Shooting is one of the world’s favorite things to do; however, the circumstances vary – hunting or crime-related cases. Hunting is a lot more fun than the latter, and it is considered more of a hobby than an actual, tough sport. For beginners learning how to shoot a rifle for the first time (for hunting), sighting a target is a basic, thorough concept to be understood. Therefore, this guide aims to show how to sight in a red dot scope without shooting and provide tips on doing that effectively.
What are the Techniques to Sight in a Red Dot Scope?
Sighting in a target without shooting has become much easier due to the latest technologies built into these rifles. Today, you can do different, much more significant things, even if you have a rifle under $500. Without further ado, let me show you the various techniques of sighting in a red dot scope.
Here they are:
Laser Boresighters
The most effective and popular method of zeroing a scope without shooting a target is the Laser Boresighters. It is ideal for everyone, irrespective of skill levels, i.e., beginner or professional. It is quite a big deal because of its top-notch accuracy compared to the other methods. Moreover, the mounting and installation are straightforward.
Laser Boresighters are mounted in two different ways, depending on their placements – end-mount and muzzle-mount. The former involves mounting down the barrel’s mouth, while the latter into the rifle’s arbor inside the muzzle. Regardless of whatever method you choose, the goal is to aim to target the red dot while rotating the crosshairs for enhanced visibility.
There are a couple of incredible Laser Boresighters you can get online. However, it is important to know that it is the best way to sight in a red dot scope. I would strongly recommend it to anyone.
Optical Boresighting
The Optical Boresighting method is not as fun and straightforward as that of Laser Boresighting. It is a bit difficult, knowing that the accuracy could be jeopardized if not properly aligned. In this case, they are mounted at the base of a rifle or barrel while aiming at a target.
When you mount an optical lens, you need to align the lens and view the red dot through the grid. As you view, use the dial to rotate the crosshairs until it is set at the middle of the grid. That is the only possible way of achieving a zero with the scope.
Visual Boresighting
The last boresighting technique is the Visual; it is much easier than the Optical method. Here, the goal is to align the barrel’s center with the sight; you must do this after you must have removed the bolt from your rifle. In a much simpler way, remove the bolt first, then position the barrel appropriately until it centers with your target.
The only limitation with this method is that it takes time – a few minutes. However, it guarantees 100% accuracy. Likewise, you might have to adjust the scope’s crosshairs with the dial to enhance visibility and zero the scope at a target.
What are The Things You Need to Keep in Mind While Zeroing a Red Dot Scope?
Learning how to zero a red dot scope is not so difficult, but you might need some tips to help get accustomed to whatever technique you decide to try out.
See the tips here:
Know the Basics
As a beginner, there are many things you may not know when it comes to handling a gun or rifle. It takes consistent practice to become quite good, if not a professional shooter. If you have so much passion as I’d thought, one thing you should do is to learn the basics. Some of the concepts you should explore include: how to align a gun, how to sight in a red dot, how to mount scopes, etc.
By the time you learn each concept, you should be partly ready to sight in red dot without shooting your target.
Determine the Distance of Target
A significant thing to bear in mind is your target distance; it is important before shooting anything at all. If you determine the distance, then you can achieve a said level of accuracy. Besides, it would help you achieve a better balance and good alignment.
There are two ways to determine a target’s distance – modern and traditional. The modern way involves getting a rifle scope with a GPS that does the work of calculating the actual distance between you and a target. On the other hand, the traditional way involves placing an object at a measured distance and estimating that of the target using that of the object. The latter isn’t always reliable and accurate; the former is.
Mount the Proper Way
The difference between an adequately zeroed red dot scope and a bad one is mounting. For instance, if you use a laser bore sighter for sighting in, you must mount it correctly, so it won’t affect your chances of taking a good shot. I will recommend a Thread Locker for its general purpose of making sure the screws are decently tightened for easy mounting or removal. Additionally, the eye relief and the scope must be adjusted and leveled, respectively, for a more accurate sighting.
Double-Check
I would assure you that you can never be too careful handling red dot scopes as a beginner or professional hunter. You may think you’ve done all the necessary things there is to do; however, you could be missing an important detail. Therefore, you should always double-check and make sure everything is all set to guarantee a seamless experience.
FAQs
Find out more about red dot scopes and sighting in without shooting here.
How To Sight In A Mini Red Dot Scope Without Shooting?
Zeroing a red dot sight is not dependent on the size of the scope. The same technique you use on a regular scope is also the same as a mini size. The only difference is that size and not the technique. That being said, it is possible to achieve the same result with shooting a target.
How to Know If a Red Dot Scope is Broken?
I notice most people ask when they start to see their scopes misbehaving: Is my rifle scope broken? Sometimes, it may not be what you think it is; on other times, it may be. All you have to do is look out for the warning signs, and you can tell if the scopes are bad or not. Some of these warning signs include; large shot-to-shot variance, uneven tracking, bad zeroing, etc. In essence, there will be a problem with accuracy if that happens.
Summary
There is so much to know about riflescopes, including how to sight in a red dot scope without shooting. For a beginner, knowing what to do is consequential; it also puts you ahead of every other person learning the basics of handling guns. More importantly, I would say that buying Laser Boresighters from any online store would always be worth it.
