One shot "sight-in"

LawrenceN

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I don't know how many of you have tried this, but it really works! I shoot small bore to keep my hand in, but of course I sight in my big boy toys before the hunt begins. I heard about this years ago, and barring a stationary rifle rest, it works best with 2 people. From a rest, I aim at my bullseye, and when I'm dead on, I take my shot. Every good shooter I know can tell when they've flinched or launched off a flyer, so it has to be a perfect shot. Now, I hold my same point of aim and don't move the rifle at all. I have my buddy "walk" the crosshairs over to the bullet hole I just punched into the paper. I'll take 3 more for insurance, and they're right in the bull if we did everything right. Saves on ammo and time. Anybody else do this? If not, check it out!
 
Unless you and your gun can consistently put every bullet in the same exact hole,it won't provide for precise sight ins.Since I can't put every bullet through the exact same hole,I shoot groups,and take the average of the shots to determine the point of impact.
 
I've tried this once using a group; it works very well. A shooting vise is better than just holding the rifle, and since my buddy had one...... After firing a 3-shot group, ensure the vise has the rifle held to original point of aim and dial the crosshairs to a point 2 inches below the centre of the group. Your rifle should now shoot 2 inches above point of aim. Shoot another group to verify, if you want. (And I did). This is a way of sighting in that uses very little ammo and I found more precise than shoot, dial, shoot, dial. I just didn't want to buy a vise when I only have a couple firearms and don't change scopes often.
I have to admit that since I wised up and bought a slightly better scope (Leupold VX-II) the sighting-in is easier because the click values seem to be more precise and repeatable.
 
Okay, I'm going to expand a little on my own thread. I couldn't agree with you guys more about just shooting for fun. In those golden days of yore, I blew off hundreds of rounds of .303 and .308 ammo when milsurp stuff was cheap and common, and had a blast (pardon the pun) in the doing of it. Now as we know, good surplus stuff is rare, and when it shows up at all, it's generally pretty pricey. My primary game-getters are a Ruger .308 heavy barrel, and an easier carry 8mm Steyr M95. I don't have a place to reload, which may change down the road, so I'm shooting factory stuff. In the case of the Steyr, I get tack driver accuracy with Winchester 8mm factory ammo, so I wouldn't bother getting the components to reload even if I had the space and time. I've been stockpiling that particular ammo so I'll have enough to last me the rest of my probable hunting career. Case in point! When I sighted it in last year, my first shot was about 5 in. right and 6 in. high. My buddy walked the hairs of the scope on to the bull, and my next 3 were in a nickel sized group. Do the math. I'm out 4 rounds, I may get 1 or at most 2 shots at a deer over the week I have to hunt. Thats 5-6 rounds over a season. A factory box will last me about 4 years, so ten boxes should last about 35-40 yrs. I'm looking for a reasonable SKS as a fun shooter as I think the ammo should be available for some time, and I blow off the .22 or the .22 mag for fun and to keep my eye tuned up. When the chance presents itself, I'll do some groundhog hunting as well. We "still" hunt, so I'm happy to say that I've never needed more than one shot to bring down my deer, but when I get back into reloading I'll blow off more .308 for fun than I do now. The value of the "one-shot" sight in lies in the fact that if you're low on ammo, or shooting some oddball calibre, you can get your scope where you need it to be without burning off too possibly scarce ammunition. Nuff said?
 
I find the simplest way is to start at a 200 yard burm. A rock or clay pidgeon, with someone to call my shots I can usually get it on in three shots.
 
I've used the one-shot sight in for many years. Usually have to "tweak" it a bit after the second shot, then shoot a group to verify. I will shoot three subsequent groups, always letting the barrel cool thoroughly between groups. Always shoot a group at 200 & at 300 as well. Regards, Eagleye.
 
It's a very bad method cause you never can be sure you really hold your rifle steady. It's far more simple and reliable just to measure your miss and calculate the number of vertical and horizontal clicks.
 
I really do trust a rifle vise....I believe that will hold a rifle steady.
Provided you verify after you "walk in" the crosshairs, this is a more dependable and simpler method than shooting and adjusting by error, because you know exactly where your rifle shoots and where your crosshairs point. It's just not what most of us are used to, and most of us don't have a vise. But the methodology is completely sound. And if you're dealing with an old scope, you don't even need to know your click value, or you can figure it out easily by this method.
 
I really do trust a rifle vise....I believe that will hold a rifle steady.
Provided you verify after you "walk in" the crosshairs, this is a more dependable and simpler method than shooting and adjusting by error, because you know exactly where your rifle shoots and where your crosshairs point.

Be aware that using a gun vise can result in a different point of impact.
 
It's a very bad method cause you never can be sure you really hold your rifle steady. It's far more simple and reliable just to measure your miss and calculate the number of vertical and horizontal clicks.

Yeah, right!! And with fully half the scopes out there not moving the exact amount that a "click" is supposed to??? Good luck with that being more reliable.

As Stubblejumper stated, a rifle vise is OK to "hold" a rifle while you adjust, but if you shoot a rifle in the vise, point of impact may vary considerably from sandbagged or held by hand. Regards, Eagleye.
 
It may help if I posted a pic of the rifle rest that we use. I agree that a gun vise isn't the same as holding it yourself, which is why the last few shots are needed to verify your own hold.
IMG_0025.jpg
 
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