consistency and steadiness will make your life easier. If need be, bite the bullet and go somewhere with adequate facilities (concrete pads, heavy benches, enough distance, known distances, etc.) to get your hunting rifle sighted in. Trying to figure out adjustments at “maybe 90 yards” will have a “trial and error” component, but shooting 100 yards for certain will not. Clicks will equal their stated values, which means less guessing and likely fewer shots.

If you think a 200 yard shot is possible, try not to take your first 200 yard shot with a particular rifle at a deer. 6.5G is not a fast cartridge. A 50-yard zero will be 4-5” low at 200 depending on your barrel, and you really need to “know” what that drop is with real life dope.

If you go with a zero that gives you a better max point blank (1” high at 100 should hit about 2” low at 200), you’ll still benefit from knowing your actual dope at range.
 
...And keep your 8.5 x11 zeroing targets in a ring binder so you can easily go back to "remember" how you did with what and when. I sight rifles at 135yds off a sandbag always, so the distance and the "me" variables are easily remembered and always consistent.
 
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I have a 100 yard zero on my 24” 6.5 Grendel build and I’ve shot of out to 1200 yards before I ran out of scope adjustments, I’m running a 6-24x40 Vortex Diamondback Tactical and a Warne 20 MOA scope Mount, I could potentially get 1300-1400 yards out of my setup if I changed to a 200-400 yard zero, but the caliber is really running out of ass beyond 1200 yards.
 
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