Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Do You Check Zero..

Sold my scoped .06 to my nephew next door. I just now have only my 336/30/30 with iron sights. It has never failed me in 43 years!

I hunt in many places that I don't get a second chance if a big game animal was missed because the rifle was not zeroed in. I make it a practice to eliminate that. Even if I just walk out the door of my house or cabin I want the confidence to know that rifle is zeroed in. No thought process that hell it was right on a year, two years, etc. ago.

I go hunting [900 miles from home] a week early to have a sight in day with no wind.

Gunsmith boresighting and zeroing are NOT the same thing. Boresighting only gets you "on the paper" zeroing confirms the rifle is shooting to point of aim.

No way!

Always. Checked the zero on my AR-15 350 Legend yesterday. I'm ready for gun season the Monday after Thanksgiving.

Ron

This, while typing from a walk tent hoping to get a single crack at a buck. But I know where he lives...

Rockinbbar: Absolutely - my Rifles are checked every year before season.
And sadly I check "the zero" anywhere from 4 to 7 Rifles for my (lazy) friends - mostly the ones with 300 Weatherby's and various 300 Magnums!
I do NOT enjoy the latter but I respect the game (Antelope, Deer & Elk) to much to let my friends go afield with guns not sighted for two years or longer.
Of course I am retired and have been for a long time and word gets around amongst my still working friends.
Use caution when agreeing to "double-checking/sighting-in" your friends guns - word WILL get around.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

I like to shoot. I shoot year round. Several of the rifles I hunt with I rarely shoot when "shooting". Some of the hunters I'll only shoot to check zero....like the .358 I've used the last couple of weeks. Others I'll shoot off/on all year. I do always check zero, either from the front porch or driveway.....there's steel hung and painted, it only takes a minute and I like knowing for sure.

The last couple of years I've learned I really dislike reloading....but because I love to shoot I do it.

Me too, usually I go out back, smack my 300 yd gong and roll, this year I just loaded er up, drove to Wyoming and went huntin.

I do but then I shoot year round so I'm almost always up to date. Put on a different scope a week ago friday though so last Saturday I zeroed it. Season opens next Saturday so I'm ready.

I have one rifle that I've killed 9 deer with in the past 8 years. It was sighted in prior to killing the 1st deer, it has only been fired in anger since then.

I killed one last year with a rifle that hasn't seen paper since 2006. This stuff isn't complicated

Yes, and if I travel somewhere very far I check again.

Yep.

Confirming zero is easy, cheap and a salute to general murphy. Finding stuff to kill is fun but a lot of work and I know who to blame if I botch an opportunity


mike r

I $hit you not, 😁 we had an old codger, I mean a real nedreck, shoot his rifle one day at the camp and he hit about 10” left. He said, “good to go”.

Everyone standing around asked, “aren’t you going to move it to center?” And as serious as a heart attack, he answered, “naw, if they’re running I won’t have to lead ‘em as much”. 😳

And away he went to his stand.

Whose sock-puppet?

I check em every year.
Just in case.

Also check ammo of differing lot # for repeatability.

What? Does what I do offend you? Are you a better hunter if you do something different?

Why don't you check them daily? Did something happen between the last day you hunted and today? How about between the 2nd to last day?