Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Sighting in a new Scope, advice.

I'm replacing my old Vari X II, with my new Kahles KX 3x9x42, and what do you think about sighting it in. I've got a laser
boresighter, so that is done. It is on a Rem. 700 25.06. One of my friends told me to sight in at 50 yds. @ 1-2" high so I will be right on @ 200 yds. Any help here?

I have a rem 700 mtn rifle, and with handloads and 115 BT's, dead on at 50 is about 2.5" low at 235 (as far as my range goes), so I guess it all depends on what your gun/load combo does, but for my mtn rifle, that sounds like you would be a little high at 200, but no big loss, just remember you will be considerably higher at 100 and 150.

Best way to know where it's hitting at a given range is to shoot it at the given range.

A 30/06 with a 150grain bullet sighted in about 2" high (the about is ticklish, especially when closer to the bore) will be dead nuts on at about 325 yards and about 6" high at 200, that's what I think.

Any close-range rules of thumb are just that, and not exact.
I have found 1" high at 50 good for shooting out to 200 with most modern cartridges, though I would hate to state an exact point of impact at 200.

What range is available to you for testing?

Farmboy1,

Welcom to the 'fire.

The height of the rings will make a slight difference. If you can visualize a section of a circle with a line through it near the edge and another line starting slightly lower intersecting the line on the far side of the circle you can get the idea.

But I would sight it in zero at 300 no matter where the rings are.

I used the lowest rings I could find, the Ded Nutz one piece mount, to fit around the shell chambering area, fit real nice, I got these at Scheels. I am shooting factory Rem. 120 gr. Core-Lokt. PSP. I have had good luck with these for years. I have my own farm so can use any range. I suppose I could fire a few and get close at 50, then check it later at longer range. Now with shells as spendy as they are, I want to minimize that.

Instead of wasting rounds at 50 yards to see if the laser boresighter did its job, then guessing for correction to hit at a distance, then shooting more ammo to verify why not cut to the chase and do an eyeball boresight job at 100 yards to start?

Put up a large black bullseye at 100 yards. Pull the bolt and put the rifle on a solid rest and/or sandbags. Adjust the position of the rifle so the bullseye is centered when you look at it through the bore. Without moving the rifle look through the scope. If the crosshairs center the bull you're done. If not then adjust the scope so the crosshairs center the bull when bull is centered in the bore.

If you do this carefully your first shot at 100 yards is almost certainly going to be within inches of the bull. I use this procedure all the time.

I like to sight in 3 inches high at 100. Then you can hold center chest on any deer to 300 yds or so and hit it. No worrying about holding over or under. Since you've got longer ranges available, you can fire a few to check your gun and load combo.

Dale

There is one quick easy way to sight in ANY rifle. I do lots every year so here goes. Get a nice rest set up so that you can turn the adjustment screws without the gun moving. Place a target at 25 yards, the bottom of a card board box works well. You need an aiming point of about an inch, preferably not black. If it is a bolt gun you can bore sight it at something well down range. Shoot 1 shot at 25 yards. While still aiming at the same spot on the target, reach up and move the adjustments on the scope till the scope is aimed about 1/2 inch above the hole that you just made. Then move the target to 50 yards and go through the same process, where you shoot and then make sure you are dead on the hole when adjusting the scope. Shot number 3 comes at 100 yards. For a 3006 with 150's move the adjustments so the shot is about 1.5 inches high. Then shoot at 200 and see where you are at. More than likely you will be real close. That's a total of 4 shots expended for a total sight in. I have never had this fail me yet, after who knows how many rifles. Do not take shortcuts as you will just needlessly waste ammo. Those macho buddies will still be scratching their heads after shooting off a box or more of shells while blasting away at 100 yards to start. When doing load work, I generally stop at 100 yards and then don't touch the adjustments till the load work is done.

I just cut to the chase, do it carefully at 100 yards, and the second shot lands pretty much where I want it. The third for sure. One target, one distance, very little fussing around.

I can tell you I have done it both ways. Many times. I can also tell you there is a good reason for my method. I can guarantee how much ammo I am going to burn, and it works, every time. I also use up odd cartridges left over from previous rifles of the same caliber at 25 yards. At that range weight does not matter. The last reason, the barrel cools between shots so when you do get to 200 yards, the barrel is not hot and therefor much more likely to shoot to the same point of aim the next time you pull the trigger at game.

Math.
Nothing wrong with everyone elses methods but I like yours best and have used it for years. Most of the time as you said it takes only three or four to get the rifle real close to the desired point of impact. It's then the fun starts after waiting for the barrel to cool and the grouping begins.

Dave

Cliff,
Good points. I am going to give your method a try next time one needs sighted.

Dave

Likewise.


OK. I'm not in such a hurry that I can't wait several minutes between shots if I'm so inclined.

There's no problem here, we just have different means to achieve an end.

I think we are doing the same thing just differently.

Farmboy- welcome, you hit us on a good day- these were great responses. My pref. is for Cliff's method but Math's is good too and a lot better than fire- adjust, fire - adjust, fire -adjust, like 90% of the folks at a range in October. My obtuse 'rule' of thumb for deer calibers is On at 50 yards- about On again at 150 yards. Fine for distances I am most likely to encounter deer. Most deer hunters I know shoot deer approx. 100 yds - and I am slowly convincing many to zero at that distance. They have always just followed the 200 yd chart on the box of ammo and never questioned it till now. I think if you are, say, 2" high at 50 you are going to be pretty dang high at 200 yds with a 25-06.