How to zero a scope

[Grim Reaper 1]

Zeroing your ‘scope

 

This is my guide to how I do it, if you want to follow my method - please fell free. If you do not want to, then please feel equally as free. I am choosing to post this as i feel it may be of use to you guys.

 

Ok, well here we go . . . . .

 

The first thing I do when I want to zero a scope to my rifle is to initially set the rifle with the Harris pod and my self made butt rest attached (see below),

 

 

up at 5 yards from my target (which is in front of my backstop), I then fire 5 shots. I adjust the turrets after each shot windage first, elevation second, until the centre of my cross hairs are spot on to the pellet's point of impact. Once this has been achieved, I move to the next step.

 

This step is the same as above, but I increase the range by 5 yards so now the rifle is 10 yards from target. After achieving zero at each stage, I simply increase the distance between rifle and target by 5 yards. My own preferred zero range for my rifle/'scope set up is 35 yards.

 

I know you will have read this far and be thinking "why does he the zero at such small increases of distance from the target each time?" . . . . . the answer is that I have found I prefer this way to zero because if you were to have a misaligned scope, or any occurence of 'crossover' (for instance if you had say, tightened up the scope rings to tightly) then any misalignment will become evident much more earlier on in the zeroing session, you see?

 

As an aside, the screws on scope mounts should only EVER be tightened to finger tight any tighter and you will risk irrepairably damaging your scope body. Similarly, the scope ring mounts should, ideally, be placed on your rifle's dovetails so they are as far apart from where the scope's saddle (the bit where the turrets sit) is, as this will also help to negate the scope mounts damaging the turrets delicate inside adjusters as well.

 

Anyway, back to the subject . . .

 

Once I have achieved my zero, I generally choose to set my turret caps to indicate 'zero' on them. I do this by slackening off the turret screws that hold the caps in place, and turning the caps until the '0' is in line with the scope's index mark and then nipping the screws to finger tight. If I then choose to make a turret setting change, I can easily revert to the zero mark again by aligning the turret cap '0' with the scope index mark.

 

I tend to zero at 35 yards as this is my comfort zone when I am hunting, with this in mind, if a close range shot suddenly presents itself, (lets assume at 15 yards) I can then use a little bit of hold under and be sure of getting the shot where I need it to be. This enables me to take a closer (or a shot that is slightly beyond my zero) without having to alter the turret settings. As you may have guessed, on a personal level, I prefer not to have to fanny around altering my turrest for wind/elevation each time a target presents. itself. I find it much simpler to hold over or under, as the case may be.

 

Anyway people, I hope this helps you out in zeroing your scopes?

 

 

Best regards to all,

Grim.

Edited August 17, 2008 by Grim Reaper

[Malt 379]

Very informative Grim.

[victor 10]

that will help me in the future

chears

[Grim Reaper 1]

that will help me in the future

chears

 

I sincerely hope so Victor, zeroing a scope can be a troublesome and confusing affair, and thats what made me think of writing a guide on the way i do it.

 

 

All the best,

Grim.

[McSparkie 0]

Hmmm, sounds like a plan. Not sure if I have the patience to do every five yards/meters (also the 'range' is not exactly level), but I have found I'm happy at about 17.5m, so I'll follow your lead.

[Grim Reaper 1]

Hmmm, sounds like a plan. Not sure if I have the patience to do every five yards/meters (also the 'range' is not exactly level), but I have found I'm happy at about 17.5m, so I'll follow your lead.

 

Cool, let us know how you get on mate.

 

The only major reason i choose to do it at every 5 yards or so, is just so that any scope problems would become evident much earlier on, like? Thats only my preference - i was taught it was best to do it that way and so carry it on, you see?

 

 

Regards (and thanks for the input bud ),

Grim.

[McSparkie 0]

Hmmm, sounds like a plan. Not sure if I have the patience to do every five yards/meters (also the 'range' is not exactly level), but I have found I'm happy at about 17.5m, so I'll follow your lead.

 

Cool, let us know how you get on mate.

 

The only major reason i choose to do it at every 5 yards or so, is just so that any scope problems would become evident much earlier on, like? Thats only my preference - i was taught it was best to do it that way and so carry it on, you see?

 

 

Regards (and thanks for the input bud ),

Grim.

 

Actually that was a typo, I meant 27.5m.

Sitting or kneeling, I can get a group within about a 2" diameter. I've also started playing with bipod substitutes and I'm much better, but the kids keep wanting their toys back

[cometa300s 20]

thanks for the guide grim i get my other gun back thursday and with me getting the lightning i put my old scopes on it. so i will have to buy new scopes. i will give your method a go and let you no

[Grim Reaper 1]

Cheers Cometa, much appreciated. I remain interested to see what you find, and how you go with it mate.

 

 

All the best,

Grim.

[erk108 0]

Zeroing your ‘scope

 

This is my guide to how I do it, if you want to follow my method - please fell free. If you do not want to, then please feel equally as free. I am choosing to post this as i feel it may be of use to you guys.

 

Ok, well here we go . . . . .

 

The first thing I do when I want to zero a scope to my rifle is to initially set the rifle with the Harris pod and my self made butt rest attached (see below),

 

 

up at 5 yards from my target (which is in front of my backstop), I then fire 5 shots. I adjust the turrets after each shot windage first, elevation second, until the centre of my cross hairs are spot on to the pellet's point of impact. Once this has been achieved, I move to the next step.

 

This step is the same as above, but I increase the range by 5 yards so now the rifle is 10 yards from target. After achieving zero at each stage, I simply increase the distance between rifle and target by 5 yards. My own preferred zero range for my rifle/'scope set up is 35 yards.

 

I know you will have read this far and be thinking "why does he the zero at such small increases of distance from the target each time?" . . . . . the answer is that I have found I prefer this way to zero because if you were to have a misaligned scope, or any occurence of 'crossover' (for instance if you had say, tightened up the scope rings to tightly) then any misalignment will become evident much more earlier on in the zeroing session, you see?

 

As an aside, the screws on scope mounts should only EVER be tightened to finger tight any tighter and you will risk irrepairably damaging your scope body. Similarly, the scope ring mounts should, ideally, be placed on your rifle's dovetails so they are as far apart from where the scope's saddle (the bit where the turrets sit) is, as this will also help to negate the scope mounts damaging the turrets delicate inside adjusters as well.

 

Anyway, back to the subject . . .

 

Once I have achieved my zero, I generally choose to set my turret caps to indicate 'zero' on them. I do this by slackening off the turret screws that hold the caps in place, and turning the caps until the '0' is in line with the scope's index mark and then nipping the screws to finger tight. If I then choose to make a turret setting change, I can easily revert to the zero mark again by aligning the turret cap '0' with the scope index mark.

 

I tend to zero at 35 yards as this is my comfort zone when I am hunting, with this in mind, if a close range shot suddenly presents itself, (lets assume at 15 yards) I can then use a little bit of hold over and be sure of getting the shot where I need it to be. This enables me to take a closer (or a shot that is slightly beyond my zero) without having to alter the turret settings. As you may have guessed, on a personal level, I prefer not to have to fanny around altering my turrest for wind/elevation each time a target presents. itself. I find it much simpler to hold over or under, as the case may be.

 

Anyway people, I hope this helps you out in zeroing your scopes?

 

 

Best regards to all,

Grim.

Hi Grim

i am very new to airgunning and trying to zero my first rifle.Reading through your advice the way i understand it is to zero the rifle at 35 yards (per your instructions) and if a target appers closer or further then i must hold over.What do you mean by hold over.Could you explain please as i am new to airgunning.If the gun is zeroed at 35 yards then is that what range its accurate for.I mean anyting above or below 35 yards it will not be as accurate.I have just purchased a gammo hunter 440 and want to use the acccupell .22 pellets.Also zeroing at 35 yards will be good for rabbits i am presuming.Your advice is appreciated

Thanks

[gilly-93 31]

Nice one Grim

[Grim Reaper 1]

Hi Grim

i am very new to airgunning and trying to zero my first rifle.Reading through your advice the way i understand it is to zero the rifle at 35 yards (per your instructions) and if a target appers closer or further then i must hold over.What do you mean by hold over.Could you explain please as i am new to airgunning.If the gun is zeroed at 35 yards then is that what range its accurate for.I mean anyting above or below 35 yards it will not be as accurate.I have just purchased a gammo hunter 440 and want to use the acccupell .22 pellets.Also zeroing at 35 yards will be good for rabbits i am presuming.Your advice is appreciated

Thanks

 

 

Right, ok . . . . . (bear with me on this)

 

 

 

Once fired from the rifle, a pellet follows a slightly upwardly curving trajectory, ie first it goes up through your 'line of sight' when you are looking through the scope, and then comes down - again passing through this line of sight. Now, the line of sight is what you are looking along when you look through the scope at your target, ie an invisible imaginary line - stretching all the way from you eye right to the target itself, via the scope. Ok thats that bit done with! lol To help you visualise the sight line and pellet trajectory, look at an archery bow on the ground from above - the bow string representing the sight line, and the bow itself representing the pellet trajectory . . . .can you start to kind of see what i mean about the upward curve of the trajectory?

 

Right, that upward curved trajectory? . . . . well like i say, it passes the sight line twice - the second time (when it is on it's way down through the sight line) is where your target is - a polo mint for instance, (lets assume it is 35 yards) and that is where you want your cross hair centre to co-inside with the pellet impact. This is your zero.

 

So, if you are spot on at 35 yards (cross hairs and pellet strike are at the same point) then imagine you then shoot at something at say, 30 yards, then you need to use what is called 'hold under', this is when you lower the rifle and scope so that the cross hair centre (when looking through the scope) is sitting slightly below the 30 yard target. If you were to fire now (having had plenty of practice first) you would more than likely hit the polo mint, first time.

 

Similarly, if that polo mint was at 40 yards, you would then need to use 'hold over', that is where you hold the rifle in such a way so as to put the cross hair centre slightly above the polo mint. Again, with practice, and experience under your belt, if you were to fire now, you would then hit the 40 yard polo mint.

 

Forgive me if this post is a bit long, but i'm not the best author! lol I hope what i have written makes sense, if not then just say and i will try a different way, like?

 

 

Hope this helps you bud?

 

Regards,

Grim.

Edited August 17, 2008 by Grim Reaper

[Grim Reaper 1]

[

Actually that was a typo, I meant 27.5m.

Sitting or kneeling, I can get a group within about a 2" diameter. I've also started playing with bipod substitutes and I'm much better, but the kids keep wanting their toys back

 

 

My boy keeps wanting to shoot some of mine :sick: LOL

 

But I won't let 'im, the little bugger!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And besides . . . . . . those Dragon and BBI 1/6th scale figures (collectables) ain't cheap, i can tell you!!

 

 

All the best,

Grim.

[erk108 0]

Hi Grim

i am very new to airgunning and trying to zero my first rifle.Reading through your advice the way i understand it is to zero the rifle at 35 yards (per your instructions) and if a target appers closer or further then i must hold over.What do you mean by hold over.Could you explain please as i am new to airgunning.If the gun is zeroed at 35 yards then is that what range its accurate for.I mean anyting above or below 35 yards it will not be as accurate.I have just purchased a gammo hunter 440 and want to use the acccupell .22 pellets.Also zeroing at 35 yards will be good for rabbits i am presuming.Your advice is appreciated

Thanks

 

 

Right, ok . . . . . (bear with me on this)

 

 

 

Once fired from the rifle, a pellet follows a slightly upwardly curving trajectory, ie first it goes up through your 'line of sight' when you are looking through the scope, and then comes down - again passing through this line of sight. Now, the line of sight is what you are looking along when you look through the scope at your target, ie an invisible imaginary line - stretching all the way from you eye right to the target itself, via the scope. Ok thats that bit done with! lol To help you visualise the sight line and pellet trajectory, look at an archery bow on the ground from above - the bow string representing the sight line, and the bow itself representing the pellet trajectory . . . .can you start to knid of see what i mean about the upward curve of the trajectory?

 

Right, that upward curved trajectory? . . . . well like i say, it passes the sight line twice - the second time (when it is on it's way down through the sight line) is where your target is - a polo mint for instance, (lets assume it is 35 yards) and that is where you want your cross hair centre to co-inside with the pellet impact. This is your zero.

 

So, if you are spot on at 35 yards (cross hairs and pellet strike are at the same point) then imagine you then shoot at something at say, 30 yards, then you need to use what is called 'hold under', this is when you lower the rifle and scope so that the cross hair centre (when looking through the scope) is sitting slightly below the 30 yard target. If you were to fire now (having had plenty of practice first) you would more than likely hit the polo mint, first time.

 

Similarly, if that polo mint was at 40 yards, you would then need to use 'hold over', that is where you hold the rifle in such a way so as to put the cross hair centre slightly above the polo mint. Again, with practice, and experience under your belt, if you were to fire now, you would then hit the 40 yard polo mint.

 

Forgive me if this post is a bit long, but i'm not the best author! lol I hope what i have written makes sense, if not then just say and i will try a different way, like?

 

 

Hope this helps you bud?

 

Regards,

Grim.

Thank you Grim

i totally understand now because the trajectory is an upward (banana shape) obviously the nearer you are you must bring site down and further you aim bring site up ,makes sense.I will try it out in the field this week let you know how i get on.I think a lot of practice is necessary to know how much to alter the sight per distances.The way you explianed makes total sense as i always thought the pellet flew as a straight line.

Cheers.

Edited August 17, 2008 by erk108

[Grim Reaper 1]

Thank you Grim i totally understand now.I will try it out in the field this week let you know how i get on.

Cheers.

 

 

No worries pal, anytime i can be of help, i will try my best.

 

I'm glad it made sense - very often, i know what i want to say, its just that sometimes I'm not entirely sure if it comes out the right way once i have typed it, like!?! Lol

 

 

All the best,

Grim.