Problems sighting in my No. 1. Nervous. Embarrassed.

[ruggedruger]

Some of you may remember I picked up my first rifle, a used No. 1 in .308 this past summer. I only JUST put a scope on it last week - a Nikon Buckmaster 3-9x40 w BDC reticle.

I borrowed a SightMark bore sight from a friend who said he had one in .308. It was marked ".243" which I understand has the same case diameter. It fit snug in the chamber.

I put the gun up on a bench, resting on some pillows - no sandbags yet. I still had my hand supporting the fore-end a little further back from the pillows. The pillows were NOT supporting the barrel.

I adjusted the scope until the crosshairs and laser were dead-on at 25 yds. I then proceeded to do the same on the 100-yard target.

I loaded a Rem Core-lok'd in the chamber and fired at the 100-yard target. With binoculars, I deemed that I was high and left. After an adjustment, I couldn't find my 2nd shot. I walked out there and it wasn't on paper. (I was using plastic signboards, roughly 10x12 horizontal). ALSO. What I had noted as a 'hole' the first time, w/binocs, was actually NOT a hole. So neither shot was on target, and my adjustments were not based on anything. (yet i had bore-sighted).

I had to redo the bore sighting. I was starting to get nervous about my gun. I remember wondering why such a good-looking No. 1 was going for such a good price in a fairly high-priced shop. (It was used, though). I was worried I had a problem gun.

So, with my nervousness creeping in, I may have adjusted the wrong way once, but nonetheless. Shouldn't the bore sight, when done at 100 yards, get you really close with the first bullet?

Eventually, I moved my target to 50 yards, and got a few on paper. I guess with the distance at 50 yards, my scope-click would be 1/8" instead of 1/4". It was getting pretty dark (though I was happy my scope was 'bright'), so I packed it in.

I've sighted-in a few rifles before, but both were used the previous season, and did not need much adjustment to get em on target.

My scope was tightly mounted. The only thing that 'rattles' on the gun is the lever when hanging open. Everything else seems really tight.

Here are my questions:

1. Shouldn't the bore sight at 100 yds (or even 25) got me really close?

2. Has anyone experienced such a problem before?

3. Should I work from where I'm at, or should I reset the scope 'turrets' to their center position (by counting clicks from one side to another) and just start from scratch?

4. COULD there be a problem with the gun? (I guess there could be, but how would you, the reader, know?)


I'm embarrassed to ask all this, just nervous I made a big mistake. I don't mind if I'm making mistakes at the range here - those can be corrected.

 

[cellar701]

First, take a deep breath - and relax. Shooting, including sighting in a rifle is enjoyable. I don't use laser bore-sights, so not sure how "close" they should get you to "right on", but typically bore sights are just to get you on the paper at a close range so you can zero it in. I use the old fashioned method on bolt action rifles and No. 1's; just look through the bore and center it on a sighting mark at some distance (usually around 75 yds for me, at an electric fence insulator in my barn yard...); leave the rifle in place and move cross hairs to the aim point. Then I take a full spread of newspaper, mark a big cross on it with magic marker, and shoot it at 50 yds. A large paper like newspaper helps ensure I'll be on the paper with initial shots. Keep zeroing with shots at 50 yds until you are shooting holes about 1 inch low at 50 yds, then move to target paper at 100 yds.

Remember, first goal is to get shots on the paper, and you are there; don't start over again, as that's just a waste of ammo.

After you zero it at 100 yds - remember you are just getting started. Individual rifles rarely shoot all types of ammo equally well. And it is very unlikely that your rifle will like the ammo you are starting with. Part of the fun is getting the rifle to shoot well, and finding the ammo (maker / bullet type / bullet weight / etc) is part of the challenge and part of the fun for rifle shooters.

So, take a deep breath - you haven't screwed anything up - take it back to the range, and have some fun!

 

[pisgah]

Even when using a bore sight, my first shot is always at 25 yards, at a target on a BIG backer. Depending on the quirks of rifle, scope and mount, you can still be way off, and if you shoot as I do your first shot will tell you where you need to go.

Just as a general rule, and to comfort you a bit, in situations such as you describe it is almost never the gun or the scope.

 

[Bob Wright]

Bore sighting should be done at fairly close range, twenty five yards or less. And initial shots at the same range to get some idea where you need to go from there.

Remember the line of bore is not really anything but a starting point. Line of sight (when sighted in) and line of bore are not parallel.

Bob Wright

 

[cas6969]

I adjusted the scope until the crosshairs and laser were dead-on at 25 yds.

Read your instructions, that's wrong. Or at least it would be with my laser bore sight.

1. Shouldn't the bore sight at 100 yds (or even 25) got me really close?

I laser bore sighted a rifle last week and when I shot it the windage was dead on, but it was about three feet high! There are a lot of variable, especially when dealing with the sight height over the bore.

With hobby gunsmithing and working as a range officer for a number of years at a very busy public shooting range, I've literally bore sighted hundreds and hundreds of guns, and I still had this "oops" last week.

 

[ruggedruger]

There were no instructions with the bore sight, but now that you mention it, I remember seeing a youtube vid where the guy (perhaps Larry Potterfield from Midway USA) used a boresight, and had a target where the aim point for the laser was higher than the aimpoint for the crosshairs (I think).

I'm starting to feel better. I admit that I 'rushed' this sort of. I had a chance to get some deer hunting in, and tried to get stuff sighted in this evening. I figured that it was a 2-bullet deal. Boresight @ close range. Shoot. Adjust. Shoot.

 

[Number9]

Some use a laser, I never did, I always used my eyes and it works rather well.

Place a sheet of note book paper at about 50 yards. Draw a 2" dot with a maker in the center of the paper.
Place the rifle on a surface where you can steady the rifle and look through the bore and have the dot in the center of the view through the bore. Adjust the scope on the dot until your bore sight and scope are center of the dot. Fire one shot, if you're not on the black dot first check bore site and scope to make sure they are center of dot. If they are then adjust scope to center of target(measure and click) then fire again until you are.
Then move your target to 100 yards, fire two shoots and adjust from there.
Sight the rifle with the scope on max power from start to finish.

 

[Imissedagain]

I use a laser bore sighter. Set a target at about 30 feet. Laser dot should be about 2 inches lower than the cross hairs. With ammo I start at 25 yards, then 50 yards and take it out to 100.
Never a problem. Saves ammo even for reloaders.

 

[308longdistance]

No need to be nervous or embarrassed. I don't use a bore sighter, but I start at about 25 feet, with a BIG target and a small dot to shoot at. If it's way off at that range you probably won't have enough adjustment in the scope to get on at 100 yards.

I don't worry to much about the height at that range but windage left, right has to be pretty close to stay on target as I move back from there. After you are pretty close at 25' move to 25 yards and zero the 308 dead on at 25yards. After that you can pretty much move to any distance out to about 300 yards and still be on target with a 150 grn @ 2800 fps. Tweek the zero for the range(s) you intend to shoot after the 25 yard sight in.

Just another variation on how to....works for me. That .308 will serve you well. 8)

 

[Architorture23]

Nothing to be embarrassed about but sighting in a rifle from scratch is a bit longer of a process than you realized. You owe it to the animal to take your time and get it right.

I mounted a new scope and sighted in my No 1 this summer and just looked through the bore to get it on paper. My first shot was on paper at 50 yards but I adjusted the wrong way the first time and it cost me time and ammo. Things like that are frustrating but fortunately I had all day at a nice range to get it right so it worked out. I'll be deer hunting with it Saturday morning.

 

[Imissedagain]

I bought a Weaver T36 for my bolt gun. Mounted it and things were not quite right. The elevation adjustment was turned all the way down. Brand new so I thought it would have been centered.
Counted all the clicks and divided by two. Mail order has it's +++++'s and -----'s.

 

[Pal Val]

I use a laser bore sighter all the time. I measure the distance between the beam and the center of the scope at the muzzle. Just put a ruler on the spot and read the measurement from the scope. I then set a target with two X placed on two spots set apart that distance. I then back up 15 feet and adjust the crosshairs so that they hit the top X while the laser hits the bottom X. Puts me on paper every time.

Remember: The scope sees a straight line. The bullet travels in a curved line. The two lines meet only twice - with the bullet on the way up and later with the bullet on the way down. If you try to boresight without knowing where those meeting points are (and who knows exactly?), you will go off by a lot. Also, remember to use a big backer when you go for those first shots.

Before getting started again, make absolutely sure that scope is mounted perfectly vertical on the gun. A scope canted even by a few degrees will be hard to zero, as your vertical and horizontal adjustments will not be all vertical or horizontal, but at an angle.

You have an excellent gun/scope combination. Don't get flustered. You took the scope close to zero if you got on paper at 50 yds. If you start again, knowing you don't make the crosshairs and laser meet, you'll get done in no time.

Best of luck!

 

[Imissedagain]

The #1 with the rib and Ruger rings makes quick work of scoping a rifle. My 16 1/2" barreled #1 was a breeze. Scope smith put some tape on the tube. Set the scope in and gently put the ring tops on. The new 2.5 x 28 IER Leupold was nearly spot on. Went home, rolled 50 and off to the range.
Laser sighted and five rounds later she was on at 50 yds. from the sand bags. The next 45 got me used to snap shooting at 50 and 25.
Bill Ruger got that one right.

 

[Lloyd Smale]

both of my boresighters have elevation and windage ajustments and need to be zeroed first on a gun that is allready sighted in and then need to be placed in the barrel with the same orientation every time. I usually make a scratch on the barrel of it that will mark up from then on. Even then there never spot on and sometimes even a foot off at a 100 yards.

 

[Tommy Kelly]

I have used a boresighter for years with great results. I am usually within 1" at 25 yds of poa. I do my sight in at 25 yds always and use the smallest target I can. Most of the time I keep a pack of thumb tacks in my truck and use them for my 25 yd target. I also keep a marker in my truck and use it for making larger targets at longer distances. starting at 25 yds you don't have to walk to see your hits and once the rifle is hitting the thumb tack then You move out to 100 yds and draw a spot about the size of a quarter. Always use the smallest target you can see that way you are shooting as close as possible every shot. With a big spot you will wonder around on the spot and groups will open up. With most hunting rifles you will be shooting about 3" high at 100 yds and back on around 220 yds. I leave my rifles 3" high at 100 yds and just focus on centering the group directly above the spot or fine tuning the windage. Using this method I hold dead on where I want to hit out to about 300 yds. This has worked for me for many years and I see no need for improvement. It also cuts down on ammo wasted at sight in because you can see where every shot is on paper and adjust accordingly to center on poa quicker. usually about 3 shots is all it takes at 25 to be on the tack then about 3 to 5 at 100 for fine tuning. then you are ready to hunt. Then the following year a quick shot at 25 yds will confirm the scope is still on and ready to go again. I have one particular rifle that has held zero for about 20 years. I have killed probably 40 deer with it and haven't removed the scope adjustment covers in 20 years. but I always shoot it 1 shot at 25 yds and hit the tack before hunting season to make sure. Give this a try I think you will like it and it's worked for me forever.

 

[langenc]

I have helped or tried to help shooters at the range w/ scopes.

This week went with 2 friends. One had a scoped 94 Winchester-30-30.

He shot and didnt hit. Finally moved to 25 yards. Hit the BIG cardboard. Anjusted but scope just didnt seem to adjust.

I looked over finally and presto--cease fire.

The scope was 90 deg out of sync. The elevation was on the left and windage on top. I have heard of this but first time Id ever seen it. He said a gun shop mounted it for him. I said "go get your money back" and he said "they are out of business." I said "No wonder."

We moved the scope so that the turrets were on top and right, plumbed it up and he shimmed one mount.

4 or 5 shots and he was a happy shooter. We went and had pizza lunch.

 

[roofinspector]

The looking thru bore still works for me. However some rifles you cannot look thru the bore, like a Winchester 88.......

I have seen folks rotate(90 degree) the scope so that the knobs are out of the way in the loading port area, not really that unusual in the competition area where speed counts. You gotta keep in mind what that does on the controls though...........

 

[MMichaelAK]

Don't sweat it. We all screw up.

I've never taken a rifle in to have a scope mounted. I've used a rifle vice and a distant reference point and I've also used a laser bore sighter but the key is I always verify that my point of IMPACT is on paper and I have a group beginning at 25 yards before I go out to 100 yards.

In order the steps I use are;

mount scope and eyeball bore sight or laser bore sight at home. I verify the laser with the Mark I Eyeball still.

At the range, set up in sand bags and set my target at 25 yards and fire a slow, paced 3 shot group.
Adjust the scope to place point of IMPACT either half an inch below point of AIM or on ZERO. Fire three more shots to verify.

IF that group is where it is supposed to be, THEN I move my target out to 100 yards and shoot a group. Then fine tune my scope adjustment.

The only rifle I ever had a problem with was an FAL, but I was expecting horrible problems, so when they were mildly frustrating, I was still happy.

I've done other stuff that I felt stupid about.

 

[ruggedruger]

Thanks folks. I went to a friend's farm the next day, where he has some permanent targets set up for sighting in their rifles. Turned out I wasn't too far off. I also forgot the previous night to use the old-fashioned bore-sight - looking through the bore itself (something easily done with a #1)! It's shooting maybe 2 inches high at 100 yards. That's fine where this friend shoots (open farm fields), whereas I probably am hunting either that, or woods.

That afternoon, I took my first doe of the season, and thus my first with my new rifle.