I've never understood how a hunter can sit day after day, patiently waiting on that one shot, with a gun that may or may not hit where he is aiming. Some have relied on friends or relatives to sight their gun. Others will roll up a jacket, lay the rifle across it on the hood of a truck, and shoot until they finally give up and tell themselves it's good enough. Probably the worst scenario is the hunter that "knows" his rifle is on target because he had it "professionally bore sighted."

These are the kind of things that give hunting guides the hives. There's nothing worse than spending days trying to put a client on a good buck, only to find out they didn't have a rifle that would "shoot where it's pointed." The basics of sighting in a rifle are outlined below. If they seem over simplified, it's because sighting in a rifle is really a simple process.

Safety First
There's a reason for calling them high powered rifles. Be sure you have an adequate back stop to catch the bullets. The best backstop is a large mound of dirt. Just remember that it has to be large enough to stop the wild shots that miss the target. The best bet is a professionally designed shooting range. If you don't already have access to one, check with local wildlife officers or the U.S. Forest Service for the locations of public ranges in your area.

Take a Rest
A stable shooting surface is essential. While the hood of a truck will work, it is probably the poorest option. One shortcoming for the convenient hood option is often a scorched paint job. A heavy, steady table or professionally designed shooting bench is the best choice. If you do elect to use a vehicle hood for a rest, be sure to spread an old towel under the business end of the barrel or the muzzle blast could have you looking for the rubbing compound or calling a paint shop.

Bag It
I've tried everything from gun vices to a rolled up jacket. Nothing I've found beats sand bags for holding your rifle absolutely still. My personal favorite is a set of leather or suede bags designed specifically for this purpose. If sand bags aren't available, take two heavy duty trash bags , some old towels and a shovel with you to the range. Put one bag inside the other and place these on a stable shooting surface and shovel loose, fluffy dirt inside of the bags. Place a towel on top of the bag of dirt so that no grit will get into the working parts of your rifle should the plastic break. Keep fluffing up the dirt and settling your rifle into the bag until you have a good solid rest.

Keep it Clean
It's always a good idea to give your rifle a good cleaning before each season, and during the sighting proceedure. Residue inside the barrel can have an effect on accuracy. Invest in a good quality cleaning kit with a one piece non-metal rod. Scope mounts should be checked for tightness as well as sling lugs. Moving parts should be cleaned and a good quality gun grease applied. Now you're ready to start shootin'!

Start Up Close
Set your target up at 20 to 25 yards. If you can locate a metal sign holder, the kind many real estate companies use for yard signs, it is ideal for this purpose. Place the cross hairs on the bulls eye and fire one shot, being careful to apply slow steady pressure to the trigger. If done correctly, the gun should surprise you when it fires. Next, place the gun back onto the sand bags and settle it in until the cross hairs are once again on the bulls eye. Holding the gun as still as possible, keep looking through the scope and have someone else adjust the cross hairs from the bulls eye to the bullet hole using the adjustment screws on the top and right hand side of the scope. Allow the barrel a few minutes to cool and fire at the bulls eye once more. If done correctly the rifle should be hitting the bulls eye at short ranges and at least be "on the paper" at 100 yards. Run the cleaning rod through the barrel after every two or three shots for consistency.

Remember To Cool It
If your rifle is sighted correctly, bagging a deer is usually a one shot deal. Rifles shoot differently when the barrel is hot. Remember, when you take a shot at a deer you'll be shooting with a cold barrel, so you need to let your barrel cool between shots when you're sighting in. The longer the better, but at least let it cool until only slightly warm to the touch between shots. I usually try to allow ten to fifteen minutes between shots, but this will vary with the type of gun and outside temperatures. Due to time spent waiting for the barrel to cool, you can often sight in three or four rifles in the same amount of time it takes to sight in one.

Finishing Touches
Now you're ready to set up your target at one hundred yards, or what ever distance is reasonable for an average shot where you hunt. They key to a successful hunt is remembering that "average" is the key word.

Carefully fire three shots, allowing the barrel to cool between rounds. Check your target, adjust your scope and repeat the process until it's "shootin' where you point it". How you set up your scope will be dictated by where you hunt. In heavy cover, where 100 yards is a long shot, dead on at 100 is a no-brainer. Out west, where a short shot is 200 yards, setting your scope an inch or so high (depending on the ballistics of your particular load) at 100, and dead on at 200 is standard fare. If, by some remarkable twist of fate, you do get a close shot, you just have to remember that your scope's set high at 100 yards. In the real world, where gravity and wind have a dramatic effect on where your bullet ends up, game never walk out at exactly the distance you're sighted in for. If you want to bag game consistently, you need to know your rifle's ballistic profile, and be able to judge distance properly, or carry a good rangefinder. For a steady shooter, who knows his weapon's capabilities, 300 yards isn't unrealistic with the right load, as long as you are intimately familiar with the trajectory. If you know that your bullet drops 10" at 300 yards, and you're sure of the distance, it's a simple matter of holding 10" high and squeezing slowly. Shooting isn't brain surgery, unless you aim between the ears.

Make It Fun
As mentioned before, sighting in three or four rifles can be done just as quickly as sighting in one, due to time spent cooling the barrels. This makes sighting in a rifle the ideal time to get together with your huntin' buddies and their firearms. Put together a shooting box or bag with targets, tape, ear / eye protection and sand bags, so you'll always have everything you need in one place. I like to check my rifle three or four times a season, just to make sure it's still sighted in properly. How you store, handle and transport your rifle will determine how often you need to recheck your scope. When transporting your rifle, keeping it in a padded case will go a long way toward having game on your return trip. Naturally, it goes without saying, should you bang or drop your rifle, a quick check is in order. When you consider how much time and effort goes into getting that one shot, the time spent to ensure your rifle is sighted in only makes good sense. You owe it to the animal, so take the time. It can make the difference between a clean kill and just another sad huntin' story.

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