Zeroing your rifle scope takes some skill. It can be time-consuming, frustrating, and even dangerous if you’re not careful. This is why it’s important to go about the process of zeroing a scope in an orderly fashion that minimizes these risks as much as possible. In this article, we’ll give you step-by-step instructions on how to zero your rifle scope at 100 yards so that your shots are precise and accurate every time!
What Does It Mean To Zero A Scope?
To zero a rifle scope means to adjust the point of impact so that when your adjustments are set at 100 yards then your shots will be dead center in the bullseye with no variance in wind conditions, etc. You can do this by adjusting either elevation or windage until they’re perfectly aligned with each other and create one single point of convergence between them both (the middle-point).
This is also called “zeroing” because once you have done this process successfully for 100 yards on your particular model/make of scope then all distances beyond or below that become irrelevant since they’ll hit directly in line with their respective reticle marks.
Why Should You Zero Your Rifle At 100?
There are a few reasons why you should zero your rifle at 100. First, the majority of rifles being sold today come from their factory with this as a standard setting for sight-in already programmed into them (typically around 25 yards). Next, most hunting and shooting ranges offer only targets that sit exactly at 100 yards away so it’s much more convenient to have your scope set here instead going back and forth between distances trying to find which one works best.
Finally, there isn’t really any reason not to do it since every time you go out on an excursion or range trip then all you’ll need is make sure both elevation and windage turret knobs match up together perfectly before you start shooting.
Why Is Zeroing Important?
Zeroing your rifle is important because it gives you the ability to make more precise and accurate shots beyond 100 yards (especially out past 200). Because of the way bullet drop compensators work, if you’re trying to hit targets at distances like this then they will not be very effective since each incremental increase in distance starts making a bigger difference than any amount of adjustment on your scope can compensate for.
As soon as one or both turrets are slightly off from where they should be then that means every shot after that point all together becomes less ideal with smaller margins for error until eventually hitting further away becomes impossible altogether. If you’ve ever tried hitting anything even close to 300+ yards without properly zeroing then you know exactly what we’re talking about.
What Do You Need To Zero A Scope?
The first thing that you need to zero a rifle scope is patience since it can take some time and practice before hitting 100/200+ yards becomes second nature from either prone or standing positions. It’s also important to have proper lighting conditions outside as well so that there aren’t any shadows being casted onto your lens by the sun which will make seeing through them more difficult.
This kind of goes without saying but another key factor for shooting accurately at long ranges is having a sturdy bipod to lock into place with enough support underneath because just using sandbags on the ground isn’t going to cut it once things start getting further away than 300 yards or so.
You will also need to make sure the scope turrets are set at their 100 yard zero point first (and match each other) before moving on with this process since it’s not possible to hit 100 yards without knowing what your starting location is for both elevation and windage knobs which you can’t do unless they’ve already been calibrated beforehand.
5 Steps to Zero a Rifle Scope at 100 Yards
- Step one is to make sure both elevation and windage turret knobs are set at their 100 yard zero points.
- Step two is to find an object that’s around the size of your target at a distance of exactly 100 yards away from you (house, barn, tree, etc.) Since most people don’t have any sort of rangefinder or smart device with them (although some do) then you can also use Google Maps to look for something like this.
- Step three is setting your rifle up on a bipod or sandbags and making sure it isn’t moving at all once you place it down which will take time/practice to achieve 100% of the time.
- Step four is firing one shot at your target with the cartridge you plan on using most often (most likely either .308 or .223/556).
- Step five is making sure both turrets match up perfectly with each other now that your shot went exactly where it should have for being 100 yards away. If everything seems off by even one click then go back to step four and keep firing shots until you get it just right.
Can You Zero A Scope Without Firing??
This question is a little bit tricky to answer since technically it can be done but not accurately. You do have the ability to turn your elevation and windage turrets without firing by going really slow so that you don’t damage anything inside of them, while also being careful with both fingers on each turret at all times too. This isn’t the best method to use though since it can lead to misalignment of the reticle which will make hitting targets much more difficult down the road.
Conclusion
In This Post we showed you how to zero your rifle scope at 100 yards step-by-step. we hope you have a better understanding of the process that how to zero a rifle scope at 100 yards works now.
