The Two-Shot Sight In Technique

By Glen Wunderlich
Outdoor Columnist
Charter Member Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA)

If you don’t have a lot of ammo to waste attempting to sight in your gun, here is a technique that’ll save you time and expense. For the technique to be successful, two assumptions are in play: 1) Your first shot must be a good shot – not good as in the center of the target, but good as in trigger pull and not moving the gun in any way as you squeeze the trigger. 2) The ammo must be accurate in your gun. Obviously, if you’ve never tried it before this sight-in session, you will have no way of knowing if it is an accurate load. But, if you have used it before and it performed to your liking, you are ready for the two-shot sight in technique.

First, make sure to use a rock-steady rest such as sandbags – one under the forearm of the stock and one at the buttstock. As in all sighting in sessions, the object is to eliminate human error, so it is extremely important that the gun does not move when the first shot is taken.

Second, note where the first shot hit the target. If you have a friend nearby, have him help steady the gun while you make the following adjustment: Center the crosshairs back on the center of the target, after having removed your adjustment turrets. Then, with your friend holding the gun steady, look through the scope making sure it is centered on the target and begin to move the turrets so that the crosshairs move to the first bullet hole.

That’s it. You are now sighted in using only two shots!