One Shot Zero, (sort 0f)

[eaglesnester]

Fire a fouling shot.  Shoot a 3 round group at 100yds.  Let your barrel cool down between each shot.  Walk up to your target and draw a line between each round in the 3 shot group to establish group center.  Walk back to bench, let your heart rate and breathing settle down and sight in on your bull as before.  Now using your elevation  and windage adjustments adjust your scopes cross hairs to the center of your 3 shot group.  Worked like a hot dam for me, read it on the internet at another shooters web site thought I would pass it on.  After you get your Zero you can then adjust your POI 1"-2"-or 3" high for hunting or adjust for MPR.

Cheers and Tight Groups: Eaglesnester

[Coyote Hunter]

Sounds like at least a 5-shot zero to me:

1 Fouler
3 for group
1 or more to check the adjustments.

[DalesCarpentry]

I know of a one shot zero. Bore site your rifle. Then put your rifle in something like a lead sled. Lash it down where it can not move. Fire one round at the target. Then you adjust the cross hairs to hit the bullet hole. Sounds good in theory to me. I have never tried it though. Dale

[corbanzo]

I've been shooting way too much to know that I need more than one shot.  Is that the problem?

I'm a little too much ADD for that.  I have to tinker with something pretty much always.  Which takes more ammo.

[Don Fischer]

I know of a one shot zero. Bore site your rifle. Then put your rifle in something like a lead sled. Lash it down where it can not move. Fire one round at the target. Then you adjust the cross hairs to hit the bullet hole. Sounds good in theory to me. I have never tried it though. Dale

That is how I do sight in rifles. But I start at 25 yds then move to 100 yds. I think the best I've managed yet is four shots. I bore sight by looking thru the bore at the target, hence the start at 25 yds.

[beemanbeme]

I do it kinda like Dale and Don. If a bore sight seems to be on at 100 yards, I start there. If not, I start at 25 yards.  But I shoot at the first bullet hole. At 100 yards, if I can't see the bullet hole, I shoot at a 1" bulls eye. 

[Coyote Hunter]

eaglesnester –

The method you mention is actually pretty similar to what I use on a fairly regular basis – shoot fouler shots,  shoot a 3-shot group from a cool barrel, then twirl the dials accordingly.  If everything else is good, the rifle should now shoot where you want it.    I have several rifles with loads that shoot to different points of aim, like the .257 Roberts where I have varmint and deer loads, the .30-30 where I have 130g plinkers and 170g deer/elk loads.  Switching zero prior to and after hunting season is really very easy with this procedure. 

Best case, starting with a fouled bore, I've fired one shot, adjusted the dials, then fired additional shots to verify the rifle was sighted as desired. 

[DakotaElkSlayer]

You can tell what is happening to ammo prices when discussion turns to the one shot zero...

Jim

[eaglesnester]

Yes indeed, the price of shooting.  Up here in the great white north, Northern B.C. 308 Norma Mag when you can get it is around $80 bucks a box.  My hunting partner shoots a Weatherby 340 Mag and considers himself lucky if he can find it and then its around $90 bucks a box. We are now reloading for a little over a dollar a round and we can now afford to go to the range and play to our hearts content. We are lucky as we live in an area with mucho clear cut timber areas and we can set up a portable range at any distance, including out to and beyond 1000yds.  He made up a 10 inch round target out of T-1 steel .5 inch thick and we hang it from two portable saw horses.  I bought a Steady Rest from Shooters Ridge for around 90 bucks and we use that for our long range shooting to steady up our rifles. I must say for the price I sure do like the Shooters Rest. Cheap, well built, and does what it was designed to do very well. You can spend big bucks for a vise and be highly disappointed.

Cheers and Tight Groups:
Eaglesnester

[PartsMan]

I usually shoot a three shot group.
Adjust the dials the wrong direction.
Shoot two more three shot groups trying to figure out where they are hitting.
Usualy I can get it sighted in before the box runs out though.