Sighting in a scope

[Charlie Two Tracks]

I'm getting an Ultra Red Dot scope for my GP-100. I'm sure that it will have instructions with it but I was wondering if there are any tricks of the trade with sighting in the scope.

[btroj]

Start close. Nothing like seeing a guy at the range with a new scope trotting to find a tiny target at 100 yards and not on paper.
I like to start at 25 yards, get it close, then move back. Now you are pretty sure you will be on paper at 50.
Sight in from the position you will shoot it from most of the time. I have found differences in impact based upon shooting off a rest, offhand, prone, whatever. How the gun recoils can have a huge impact on point of impact.

Brad

[Bullshop]

This may not apply so much to a dot sight on a handgun but it sure may save shots for folks sighting in a scoped rifle.
In theory you should be able to sight in a scoped gun with one shot, yup just one shot.
Here is how, first bore sight to get close enough to hit paper at what ever range you will sight in for say 100 yards. I just set my rifle on bags with the bolt out and simultaneously look through the barrel then scope to get a rough alignment.
Then with the rifle set solidly on bags hold firmly and fire the one shot. Don't matter where it goes as long as it is one paper. Now have someone standing beside the bench hold the rifle firmly on the bags while you sight it in. With the gun being held firmly re-aim the cross hair at the bullseye. Tell your friend to hold steady now as you turn the adjustment knobs to adjust the cross hair to the boolit/bullet hole on the paper.
Your rifle is now sighted in and you used one shot.
Kewl huh!

[Sprue]

If you are able to put a hole on paper then it only takes that one shot to get sited in or close to the point of aim. It takes two people to do it but it goes like this.

Get one shot any where on paper, then have your buddy make the necessary adjustments while you steadily aim at the center target . When you get this point, keep your gun steady and aiming at your center mass, X, while you have your helping hand making the site move the the first hole. Then you can find tune it from there.

On a bolt gun remove the bolt and fix up a rest to where you can steady (rest) and see the 10 ring thru the bbl then fire your test shot. Then you can fine tune your scope.

So again, your pistol has to remain steadily pointed at the 10 ring (during the entire procedure as you direct your buddy as you navigate the friend and watching the dot move to the first hole on the paper.

Paying for bore siting is a waist of time an $$.

Hope this makes since.

[44man]

Works like a charm and I have used it for many years but your friend can not push on the adjustments, only turn them.
This is very hard to do with a red dot, covers too much.
The other problem is that most dot adjustments are never what the book says. Barrel length, etc, has a big bearing on how much a click moves POI.

[Sprue]

........ and also you could make or buy a pistol vise and do it by yourself. I made mine from rough cut solid oak ran thru a plainer, leather padding and a long wing nut

[btroj]

I don't mind using more than one shot. Matter of fact I like to shoot. I use the old adjust some, shoot a few, adjust more, shoot more method. May use many more rounds of ammo but how many of us here don't enjoy pulling a trigger?

[Charlie Two Tracks]

Thanks guys. I'll try that with the one shot and adjust. If I screw that up........ I'll shoot till I get it right. The scope is supposed to be here tomorrow.

[nes4ever69]

i cheated on sighting some on my guns, i got a laser sight one year for christmas, does 22 to 50. my house wasnt very big but it got it close, then at the range usually with a few shots it on.

[Sprue]

I don't mind using more than one shot. Matter of fact I like to shoot. I use the old adjust some, shoot a few, adjust more, shoot more method. May use many more rounds of ammo but how many of us here don't enjoy pulling a trigger?

Yep, we're not frugal with ammo by any means, we just like to hit the " X " reliably before we play.:target_smiley:

[btroj]

Whatever method you use just don't do what I usually see at the range.
Buy a new scope. Put it on rifle. Put tiny target at 100 yards. Shoot a shot. Not on paper? Shoot another. Still not on paper? Shoot a half a box. Still no hole. Ignore recommendation to start at short, like 10 yards, range with big target. It is a long range rifle, that would be stupid. Shoot a couple boxes of factory loads never hitting target. Blame ammo or assume scope is bad. Go home frustrated but no smarter than when we came.

That is my favorite method to watch. Some guys just don't learn.

[44man]

Even worse is the guy that buys a rifle, has the store mount a scope and bore sight it with one of those gadgets, then goes hunting without firing a shot at paper.

[felix]

Not for a red dot per se, but for a powerful scope:

1. Get an open top cardboard box, a cut two "V"s for the scope to lay in.
2. Get the scope out of the box it came in, and set the parallax to closest range.
3. Put the scope into the Vs, and sight into some bright light, like a blue sky.
4. Move head around back and forth looking for the crosshairs to move.
5. Adjust the cross hairs until they DO NOT MOVE, staying in the scope center.
6. Adjust the dials only, to show (zero, zero) coordinates, without moving the crosshairs.
7. Mount scope onto gun loosly, and set parallax for range to target.
8. Adjust mounts until bore sighted perfectly.
9. Move crosshairs per previous one-shot method above.

Powerful scopes will bring on cataracts like nobody's business, so minimize their use.

... felix

[44man]

I forever looked through the bore at a 100 yard target and adjusted the scope to be just below the bull. My first shot will be on paper and a few times, in the bull.
Any rifle or handgun I can't see through will use a narrow piece of a mirror to see through with. I have never been off paper with the first shot.
Parallax with those scopes with the adjustment are set for no cross hair movement at the distance you are shooting. That is also the best focus. See where the marks are. Burris are the only scopes that were way off and had to be returned.
The first thing with a scope is the rear focus adjustment in any case and it must be done so the cross hairs are sharp with your eye looking at ONLY a far target like a cloud, never look at the cross hairs.
ANY scope that needs to have the adjustment too far off center needs base or ring shimming. No scope should be near the limit of adjustment and every one should be centered in adjustment before starting. Going to the limits can damage a scope.

[10x]

For a Red Dot scope on a handgun.
1) start close or cover the target board with banquet paper (no holes) so if you miss the target you will know where the bullet hit - this works for 25 yards as well.

2) treat the Red Dot like a front sight, focus on it and place your target on the top arc of the sight - called six o'clock hold, that way the sight does not cover the target, you can either sight in for point of impact at the top of the dot or point of impact on the centre of the target - 3 or 4 inches higher. (That works if you are just target shooting at a particular range.
Just remember you can not hit accurately what you can't see. If the dot covers the point of impact your groups will get bigger.
I hope you understood this....