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Sighting In or Adjusting a Rifle / Scope: Posted by Big58cal on TheHuntingFiles

Tips For Sighting In A Rifle
If you're having a tough time getting your sights/scope set on your rifle, sometimes it's not always the sights/scope that are the issue. First off, make sure everything is tight. This applys to both iron sights, and scope mounts. Any attachment screws, put a pretty good tourqe on them to ensure they are tight. Some people also put a drop of Loc-Tite glue on the threads of the screw to make sure they don't come loose. If you do use the Loc-Tite though, make sure it's the kind that is meant for screw threads and not the "regular" kind, otherwise you won't be able to get the screw out at a later date if need be.

Once you've made sure everything is secure, now you can start getting down to business. If you're sighting in a .22 rifle, you'll need to "coat" the barrel first. .22 rimfire bullets have a wax coating on them. This coating is meant to lubricate the barrel as the bullet is traveling down it. The trick to this though is that you're gun will shoot all over the place until the barrel gets fully coated with the wax. Shoot 50-100 rounds through the barrel to accomplish this. Once it's fully coated, you should have a white "star" on the end of the muzzle from the excess wax. Your rifle will now hold a zero. When you clean your rifle, don't clean the inside of the barrel. I usually clean mine once a year, or when accuracy starts to suffer. Afterwards, I recoat the barrel with the wax. Before I was aware of this, I would go hunting (with a clean gun) and was lucky to get 1. I would come back and sight the scope in, and then go home and clean the barrel. The next weekend, I would go hunting again, and again, lucky to get 1 squirrel. I was telling the gentleman who's land I hunt on about what the rifle was doing. He asked me if I was cleaning the barrel out. Since then, it's rare I miss a shot.

With the above, if you're using a centerfire or either a .17 HMR or Mach2, you'll want to clean the barrel after your shooting sessions. The .17 bullets are designed like a centerfire bullet and the copper foulings will hurt accuracy.

Now, if you have access to a bore sighter, use that to "get on the paper". If not, if you're shooting a bolt action, take the bolt out and center the bulls eye of the target in the center of the bore (make sure your rifle is set in a vice or on sand bags so it won't move). With the bore centered on the target, adjust the scope or sights to the bulls eye of the target. This will also work with a break action type gun.

If you've got a semiauto, scoot up close to the target (20-30 feet), sight in on the bulls eye and shoot a couple of rounds. Adjust your scope/sights accordingly to where you hit.

With a scope, the top dial will adjust elevation, and the side dial will adjust windage. The top should be labeled "UP" and an arrow pointing in a direction. The side will be labeled "L" and an arrow. When adjusting a scope, move the dial in the direction you want the bullet to go. If your shooting high, turn the dial on the scope in the "down" direction. Same thing with your windage adjustment. Iron sights are similar. You move your sights in the direction you want to hit. Usually with most scopes, 1 click equals 1/4" movement at 100 yds. Whenever you're adjusting your sights/scope, move it a little at a time. Even if my scope is way off, I rarely move the adjustment more than 4-5 clicks at any one time. Move your sights a little, shoot a 3-5 shot group and see where you hit to see if the scope/sights need further adjustment. Keep moving your sights/scope until you get it where you want it.

Always remember when adjusting sights, if you're dealing with the front sight (such as the sight pins on a bow), you move that sight in the direction that you hit. If you hit high, move your sight up. Hit left, move it left. With a rear sight (such as most adjustable rifle sights and scopes), you adjust according to where you want the bullet to go. If you hit high, move your sight down. Hit left, move your sight right.

Hope this helps!
Big58cal