Sighting in rifles

Originally Posted By: DABadjust the cross hairs till they intersect the bullet hole.
DAB

Works every time.
Last week I was dead center at 100 yards on the third shot fired.
 
I'm still working on sighting in my wife's 243. It's only got 20 rounds thru it. I can get it to shoot the same spot 2 or 3 times and then a few flyers. I gotta try some different ammo or somthing. The flyers are only about 1 to 2 inches away from the others. Maybe that's the best it'll do.
 
It took me a while to get my .17HMR sighted. The barrel took about 50 rounds to get broken in. I also find that if i fully clean the barrel, accurracy is lost for the next 10-15 rounds. I just run a bore snake through it once or twice, cleaning done. The other factor was the ammo. My Marlin Does not like the 17 grain rounds. It shoots the 20 grain rounds so much better.
 
I enjoy posts like this. I just got a .223 WSSM and did the Bore site routine, centered an object looking through the barrel, and then without disturbing the rifle, adjusted the scope to match. I was sighted in in just a couple shots. Good info Guys.
 
If it is slinging (not grouping) rounds at different yardage,,then something might be loose,,not broke in ,,or doesnt like what your feeding it.

Some rimfires,no matter 17 or 22 cal,,are very ammo picky.


If you cannot get 3 touching at 25 yards,,get differnt ammo ,,if everying is good and tight................X
 
I have a Weatherby 17 HMR with a 4.5 x 14 Leupold scope. First time I took it to the range I removed the bolt, set it up on a Cadwell sled and placed one of those targets at 25 yards. Looked through the bore and centered the best I could in the center of the target. Looked through the scope and adjusted the elevation and windage to put the crosshairs on the red dot. Replace the bolt and fired four shots at the 25 yard target for my grouping. Made my adjustments and then proceeded to shoot at a 50 yard target. Shot around 12 rounds till the grouping was to my satisfaction. Let the barrel cool for about 15 minutes and moved to the 100 yard target. I was using the Hornady V Max ammo. Shot several rounds at 100 yards and made my final adjustments. Took a break and removed the rifle from the sled. I set up my shooting bag and shot 4 more times at 100 yards. This was the best grouping that I ever had at 100 yards with the 17 HMR.



17HMR.jpg
 
One thing I have always wondered....is there a limit to how many clicks or how far you can turn the adjustment knobs? Is it 40 clicks, 100, 500? When a guy was bore sighting a rifle for me at Scheels he claimed that Leupold always turn their adjustment all the way to one end (he might have said all the way to the right but I can't remember). There has to be some end to it where it would not move anymore but I was always curious just how far could it go?
 
I had to re-zero knobs on my Zeiss Conquest. Turned each one until they wouldn't anymore then counted each click (250 or so) backed off half of that number. I think the number of clicks depends on brand of scope.
 
Quote:.......is there a limit to how many clicks or how far you can turn the adjustment knobs?

Yeah, they'll all reach a limit. If you know how many inches of adjustment the scope has, and multiply it by the denominator of the "inches per click, (1/2 1/4 or 1/8))

You'll know how many clicks end-to-end.

Here's the data you need (from a Nikon Buckmaster 3-9)

Adjustment Gradation: 1/4: 1 click
Max Internal Adjustment: 80

So, 80 X 4 is 320 clicks, end-to-end.
thumbup1.gif
 
Yfzduner450, sometimes it depends on the type of barrel you have with your problem... If you are shooting at too fast of a pace, the barrel will heat up and distort just enough to produce the flyers...

I have a .204 that exhibits the same thing if I'm shooting fairly rapidly...It has a 'pencil' type sporter barrel..

Dumbasapost, If you get too aggressive in cranking the knobs to their limits, you can 'stick' them at one of the extremes and have to send it back for repairs...If you are going to work your adjustments, do it slowly and gently after you start getting away from normal settings...

I zero my scopes and then run a 30 click "box test" and very rarely ever move them past that range in normal shooting..
 
Jack Roberts - I agree with you. When he said that they (Leupold) puts it all the way to one end, that just didn't seem to make common sense.

EL & OL - thanks for the good info.

Here is one more thing that somebody was telling me but again, it does not seem to make common sense. A guy told me that when he zero's in a Leupold that after making the required number of clicks he will tap the bases with a ball point pen or something so that the adjustments will "take". He said sometimes the adjustments need to bumped or jarred (not to the extreme) to get the cross hairs to move. The last Leupold I did (3x9x40) I never did that and it was dialed in pretty easily. The person I talked to said he has seen several guys do it while sighting in....is this an old wife's tale or does it have some merit???
 
Quote:....is this an old wife's tale or does it have some merit???

A lot of scopes you may have to "bump" to take out the backlash and slop in the internal threads to settle them in. You can tap it, or you can shoot a few shots and the recoil does it.

I've seen a couple exhibit that (cheap Tasco and a cheap Bushnell model).

I got rid of both of them.
grin.gif


My Nikons and Leupolds I can skip that step. I never see them "crawl" over to the adjustment.

That "guy" is probably used to sighting in cheap scopes in the minimum number of shots. He might have picked that trick up helping folks sight in their junk at the local range.
wink.gif
 
What I do is put it on a front rest and rear bag. I start at 12 yards then 50 and then 100. I get it pretty close.

Then I switch to how I plan to shoot the gun in the field. I put down some groups from the shooting sticks. The POI is usualy off when useing sticks compared to free recoil off the bags.

This is the hard part cuz now I can only hold about 2" circle at 100 yards. The bull is 2" orange circle I can just barely keep the xhairs in the circle. So I shoot about 3 or 4 groups 3 shots each. I let the gun cool 30 min between groups. I then average the vertical and windage of all the groups and make some adjustments. then I do it again. When my .223 puts them in a 2-3" circle centered 1" over the 10 ring from the sticks its done. Check it once a year before I start calling dogs.

after cleaning fire off about 5 shots to fowl the bore before hunting.


I'm lucky , while my guns have showed minor improvment after some shooting all my guns have been moa tack drivers within 10 shots. (except my old 10/22 of course but that is normal)
 
Quote:(except my old 10/22 of course but that is normal)


I've got my 10-22 shooting about 2" at 100 now with Mini-mags.
PM me if you ever want some tips.

It takes some time and money (thought I should warn you about that part).
grin.gif


I don't own a sled (makes that "move crosshairs to hole" idea impossible), but that Quote:I start at 12 yards then 50 and then 100. technique can save you a lot of ammo I've discovered.
 
Funny thing. I thought it was just me.. But I have an NEF Sportster in 17 HMR and have had it for several years.. I hadn't shot it in quite a while and had removed the scope. I installed a scope and went to sigh it in.. It seemed to group well and then after a while it started putting rounds all over with no rhyme or reason.. This is off a concrete bench bagged at 100 yds.. I cleaned it, checked scope mounts and I bought new ammo both 20 and 17 grain. Tried 3 different scopes and finally I have given up.. I am gonna sell this pig and buy an Anschutz..
 
Back
Top