How to Sight in a Rifle for Accurate Shooting

Once you have an optic mounted and boresighted on your rifle, it’s time to sight it in at the range. A solid sight-in is the foundation of accurate, consistent shooting at the range or in the field. We’ll take the guesswork out of this process and take you through a step-by-step guide on how to sight in a rifle.

Before you start firing, let’s take a moment to make sure the optic is set up properly and the rifle fits.

1. Make sure your firearm is unloaded, clear of ammunition and the safety is on.
2. Check the rifle fitment to be sure the length of pull and comb height feel comfortable. If you don’t know how to do this, check out Why Rifle Fit Matters and How to Adjust the AccuFit.
3. Shoulder the rifle (pointed in a safe direction) and look through the optic at something uncluttered – a plain backstop or a clear, blue sky are great.
4. Make small adjustments to the eye piece to ensure the reticle is in focus. 
5. If your scope has side focus or parallax, this is the time to set that for the distance you’ll be shooting. The target should be clear and crisp, and the reticle shouldn’t shift when you move your head
6. Check your eye relief by shouldering the rifle to make sure you have a full field of view through the optic. If you see any dark circles on the edges, you’ll need to adjust the comb height of your rifle or the position of your optic. Check eye relief at the lowest power and the highest power.

Now that you know the rifle fits and the optic is mounted properly, it’s time to send a few rounds down range. 

It’s important to take your time as you put shots down range to avoid heating up your barrel as you're sighting in. It's always best to sight in your rifle from a stable shooting position. Shoot using a solid shooting range, sandbags or both. A stable shooting platform will help to eliminate any wobble and should give more repeatable results down range. 

For the best results, we recommend starting at a close distance (25 yards is great). This helps ensure that all your shots land on paper, so you won't need to guess where the shots are landing. 

Follow all the rules for safe gun handling. Always use eye and ear protection when shooting. Be sure to use ammunition that matches the cartridge that the rifle is designed to fire. Be sure of your target and what is beyond. 

1. Check that your barrel is clear of any obstructions (including a boresighting device)
2. Aim for the center of your target at 25 yards and shoot a 3- or 5-round group. 
3. Adjust the windage and elevation turrets in the opposite direction of your bullet impact to bring your next shots to the center. 
   1. For example, if your first shots land 2 inches left and 3 inches high, turn your windage turret 2 inches right and your elevation turret 3 inches down. Check the dials on your scope to know how many clicks corresponds to an inch – this will depend if you have an MOA or MRAD scope
4. Fire another 3- or 5-round group at the center of the target 
5. Make further adjustments if necessary
6. Aim for the center of your target at 100 yards and shoot another 3- to 5-round group. 
7. Make further adjustments if necessary
8. Optional Step: If your scope has turrets that can be reset to zero, check your riflescope’s manual to see how to do this. Reseting the turrets so the 0 is facing the indicator lines can be helpful if you’re going to be dialing for windage and elevation in the field.