Help sighting a scope in

[Ford4x4]

I just bought a scope for my new AR-15 and was looking for advice on a gun shop around Berks county that would sight the scope in for me. Only ever had pistols and shotguns so never sighted a scope in before. Thanks for the help.

[iamtommyboy]

I don't think you need to go to a shop for this. It is pretty easy. Just start up close around 25 yds (10 if you need to) to get on paper. If necessary, bring a big piece of cardboard along with your smaller paper target. Remember, the closer you get, the more clicks it will take to move that 1/4". You will have to do some math until you get to 100 yds. Once you get on paper, it's just a matter of doing the math and you should have no problems.

[Arch007er]

Like tommy said, get a big piece of cardboard up close (25yards). I would not take it to a shop for boresighting. I'd set up the cardboard (shoot from a bench) @ 25 yards and fire a shot then (assuming you hit the target if not use a bigger target) then you simply lock the gun down as best you can on the bullseye you shot at and click the scope till your crosshairs meet your bullet hole. Shoot again and make any small adjustments

[R L Suehr]

Like tommy said, get a big piece of cardboard up close (25yards). I would not take it to a shop for boresighting. I'd set up the cardboard (shoot from a bench) @ 25 yards and fire a shot then (assuming you hit the target if not use a bigger target) then you simply lock the gun down as best you can on the bullseye you shot at and click the scope till your crosshairs meet your bullet hole. Shoot again and make any small adjustments

^^^this^^^

Paying a shop to bore sight a scope is a waist of money IMO. This is the way I have zeroed every scope I have bought since I was a kid. Bore sighting will only get the scope close anyway you'll still have to zero it at the range.

[Pkspawn]

Make sure your scope is level..

Here is a video to quickly level your scope in the mounts..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZybqTVNqOo

Then just remove the upper and place on a flat surface, and on the other side of the room place a target, anything bright and easy to see.

Remove the bolt and now look through the barrel until you see your target. Better to adjust the target vs handling the upper to get it lined up. once you see the target through the barrel, look through the scope and adjust.

This will get you on paper very quickly without wasting rounds or shooting up target stands.

Then just get on target at 25 yards and you can now easily set your zero at whatever distance you want it zeroed at.

[ray h]

I just paid a shop $5 to bore sight my scope. How much ammo are you willing to shoot up getting it sighted in? Probably more than $5 worth.

[iamtommyboy]

^^^this^^^

Paying a shop to bore sight a scope is a waist of money IMO. This is the way I have zeroed every scope I have bought since I was a kid. Bore sighting will only get the scope close anyway you'll still have to zero it at the range.

I had a buddy a few years ago who bought a new hunting rifle. He was all excited because the guy at the store boresighted the rifle for him for free!!! Yeah, so 2 boxes of ammo later, he still wasn't on target (because he only had small paper targets and was trying to sight in at around 100 yds.) I also think his ability was part of the issue, but we moved closer to the target and he borrowed some ammo from someone and finally got it sighted in.

[iamtommyboy]

I just paid a shop $5 to bore sight my scope. How much ammo are you willing to waste to save $5?

If done properly, it doesn't take much ammo to sight in a rifle. Once you hit paper (which should be quickly with a large target at short range) all you do is measure and count clicks. Some people like to keep shooting even though they are off target, but that is their own fault.

Sometimes, the experience and gaining the ability to do something for yourself is worth an extra couple of dollars. Especially when boresighting can be a hit or miss (see what I did there?) proposition. Does the person you paid $5 really know what they are doing? I don't know, but I am not wasting the time or money to find out. I have seen this not work on occasion.

[Pkspawn]

Our club has a laser boresighter that at monthly rifle refresher and other events they use to help sight in rifles.

Even after laser bore sighted, there is still adjustment needed.. It does quickly get you on paper and pretty close.

Looking down the barrel and sighting in that way, also gets you on paper and close.

Depending on your range, bringing out a refrigerator box and shooting at it until you see a hole may not be possible or safe when you don't know where those bullets are going..

[knight0334]

There are a few ways to get you close before you head to the range. I do # 1 below.

1. "Eye bore-sighting" - Open the action so you can look down the bore. Fix the gun or barrel(depending on type of gun) so that it is stationary. Center the bore on an object 50yards away(requires good eyes to look down the bore), then adjust the scope to that same point. Depending on the height of your scope and how flat shooting your cartridge is - you can be zero at 100 to 200 yards just by this method. I "eye bore-sighted" my .223 H&R this way and was 1" high and 1/2" to the right at 100yards. I've done in the past with other rifles and was pretty close. ...close enough to be on paper to do the final adjustments at the range without having to look for dust.

2. Lazer bore-sighting. The methodology is basically the same as above. You put the lazer's dot on an object then adjust the scope to that dot. Depending on scope's height relative to the bore and the distance of the dot and what cartridge you are trying to zero for, you can be zero'd at a certain range.

3. Standard bore-sighting tools - never used them.. Someone else will have to explain.


Once you are on paper you will need to know how much movement is made per "click" of the scope. Some are measured in 1/4 MOA, others in 1/8 MOA. MOA is close to 1" at 100yards, but not exactly 1".

Example: You're on paper and you had aimed at dead center of a dot on the paper at 100yds. But your holes were grouped 2" high and 2" to the left. Your scope is a 1/4 MOA per click scope.

1. You would adjust your elevation 8 clicks to bring your crosshairs up to the height of the holes.
2. Then you would adjust your windage 8 clicks to move your crosshairs to the left.

You would shoot another group to see if a smaller adjustment is needed.

If you are sighting in at a shorter or longer range, then things will be different.