How to Sight in a Rifle Scope: A Complete Guide

Are you wanting to shoot more accurately and with greater precision? Then you should definitely consider adding a scope to your rifle. Luckily, setting up a scope is fairly easy, although it still does take some time and effort. 

If you’re interested in improving your shooting but don’t know how to sight in a rifle scope, don’t worry. We’ve got you covered. Continue reading and we’ll walk you through everything you need to know. 

Boresight

The very first step when it comes to sighting in scope is to boresight. Boresighting is when you alight the sights on your rifle with the gun’s bore.  

To do this, you first have to clear the gun. The rifle needs to be unloaded and there shouldn’t be anything in front of the barrel. Once the gun is unloaded and clear, it’s time to remove the magazine or bolt. 

Now, mount your gun on a resting point where the barrel is pointing downrange. 

Get Your Gear

There are some basic items you’ll need in order to properly sight in. First, you’ll need the actual rifle. You’ll also need a proper front rest — a bipod is one popular option. You’ll also need a rearrest to make sure that you have plenty of stability. 

A sandbag is all you need for a rearrest. You’ll also need eye protection, ammo, and ear protection. 

Focus the Rifle Scope

There are two parts to this step. First, you must properly focus the reticle. For the second part, if your gun has a side focus parallax, you have to first focus the parallax.

This is to ensure that the target is properly focused for the distance that you’re shooting at.  

For focusing the reticle, you need a plain-colored background. A cloudy white sky or clear blue sky will be enough. So get behind the gun and adjust the reticle until it’s focused. 

Then, dial-up to the magnification that you’ll be shooting at. Follow this by focusing the parallax. 

When focusing the parallax, make sure that the target is as crisp and clear as possible. At the same time, you need to make sure that the reticle isn’t moving at all when you shift the position of your head. 

Start Shooting

When you start shooting, you should just be single loading the ammo. It’s not a race to get through it as fast as you can. You really want to make sure that you’re taking nice, slow, consistent shots that you can be confident in. 

After taking several shots, go ahead and take a look at the target. If you pull a shot while firing, don’t count that as part of your pattern. A pulled shot should be considered an outlier and not as an indicator of the scope’s accuracy. 

Measure how far off your shots are from the bullseye. 

Adjusting

Go back to the rifle so that you can make adjustments to the scope. First, you want to take off the turret caps. Dial-in the necessary number of clicks so that you’re scope can be properly adjusted. 

Make sure that you’re adjusting for both horizontal and elevation elements. After you’ve adjusted the scope, go ahead and put the turret caps back on. 

Now, you’re good to shoot some more. Continue shooting and adjusting until you’re satisfied. 

The Final Step

This last step is optional. You only have to perform this step if you’re planning to dial your turrets in the field for a long-range shot to compensate for wind or elevation. 

First, you want to once more take off the turret caps. Then grab a coin, any sized coin will do, and hold the turret in place. Rotate it so that you loosen the screw on top. 

Remove the screw and then lift the top turret up and re-reference it so that the zero marking is facing the zero indicator line. After you’ve got the turret lined up, simply replace your screw and tighten it back on. While you do this, it’s important that the turret doesn’t shift or move.

Then, just put the turret cap back on and you’re good to go. 

Buying and Selling Rifle Scopes

When purchasing a rifle scope, there are several factors that you first have to consider. First, you have to think about what kind of reticle you want. There are three main kinds. 

You have the duplex reticle, mildot reticle, and BDC reticle. You also have to decide how you want your measurements. You can get a scope that measures in MOA (Minute of Angle) or MRAD (milliradian). 

You’ll also have to choose between the different positions for the scope’s reticle. You can either get the position known as the first focal plane (FFP) or the second focal plane (SFP). 

When it comes to learning how to sell used scopes, there are also a few things that you need to consider. These include checking the condition of the scope, making sure it functions, and taking the brand value into consideration. 

The Importance of Knowing How to Sight in a Rifle Scope

By knowing how to sight in a rifle scope, you will not only greatly improve your accuracy but you’ll also be able to open up a whole new world of possibilities. You’ll be able to grow into a more confident and well-rounded shooter and can also become more knowledgable about the mechanics of firearms and how to improve them. 

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