Sighting In Your Firearm
By Glen Wunderlich
Charter Member Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA)
As the firearms deer opener approaches, many hunting hopefuls will be sighting in their favorite firearms, before cold weather complicates matters. Accordingly, below are some techniques to help minimize the potential for avoidable mishaps.
* It is best to start with a clean gun with no oil or grease in the barrel. Visually inspect the barrel for obstructions before beginning, too. Tighten all screws in the stock and include scope bases and rings in the process. If you have handloaded ammunition, make sure to test-cycle the ammo you intend to take hunting through the firearm while you are at the range.
* If you use factory ammunition, try sampling different varieties, as your wallet allows. Once you are satisfied with the results, make sure all ammo has the same lot number. The numbers are stamped on each box of ammo – usually under the flap – but, make sure it matches for consistency. If it’s different than what you tested, verify results again.
* Wear good hearing protection and protective glasses. To reduce felt recoil, a folded towel under the shirt helps to minimize the jarring effects of hard-recoiling guns.
* The idea when sighting in is to minimize human error. Make sure the firearm is firmly rested on the forearm – never the barrel – with the buttstock held firmly to the shoulder. Although holding a heavy-recoiling firearm tight to the shoulder may sound counter intuitive to beginners, doing so is imperative to avoid sore shoulders, or worse yet, “scope eye”, when the scope slams into one’s eye socket!
* Determine your maximum point blank range (PBR). The concept is to sight in so that the bullet remains within an acceptable margin along the entire flight path to the longest possible range. In the case of hunting whitetails with a conservative kill zone of 6 inches, the bullet must never be higher than 3 inches, and should not drop more than 3 inches on the far end. When set up correctly, a hunter needs only to aim at the center of the target, assuming the chosen animal is within one’s prescribed point blank range.
If your shooting range doesn’t permit shooting at long range, there are several options to calculate PBR. One is to refer to the manufacturer’s ballistic tables for the ammunition being used. Typically, the information can be located on the ammunition box, or the company’s website. Such data is often unreliable, because specifications from manufacturers are based on data produced with their test barrels and typically will not be the same with one’s firearm.
* A better option is to determine the velocity of one’s ammo with a chronograph, as it is being shot from your firearm. Then, with a given ballistic coefficient (BC – found at the manufacturer’s website) of the particular bullet being used, these aerodynamics coupled with the actual velocity will produce an exacting flight path. Then, it’s a simple matter to adjust the height of impact at the distance being shot and trusting the math.
* The ultimate alternative is to shoot at various ranges, if you have a safe shooting environment and backstop; computers and math are not required.
* Once sighted in, shoot from various positions you may use in the field, such as offhand or kneeling. As long as you can keep 9 out of 10 in a conservative six-inch circle, you are within range to make a humane kill. If you are not that good, don’t kid yourself. Get closer or learn to be disciplined enough to pass on unethical shots with bad odds.
* When finished, do not clean the barrel unless, of course, you are using a muzzleloader with Pyrodex or blackpowder. Just unload the gun, wipe off the exterior, and put it away safely with the confidence of an ethical hunter who has properly prepared.
