Rifle Rests

[Mags]

I'm with you, Jake, I'm not wanting a new thing to practice with. I'm just trying to figure out the best way to zero in a scope on my own, but maybe it is best done with help, professional or otherwise...
Which means I probably don't need any new equipment, just some help!

E^2, try not to over think it. zeroing isn't very hard to do. It's less time consuming if you start with a laser bore sight. The laser will get you close to zero and then following up with 3 groups of 3 shots you should achieve the zero of your choice. For example dead on zero at 50 yds or 1 inch high or whatever sight picture you choose. Old school without a laser bore sight it will take quite a few more rounds down range to get at the zero you want. But you'll have fun shooting while you do it. In old school I'd recommend a sled like you identified in your first link.

With a laser sight, a Vangard Porta-Aim fore rest and 9 rounds I got the zero I wanted. The remaining variability is me moving while shooting.

5 inch Paddles at 75 yds.

paddle.jpg

[GFK]

I echo bore sighting. It helped get me in the ball park. I had it done by a range I was using. The rifle was supposedly bore sighted from the factory. I think that was not the case. Help may not be a bad thing. But, I think you will probably be able to do it. Either way, start as close as you can see where the bullets are hitting (i.e. 15 yards, 25 yards, etc.). Then, follow the directions of how to adjust your scope accordingly. Once you achieved your desired zero, move further out and zero (i.e. 50 yards or 100 yards). From what I have read, different scopes may settle after zeroing. So, it is good to check your zero some time afterwards (a few days or week later). I check mine periodically.

These links gave me some ideas:
https://m.wikihow.com/Sight-In-a-Rifle
https://m.wikihow.com/Zero-Your-Rifle-Scope

[ESquared]

I echo bore sighting. It helped get me in the ball park. I had it done by a range I was using. The rifle was supposedly bore sighted from the factory. I think that was not the case. Help may not be a bad thing. But, I think you will probably be able to do it. Either way, start as close as you can see where the bullets are hitting (i.e. 15 yards, 25 yards, etc.). Then, follow the directions of how to adjust your scope accordingly. Once you achieved your desired zero, move further out and zero (i.e. 50 yards or 100 yards). From what I have read, different scopes may settle after zeroing. So, it is good to check your zero some time afterwards (a few days or week later). I check mine periodically.

These links gave me some ideas:
https://m.wikihow.com/Sight-In-a-Rifle
https://m.wikihow.com/Zero-Your-Rifle-Scope

I'm with you, Jake, I'm not wanting a new thing to practice with. I'm just trying to figure out the best way to zero in a scope on my own, but maybe it is best done with help, professional or otherwise...
Which means I probably don't need any new equipment, just some help!

E^2, try not to over think it. zeroing isn't very hard to do. It's less time consuming if you start with a laser bore sight. The laser will get you close to zero and then following up with 3 groups of 3 shots you should achieve the zero of your choice. For example dead on zero at 50 yds or 1 inch high or whatever sight picture you choose. Old school without a laser bore sight it will take quite a few more rounds down range to get at the zero you want. But you'll have fun shooting while you do it. In old school I'd recommend a sled like you identified in your first link.

With a laser sight, a Vangard Porta-Aim fore rest and 9 rounds I got the zero I wanted. The remaining variability is me moving while shooting.

5 inch Paddles at 75 yds.
paddle.jpg

Great advice, men, I hadn't even thought about bore sighting as part of the process but that makes perfect sense. More research to do!

Thanks, as always!

[Mags]

Some .357 laser bore sights. Make sure to check for an on/off switch. My didn't so I have to remove the batteries to shut it off.

skip past the 'sponsored' sights those aren't .357. .357 list comes after the sponsored list.
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss ... bore+sight

[North Country Gal]

I use what is similar to what I'm going to hunt with, i.e, rifle resting on stacked bags. I can't see a reason to use something different at the range than I'm going to use in a blind or "real life" shooting (hunting) scenario.

I agree. Use whatever rest you like at the range to help sight in the gun, initially, but at some point, use the rest/shooting position you plan to use in the field to do your final sighting in. A gun will shoot, differently off a mechanical rest versus a traditional bag rest versus shooting from an unsupported shooting position in the field.

[ESquared]

Thanks, Mags, very helpful. Almost as complicated and cluttered up as scope shopping!

[Redthies]

A gun will shoot differently off a mechanical rest versus a traditional bag rest versus shooting from an unsupported shooting position in the field.

So using a lead sled or similar to set up a scope is not ideal, in your mind? I’ve heard other people say this, and I get why the actual behavior of the rifle will be different off of different types of rests, but to me it makes sense to have the gun as steady as possible when siting in a new scope. The rest I have is not going to absorb any substantial amount of recoil, it’s just going to allow me to take the “shakey james” out of the equation. Seems to me like that would be a good idea?

[ESquared]

A gun will shoot differently off a mechanical rest versus a traditional bag rest versus shooting from an unsupported shooting position in the field.

So using a lead sled or similar to set up a scope is not ideal, in your mind? I’ve heard other people say this, and I get why the actual behavior of the rifle will be different off of different types of rests, but to me it makes sense to have the gun as steady as possible when siting in a new scope. The rest I have is not going to absorb any substantial amount of recoil, it’s just going to allow me to take the “shakey james” out of the equation. Seems to me like that would be a good idea?

This is exactly what had me scratching my head about sled-type rests. If one is a hunter, about the only need for a sled rest is to sight in a scope, it seems to me. Other than that, you'd want to practice in more "field-like" conditions, as NCG points out. Don't see many sled rests in deer blinds or tree-stands.

Bags, then, are different, as they are portable and might be used in some form or another in hunting scenarios, no?

All this leads me to a bore sight/bag combo as a likely path.

[North Country Gal]

Nothing wrong at all about using a sled type rest for initial sighting in, nothing wrong with it at all. In fact, some folks like to use these rests for all their range shooting. It's a great tool. If it helps, by all means use one, and do so with my blessing. Don't want to leave the impression that they are not something to consider. We have enough snobbery in the shooting community without adding more snobbery about what rest you use.

Just remember that you may have some more sight adjusting to do when you shoot without one. I don't use one because I learned to shoot before there were such rests. I grew up using bags for rests or whatever was available as make do rests. Also, not a lot of my shooting, any more is with rests.

[ESquared]

There's snobbery in the shooting community?

[Mags]

There's snobbery in the shooting community?

Humph. Nope, not at all

[Redthies]

I’ve never used my rest, I just bought it on a whim as I have a couple of hunting rifles I need to get dialed for the season (which opens here on the 10th of sept). 99% of my shooting is offhand, or maybe with a tree to lean against. I just figured if you get your scope dialed on a solid rest, it will be as accurate as possible by removing the shaking human from the equation?

[Mistered]

I grew up using bags for rests or whatever was available as make do rests. Also, not a lot of my shooting, any more is with rests.

Ditto this. Even this morning when I was somewhat 'serious' about my shooting my rest was nothing more than a couple towels folded up on a hard case range box and it was perfect.
The 'firmer' the rest is the greater chance of the gun shooting 'away' from the rest - one of the reasons it is said to never rest a handgun on a hard surface to shoot but rest the forearm and hold the gun 'free'.
No doubt a rifle will sight well in a rest but may very well be 'off' again once shot in another position.

[JEBar]

while I do find the range of comments about sighting in a rifle to be interesting, I can't help but feel we tend to over complicate it .... simply put, sighting in a firearm is a matter of making whatever adjustments are necessary so that the bullet hits the point of aim in the crosshairs, red dot, open sight, whatever .... once that is accomplished, no matter how the firearm is held, the bullet should hit the point of aim .... to me sighing in from a rest makes the most sense because it removes variables ..... once it is sighted in, it then becomes a matter of holding it in a position where the point of aim is where you want it when the trigger is pulled .... to me, sighting in a firearm and subsequently using it to hit a specific target are two very different things

[Redthies]

How will it be “off” when shot from a different position? Unless of course the recoil is 100% stifled by the rest, and then present in other positions. Will point of impact be different if I shoot my long range hunting rifle from it’s bipod, rather than say braced on a low tree branch? I’m not being argumentative, just trying to get the best out of my rifles as they are pretty much just here to provide food for my family (well, some of them are pretty cool to look at too!).

[Mistered]

A rest eliminates most 'human' influence on shooting a rifle.
When shouldered drop, pull and cheek weld CAN result in the rifle being pointed slightly 'off' as opposed to nearly straight on with a rest. The rifle is STILL shooting to POI as adjusted on the rest but the way it is held can influence POI. Ever heard of 'canting' ? 'Cant' the rifle to the left or right and it will most likely shoot to the direction it is 'canted'.

[Redthies]

Ok, that totally makes sense. Since I’m not looking for 1000 yard shots (most of my hunting is 60-80 yards due to brush), I should experience less of that effect than those shooting longer distances, but once I get zeroed on the rest, I’ll put a few down range from various positions. My longer range rifle, as I mentioned has a bipod, and that should negate the issue, and my up close gun is a .44 mag so it’s not going to be spectacularly accurate to begin with. I’m just looking for MOD* accuracy...

*Minute Of Deer

[JEBar]

When shouldered drop, pull and cheek weld CAN result in the rifle being pointed slightly 'off' as opposed to nearly straight on with a rest. The rifle is STILL shooting to POI as adjusted on the rest but the way it is held can influence POI.

key word - "slightly" .... all of the folks I know who participate in long range, precision shooting do so from a solid rest .... for those folks slightly isn't acceptable .... in my case, once a rifle is set to deliver a bullet to the POI as indicated by the cross hairs a scope or to the red dot in an Aimpoint, its my job to have that POI where I want it when I pull the trigger .... that's where practice comes in .... I like the Minute Of Deer concept, that pretty well sums it up for me ....

[ESquared]

Even if it's a 100 yard shot (or further), and even if the placement is slightly "off" from the exactly zeroed POA/POI achieved when the scope was sighted in, when it comes to the type of game that you'd be hunting at these distances (the kinds that require a scope), the area you're trying to hit is still about an 8" circle, so JEB is right, we're probably over-complicating it and overthinking it, as someone else mentioned.

But, it's still a great conversation, because we all want it to be as good as it can get during the set-up of Zeroed-In, and, the answers offered here point out that there's no single answer. Different strokes for different folks, depending on many factors. As in most things, there's no single, best "right answer." The other thing I know I've learned is that, no matter how you set it up to begin with, and from whatever distance, it always pays to double-check from time to time and from other distances, just to make sure things are still zeroed.

It all adds up to make all this a "sport," it strikes me, which has made this learning journey (so far) so much fun and so rewarding. Thanks so much (again) to all of you for sharing your experiences and perspectives.

I've settled on this:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000B ... UTF8&psc=1

And this:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/172740434811

...just to get me started. I may still need some help along the way at the range, but I believe this sets me up to become much more self sufficient and confident in what I'm doing. I'll soon find out, huh?

[clovishound]

There's snobbery in the shooting community?

Only by those who use the wrong equipment.

Those of us who use the right stuff are perfect little angels!