Sighting-In a Rifle

Rifle bullets don’t travel in a straight line. They travel in an arc, formed by the pull of gravity. “Sighting-in” is a process of adjusting the sights to hit a target at a specific range. Deer hunters, for example, often sight-in their rifles to hit the bull’s-eye at 100 yards.

All rifles should be sighted-in before every hunt using the ammunition you plan to use, especially rifles with peep or telescopic sights. Guns you sighted-in prior to your last outing could have been knocked out of alignment by a single jolt. That misalignment could mean the difference between a successful hunt and a disappointing experience.

Other than ensuring accurate shots, sighting-in a rifle has other advantages:

• Forces you to practice
• Makes accurate shooting possible
• Helps identify problems with your shooting technique
• Helps determine the farthest range at which you can hit your target
• Improves safety by helping you know where your rifle will shoot
• Builds confidence in your shooting ability

Optional Sighting-In Techniques

Use bore or collimator sighting-in initially to line up the rifle on the paper target. However, these techniques alone are not sufficient to sight-in a rifle. You must make final adjustments by firing the rifle with the same ammunition you plan to use in the field.

• Bore sighting-in with bolt-action rifles: Remove the bolt, brace the firearm on sandbags, and look directly through the bore. Correct the rifle’s position until you see the bull’s-eye in the center of the bore. Adjust the sights to give you a good sight picture.
• Collimator sighting-in for rifles without bolt actions: A collimator slips into the muzzle end of the barrel and allows you to adjust the sights much like bore sighting-in.

You must sight-in your rifle with the ammunition you plan to use. Be sure you sight-in and practice firing your rifle before you go hunting.