Trouble sighting in..

[Colinb913]

Hey guys, I was at the range today trying, and failing, at sighting in my rifle. I was sitting at the 25 yard range, hoping to move to the 50 later in the day. Well, I get my target set up, I walk back down to my rifle, look through the bore, get it set on target, look through scope and adjust. I figured this would get me in the ball park...


Guys, I couldn't even find a damn hole! I was using a 3x3 cardboard backdrop and a 1 foot shoot n see, and I couldn't even hit the cardboard. A hundred rounds shot to hell trying to scope this thing in.. Not a clue where I was going with it..

Any tips, tricks, or hints that can help move this process along? I was shooting federal .22's. I thought it was a decent round, but I don't know much about this.

Is it at all possible that my gun just ISN'T accurate? EG one bullet goes left, one goes right? I clean it (but, I bought it used) and the bore was spotless when I went out this afternoon..

Hopefully INGO and it's fine members can help this noobie out.

 

[ROLEXrifleman]

1) move tour target closer

2) mechanically center your scope

3) ensure rings and base are snug. Use loctite

 

[42769vette]

its possible that the gun is throwing bullets but unlikley. what rings/.bases/scope are you using. the easiest way to do it if you have access to longer ranges is to go out to 150ish yds and aim at a rock etc witha big dirt backdrop. shoot and watch for splash out of your scope. dial the rifle in at that range. then you can come in to 25yds and fine tune it. or you will see that your scope is not moving when dialed etc. if your that far off at 25yds id guess that its a issue with the scope/rings/bases that you will not be able to dial in.

if your 1 foot off at 25yds thats 48moa wich is more adjustment than alot of scopes have

 

[hopcam]

I use a laser bore sighter before I go to the range. That will usually get you onto the target. I dial it in from there.. I by no means know what I'm doing so I'm sure someone can elaborate more than I can...

 

[shooter1054]

Boresight it. If you don't have a boresighter you can go to some gunshops and they will do it for you, for a price. Not much but a price. If you have several rifles or change scopes often, pick up a boresighter kit for about $40. I did and they are worth it.

 

[Colinb913]

Rings: Weaver 1" Scope Rings
Scope: Tasco Pronghorn 3-9 x32
Rail: Weaver Top Mount Rail

I think I will run to a shop and see if they will bore-sight it for me, hopefully that will help.

 

[shooter1054]

The boresighting should "get you on paper" The rest is up to you.

 

[tgmorris99]

In a pinch you can get close without a boresight by simply looking through the barrel. On a bolt action just remove the bolt and on a removable upper... well you should be able to figure that out. This method will probably get you as close as an inexpensive boresight. It helps if you have a brightly colored target to make it easier to locate when looking through the bore.

 

[42769vette]

In a pinch you can get close without a boresight by simply looking through the barrel. On a bolt action just remove the bolt and on a removable upper... well you should be able to figure that out. This method will probably get you as close as an inexpensive boresight. It helps if you have a brightly colored target to make it easier to locate when looking through the bore.

he already tried that. i use this method as my bore sighter aswell.

 

[dusterboy49]

I had the same issue with a rifle before. Turned out the scope which was 15 years old was bad. Had to replace.

 

[42769vette]

I had the same issue with a rifle before. Turned out the scope which was 15 years old was bad. Had to replace.

scope, rings, bases are probably the most often over looked peice of equipment out there

 

[paperboy]

There can be a lot of factors. Is the scope new? How about the rifle? Did you give it a good cleaning before you shot it? How about trying different ammo?

 

[Colinb913]

Scope is new. Rifle is old. Cleaned it before shooting, and everytime since I got it. I have tried federal, remington winchester and remington subsonic.

 

[42769vette]

Scope is new. Rifle is old. Cleaned it before shooting, and everytime since I got it. I have tried federal, remington winchester and remington subsonic.

did it work with the old scope or irons? i would also suggest taking a break on the cleaning schdule for a thousand or so rounds. way more rifles are wore out from over cleaning than under cleaning. still wipe down the outside and the pretty stuff just leave the bore alone for awhile

 

[Indiana Heathen]

Could it be a .22 cal. smooth bore by any chance?

 

[Colinb913]

It didn't have a old scope, and just had the front iron when I got it (hence getting it so cheap) and it isn't a smooth bore.

 

[lovemywoods]

I sight most rifles at 50 yards.

If I can't get it on paper initially, I'll walk up to the target within 15-20 feet and shoot offhand to see where it's hitting. (Keep in mind that your elevation should be low due to the scope offset. About 1-2.5 inches.) Make your gross scope adjustments to get closer to the point-of-aim.

Then I back up to 40-50 feet and shoot offhand again. Make a few scope adjustments.

If all is going well, I go back to the bench at 50 yards and make fine adjustments to get on the bullseye.

If the rifle is capable, I'll sometimes shoot it at 200 yards and tweek in any needed final adjustments.

That is usually good enough for most of the shooting I do.

One problem you might face is if the range you are using doesn't allow you to move closer to the target or move the target closer to you. In that case, the boresighter is a good way to go.

Good luck and happy shooting!

 

[Hunter66]

Make sure your rings and base are tight,and then shoot from a rest maybe 15 yards.you should be able to look down the barrel to see if your on the paper if so look to see if the scope is.
When you get a bullet hole in the paper put the crosshairs on the same spot you just aimed at and move your crosshairs to the bullet hole and will put you right on target.