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Scope Sighting Question

2K views 5 replies 4 participants last post by  MattB4 
#1 ·
OK, I feel like an idiot but... While I have been hunting for years and spent 21 years in the Military.. I am just now getting into scopes

I went to range today with my new rifle and scope and am totally confused.

My scope has UP and RIGHT on the adjustments... I thought moving the adjustment UP would move the Impact UP but after doing some research it appears I am wrong... it moves the cross hair up which moves the impact down...

I did manage to get in the black but only after removing the bolt.. looking through the barrel and adjusting the scope (at 50 yards)

So am I correct in assuming that if the impact is 2" low and 2" left I need to adjust the scope 2" down and 2" left...

Also I read some place that if you aim at the bulls eye - fire one round and then re-aim at the bulls eye with the rifle locked in place and then adjust your scope so it is aimed at the where the first round hit.. you will get a pretty zero from that...
 
#2 ·
The directions SHOULD move the IMPACT of the round up/right as marked, however, if your scope came with a manual then I would suggest consulting it to make sure. As I understand it, it is pretty much an industry standard that the directions are the same across the board, however, it can possibly still vary between scope manufactures. Every scope I have owned is the way I mentioned.

Now to correct zero after firing. Keep you weapon locked in place. Figure out how much each click on your adjustment knobs is worth in inches at whatever range you are shooting at. ( i.e. 1/3 MOA adjustments at 100m would mean 3 clicks = 1" of movement of the impact of the rounds)

Fire 3 well aimed rounds (this minimizes the effect of wind, changes in stock weld, poor trigger control ect.)

Go to your target and find the exact center of your group. Measure how far the group is away from the bullseye laterally then translate that into the number of clicks that you need to move. Apply the corrected dope to your scope.

Fire another 3 well aimed rounds. Repeat the above step if necessary. At this point you should be centered on the target but high/low. This is when you would begin your elevation adjustments.

Elevation adjustments should be done the same way as your deflection i.e. right/left.

Figure the number of clicks you need to move up/down and apply then fire another 3 well aimed rounds. If you apply the dope correctly and you figure out the correct measurements then you should be right on target.

Remember when shooting. (A minimum of 2 well aimed rounds then adjust if necessary) this stops you from chasing your shots all over the paper.

Once you get the hang of zeroing a scope then you can combine the left/right and up/down adjustments and zero a bit more quickly, however for simplicity's sake it is usually easier to just do one then the other.
 
#4 ·
I shot expert multi times while in the Marine Corps -so I fully understand the shot three adjust..etc

I was really trying to understand how a scope adjusts... What was getting me and still does is that with iron sights.. lets take and m-16 as an example...

moving the front sight up - moves the impact down
moving the back sight up - moves the impact up

so is a scope treated as a front sight or a rear sight

my scope is set for 1/4" at 100 yards...
 
#3 ·
One thing to keep in mind when zeroing a scope. Because gravity causes a bullet to continuously drop after it leaves the barrel (and you want to hit a certain height on target) your bullet will follow a ballistic trajectory in order to arrive on target. So if you sight in at a close range you can be low or high at a different range. Depends on the arc. Couple that with the height the scopes crosshairs are above the plane of the barrel (reason I do not like high mounted scopes) and you get some interesting converging/diverging lines. There is also the effect that can be caused with side mounted scopes that is rather bizarre to zero for if the rifle is even slightly out of consistent held level.

The scope adjustments move the point of impact up or down, left or right as indicated on the turrets. Usually 1/4 inch per click at 100yards. Most scopes are parallax adjusted for 100 yards though pistol scopes and .22 scopes can be 50 yards.
 
#5 ·
I'm not an expert by any means but watched a video of a guy who set his scope by locking in his rifle in a gun vise and fired a high accuracy round at the optimal distance for the round. He then moved his cross hairs to where his round went in the target and did this until he zeroed it in. Not very many rounds at all were wasted sighting in. I have not needed to try this out since seeing the video.

Here is one I just found that should help you.

 
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