Why sight in at 25 yards

At this point it doesn't matter where they land on the target. You may ultimately select the most accurate load that you try, or you may compromise a bit between optimum accuracy, bullet performance and even velocity. Once the load is selected, you need to decide exactly where you want your yard point of impact. For short-range hunting situations - like close-cover hunting or for dangerous game - you may well want a yard zero.

For shooting at longer ranges you're probably going to want your point of impact to be a bit high. I like a zero that's maybe 2 to 2. Depending on the cartridge, this will put me dead-on at maybe to yards. These days, with long-range shooting all the rage, a lot of guys sight in to be 3 inches high at yards. That's your choice, but the mid-range rise may exceed 5 inches, and the most common aiming error is to hold too high rather than too low, so as Jack O'Connor advocated a generation ago, about 2.

Sighting in is just like shooting groups- it has nothing to do with how well you can shoot; it's all about the rifle, so you want to eliminate human error. Use a good, steady rest, and take your time. The bench accentuates recoil, so don't hesitate to pad yourself or use recoil-absorbing shooting aids like the Champion Performance Shooting Rest. Settle down, really concentrate and squeeze the trigger, and then adjust your sights and do it again until you have reached your desired zero.

When I'm shooting from a bench rest, I try to get the rifle perfectly steady, and I let the sandbags or rifle rest do the work. I use my supporting hand to snug the butt into my shoulder, with my trigger finger the forward-most contact. If you're lucky you might get the rifle "pretty close" in three or four shots. Sometimes it takes quite a few more! Relatively few riflescopes have truly precise and consistent adjustments, so it isn't uncommon to go back and forth a bit to get it right.

That's perfectly OK, but you have to take your time and make sure the barrel doesn't get too hot. Once you think you're there, let the barrel cool completely and then check again. Depending on how many shots were fired, there's a good chance it's now time to clean the rifle. There is no set rule, and all barrels are different, but for optimum accuracy, it's probably best to clean the barrel after no more than 20 shots.

Now a freshly cleaned barrel will often have a different point of impact than the same barrel after a couple of shots, so I clean at the range, and if that's my last zero session before taking a rifle hunting, I clean the barrel and then fire a couple of "fouling shots," thus checking the zero one more time. OK, now the rifle is zeroed perfectly just where you want it.

But wait - as they say in the infomercials -- there's more! Do you use a bipod in the field? It's a great tool, especially in open country, but some rifles will have a different point of impact with an attached bipod than over sandbags.

This is the one I've noticed, but I suppose the same could be true of just about any field shooting aid. So once you're all zeroed, fire a couple of shots off your bipod or other shooting aid.

Chapter 1 - Intro to Hunter Education. Chapter 2 - Firearms and Ammunition. Chapter 3 - Shooting Skills. Chapter 4 - Hunting Skills. Chapter 5 - Primitive Hunting. Chapter 6 - Hunting Safety. Chapter 7 - Responsible and Ethical Hunting. Chapter 8 - Preparation and Survival. Chapter 9 - Wildlife Conservation.

Chapter 10 - Texas Regulations. Project WILD. Water Education. Pollinator BioBlitz. Equipment Proper ear and eye protection Rifle Ammunition- at least 2 boxes of exactly the same ammunition you will be using when you hunt. Rifle rest- sandbags or bench rest Paper targets with a bullseye in the center and an underlying one inch grid.

The grid allows you to calculate what adjustments to make to the scope settings to hit the center of the target. Spotting scope to check shots on the target. Staple gun and staples to set up targets, if needed at your range. Tools- screwdriver or other adjustment tool that fits your type of sights. Place your front hand on the stock behind the front rest. Now carefully load a single cartridge. Move your body and the padding under the buttstock until the cross-hairs are centered on the target.

Breathe slowly and naturally. Relax and squeeze the trigger. Do not get up from your seat or move around. Try to stay as still as possible and fire two more shots. Now you should have a "group" of three shots on the target that are fairly close together.

This group may not be in the center of the target. Determine the center of the group. If the center of your group is one inch low and two inches right of your point of aim, you must use the scope adjustment screws to move the center of the group one inch up and two inches left. In this case, you move the scope adjustment knobs in the direction indicated on the knobs i.

Fire another three-shot group. Do not rush your shots. Allow time for your rifle barrel to cool. A hot barrel will not shoot to the same place as a cold barrel. You will be hunting with a cool or cold barrel. After this second group, you may need to make further adjustments with the scope.

Continue to fire three-shot groups and make adjustments until your three-shot group is centered at 25 yards on your point of aim. Move the target to yards and repeat the process. Cartridges such as the.