There are plenty of places to learn how to sight in a scope on the internet. Really, there is no shortage of information there.

That being said, a lot of them are written in what looks like 8 point font, were filmed in the late 1980’s, or simply do not go into enough detail on the whole “what you need to do when zeroing a scope” bit.

I don’t like that. I like detail when it come to things I’m trying to accomplish.

And when you learn how to zero a rifle scope, you really want to make sure you get things right!

Why? Because little mistakes now can cost you big time down the road. And I don’t say that trivially.

For instance, let’s look at a reticle cant:

At that same link they talk about how a 5 degree cant creates a horizontal bullet displacement of 4.2 inches! That’s nothing to sneeze at. Shooting Accessories on sale

Zeroing A Scope For Beginners

Now, odds are that when you’re starting out, you will make plenty of mistakes. And that’s okay, trust me I did. And still am for that matter.

The important thing is to learn from those mistakes. Or better yet, to learn from other people who have made mistakes and get to your goal quicker.

This article is designed to teach you how to sight in a scope in less than 5 total shots. Really, it could be done in 3, but as we’re going to learn, it’s better to shoot groups that way you have a consistent amount of data to go off of.

Note – when we say “zero” we mean that we are adjusting the scope so that when you aim at a point, that is exactly where the bullet is going to go.

Bullets travel in an arc, they don’t fly in a straight line. So the point you aim at, isn’t where it’s going to hit, unless you zero it at a distance.

Scopes are “zeroed” at certain distances, usually 100 yards. So when we say a scope is “zeroed at 100 yards” we mean that when you aim at a certain point at 100 yards, that’s the point the bullet will hit.

One caveat here – it is highly unlikely that as a complete beginner, it will only take you 5 shots. You probably don’t have the muscle memory to shoot the kind of tight groups you need to really know where your bullet is landing.

Fun fact – first time I zeroed a scope I used about 20 rounds of ammo. It was painful, but I learned a lot.

This article isn’t for just your first time zeroing a scope. It’s for you to use time and again as you get better and better. Precision Rifle Shooting Calculator

 Enough talking, let’s get started. Follow along with the video as well if you’d like

Preparation

It has never failed to surprise me the difference in preparedness makes when I am trying to achieve something. It’s like the difference between being able to predict your outcome and not.

The first part of the process to sighting in a scope is making sure your setup is running correctly.

Remember that example from above? Yeah, we don’t want you to have a cant when shooting. That leads to big problems, and it’s often difficult to know what’s wrong.