Do you zero off a bench or Tripod?

E

Erie660

Active member
I’m curious to hear how others zero their guns and why. I have heard that if you hunt with a Tripod then you should zero off the Tripod. I have no problems killing Coyotes off my Tripod but I zero my gun off a bench rest. I’m definitely more steady off the bench and I’m confident that my gun is zeroed. If I miss I can only blame myself and not the gun.
 
This is just my opinion, but I always zero off a bench. I want the most precision I can possibly get when getting my scope dialed in. I can easily go to the tripod later just to give me a little confidence, but if I'm dialed in off the bench, when I miss or make a bad shot, I know it's me and not the rifle or scope.
 
I do everything as I would most likely do in the field... off a bi-pod with rear bag/support. With proper technique (slight bi-pod loading), the bench front support offers no advantage over a bi-pod in my experiences. I'm sure others will disagree but it's just what has worked for me.

Years ago I did a good bit of non-scientific testing with several rifles to see if using the bench really mattered, it did not.

On my elevated shooting platforms (I have my own range set up), I even added a bi-pod stop strip to assist in using a bi-pod when prone.
 
I splay my tripod out and shoot off the bench with a rear bag. Started doing this when Kirsch mentioned that some guns of his had a different POI off of bags than his tripod. My savage model 11 22-250 was such a gun. It needed a little pressure point at the front of the forearm to shoot best (3/8" at 100). With the bag I guess I would not get it in the same place on the stock consistently and my groups would "raise" or "lower". At the time I was hunting with bipods and just started sighting in with 6 inchers and a rear bag and continued the process with the tripod.

Now adays, all of my practice is behind the house at metal with a tikka .22 mounted on my tripod via arca with me sitting on a metal folding chair the same height as my hunting swivel seat.
 
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Range finally dried up enough to open. I used my tripod flat on the bench with a rear bag. Just 2 shots at 50 than a couple at 100 yards and a three shot group to confirm. The Burris V3 was very easy to zero. Clear image and the new reticle options/colors should work well in the field.
 
Here's my process.

1. Take a cardboard box and either tape a target on it or color a dot about the size of a quarter.
2. Walk said box out to about 50 yards.
3. From a table with a cheap vise I shoot the box at 50. Make adjustments to scope.
4. Walk the box out to either 100 (deer rifle) or 170ish (coyote rifle) and because that's where the corn starts.
5. Fine tune scope at those distances.

6. Go kill stuff.
 
Bolt guns with flimsy plastic stocks as very likely to change poi when the type of support changes. Sight in same as you will shoot it in the field. Load development and zeroing hunting rifles are 2 different situations, my hunting(day rifles) are tested on different supports(bags,bipod,sticks) stocks modified as needed to minimize poi change. Night rifle, pretty much shot off the tripod.
 
I've never shot from a tripod, always a bench and bags. First I don't care for the looks of a tripod and has to add weight to carry around. Also I've read that the ground you shoot it off can change the impact of the bullet. Seems a hard ground or soft does make a difference. Truth is probably the biggest thing I have against them is hanging from a rifle like they do just look terrible to me. Sort of like plastic stocks, just don't care for how they look or how they feel! Personnel thing.
 
I zero my guns the way that I hunt. You will mount your guns differently from a bipod, tripod or a bench.

Being off a little from bench to tripod won't make a big difference at closer ranges. The farther out you go the worse the deviation is going to be and that's when it becomes more critical to mount your gun the same way every time.
 
Rifles shoot different when shot off bags/ledsled/bipod/etc. vs 'offhand'. Shooter and situation determine where zero 'should' be.
 
I zero my optic for the first time from a prone supported position.
I verify my zero often and make adjustments if need be from a tripod or bipod, in the most likely position I will be shooting from while hunting.
 
Occasionally of a bench but usually laying prone with Harris short bipod as 90% of my coyote hunting is laying prone.
 


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