Backfire: Six Secrets For Sighting In Your Rifle

In preparation for the airing of 'American Air Gunners' on the Outdoors Channel, the YouTube channel 'Backfire' shot a video showing the host's tips for sighting in rifles. The host explains that a traditional boresight is the most reliable way to start the sight-in process. He sets up at 50 Yards and lays prone, using a sandbag and MDT CKYE-POD for support. He then removes the rifle's bolt and aligns the barrel with his target, noting that this can be done with a laser boresight for those restricted by their eyesight. Then, he dials his windage and elevation turrets to align his optic's crosshair with the target. This process helps him land his first shot on paper before fine-tuning his zero.

The second shot at 50 yards lands on target slightly low of center, which is good considering the host is looking to get a perfect 100-yard zero. Another option for sighting in is the host's "Party Trick" method. This method requires the shooter to keep their rifle stable after a shot is landed on paper while zeroing. The reticle is held at the center of the bullseye and then dialed to match the impact of the round.

Should the zeroing process require enough shots to warm the barrel, the host demonstrates his process for confirming zero with a cool barrel. Six series of three-round groups are shot. A barrel cooler is used between each series of shots, and seven minutes are given for the barrel to return to ambient temperature.

For testing, Jim used a Bergara Premiere Divide.

Lastly, the use of "turret tags" is demonstrated on camera. Most long-range shooters have seen "dope cards" that provide a quick reference guide for holds and ballistic information at different distances and are often taped to a shooter's rifle stocks. Instead of using dope cards, 'Backfire' created small colored stickers that were applied to the optic turrets during the zeroing process. These stickers allow shooters to make rapid adjustments while shooting at varying distances and not moving their eyes from downrange, like when referencing a stock-mounted dope card.

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