Every gun user who heads into the field for the purpose of hunting has the moral obligation of sighting-in his firearm properly first. Whenever the opportunity for a shot on a game animal presents itself, there are always other variables that may decrease our chances at delivering the all important fatal shot. Some of these variables may be the strength and direction of the wind, distance to the target, our level of excitement and physical exertion at the time of the shot and if the shot is uphill or down hill. We do our best to control or allow for these variables by determining the distance with a laser rangefinder, using a steady rest and allowing for the wind and angle of the shot. What we don't need is the possibility of wounding or missing a game animal because our gun is not properly sighted in. Sighting-in a gun the right way is not difficult, expensive or very time consuming, if we have the proper equipment and follow some simple steps. It can even be fun.
One of the most overlooked steps in sighting in a firearm is to attach a durable, set of sights or scope. It's important to use only high quality items in this area because the firearm can only shoot as well as the scope or sights will allow. If you're mounting a scope on a gun for the first time, use Thread Locker or Loctite on the screws and tighten them up, but don't over do it. Position the firearm close to a wall and attach the Laserlyte boresighter level to the bases and level the gun by tilting it until the bubble in the level is centered, then secure the gun in this position. Now remove the leveler
and attach the rings and scope according to the manufacturers instructions. Be careful to keep the tops and bottoms of the rings matched, as they come from the factory, to ensure stress-free alignment with the bases. Adjust the scope for the proper eye relief and leave the rings slightly loose.
Now, with the proper adapter for the caliber being used, insert the Laserlyte laser boresighter into the firearm's muzzle and attach the leveler. Twist them until the bubble indicates they are level, then tighten the boresighter in this position by turning the tightening collar. Turn on the boresighter and adjust the scope reticle to match the horizontal line which will be projected onto the wall, and tighten the ring screws. The gun and scope will now be perfectly level with each other. Remove the bubble leveler.
Before going to the shooting range, the best sight-in distance will have to be determined. If the gun will be used only for short range, a 100 yard zero may be all that's needed. But if it will be used for long range as well, it should be sighted in for a longer range to best utilize the rifle's trajectory. A good system to use is the MPBR (maximum point blank range) system. It's a system of sighting-in that allows the hunter to aim dead on out to the MPBR and be ensured of a hit to the vital
zone of the intended game animal without holding over. When sighted-in this way, the amount the bullet rises the highest above the line of sight is the mid-range trajectory and the amount that the bullet falls below the line of sight that same amount is the MPBR. Most big game hunters use either three or four inches as this amount. Varmint hunters may want it to be two inches or even 1.5 inches. The range where the bullet and the line of sight meet, is of course, the sight-in distance. Once sighted-in this way, the hunter limits his shots to within the MPBR and just aims dead on. If shots are kept within the MPBR, the bullets will stay within the vital killing zone of the animal.
There are two ways to find the MPBR for the specific cartridge being used. The first is to take a look at the trajectory tables for the cartridge, and the second, and better way, is to use a bullet ballistics program such as from Barnes or Sierra. With these programs, the specifics of the cartridge can be entered, such as bullet caliber, weight, ballistic coefficient, velocity, and a lot more, plus the mid range trajectory amount being used. The results will show the rise and fall of the bullet above and below the line of sight at all practical shooting ranges as well as the sight-in range. Take note of the rise in trajectory of the load at 100 yards and the sight-in distance, then head to the shooting range.
Once at the shooting range a steady shooting bench with shooting rest and sand bags will be needed to steady the firearm. Place the target at 25 yards and support the gun on the shooting rest with the boresighter laser projected onto the target bullseye. Adjust the cross hairs or sights until they point directly onto the center of the laser spot. Once done, the gun will be boresighted. Remove the boresighter and fire a shot at the target. It should hit very close to the bullseye. If not, make the
corresponding adjustment to the scope or sights. Now place the target at 100 yards and fire one shot. At this distance the bullet needs to hit directly above the bullseye the amount determined from the ballistics tables or ballistics program (if being sighted in for a distance greater than 100 yards). If it didn't, adjust the scope and fire another another shot, repeating the process until it does. Once the shot is hitting where it should, fire two more shots to make a 3 shot group. Determine the center point of the group and adjust the scope or sights until the center of the 3-shot groups are printing where they should. Now the gun can be considered sighted in for the bench position, but is still not ready for hunting.
Now move away from the bench and fire three shot groups from field positions such as the sitting or kneeling position with the aid of a set of shooting sticks. When shooting a field position, the point of impact may be sightly different. If so, adjust the sights or reticle until the shots are hitting where they should, again. Once this is done, the gun can be considered sighted in for hunting. If the shooting range is long enough, the target may be moved to the sight-in distance and fired upon
as well.
Before going hunting, it's mandatory to return to the range several more times to practice from field positions to become really proficient with the firearm. Shoot from a variety of field positions at various ranges. While hunting, it may occasionally be necessary to fire fast follow-up shots, in case an animal doesn't go down on the first shot. Some rapid fire practice will help a lot in this area. Try rapid firing from offhand at a 50 yard target, being as fast and accurate as possible. To make it more fun, position exploding targets such as water-filled bottles at varying distances. These practice sessions will reveal a lot about the shooters abilities to hit accurately and is vital to success.
Before going hunting, return to the shooting bench and place a target at 25 yards. Use the laser boresighter to project a laser beam directly onto the bulls eye and mark where the cross hairs or sights are on the target. Then the target and laser boresighter can be taken on hunting trips to use to verify sight-in at any time without firing a shot. This feature is an added bonus of the value of a laser boresighter.
Sighting-in a firearm is not difficult, but once done properly we can be assured that there will be one less variable getting between us and bagging that trophy animal we so desire to get. The time and ammunition spent is a small price to pay for the confidence gained in our ability to deliver that killing shot when the time comes. Let's do it right the first time and have many happy hunting trips.
