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Best Practices for Sighting in your Rifle

by Nikki Boxler
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Importance of Sighting In your Rifle

As hunting season progresses, sometimes we get busy and put off some necessary preparation. Firearm season comes on fast and sighting in your rifle and practicing should be at the top of your to-do list.  Every firearm hunter owes it to the animal they pursue to make sure their gun is zeroed. Injuring deer because due to a lack of preparation should never happen.  We also have a job as hunters to keep the image of hunters as positive as possible.  Sighting in your rifle needs to be done before every season.  Even if it was only shot once the previous year, one little bump could change the alignment of the scope or sight.  Many hunters put in a lot of time and use energy into getting a shot at a trophy buck.  You don’t want to be the hunter that misses due to a scope that wasn’t sighted in?  Hunters should also have a sense of pride in knowing their rifle is accurate and is capable of hitting its mark.  Having a rifle that is zeroed in at the appropriate range will also save you ammunition which is becoming more difficult to acquire these days.

Zeroing in your Rifle

The average deer hunter will usually make sure their rifle is zeroed in at 100 yards or closer.  If you are someone who frequently shoots past 100 yards then you definitely want to make sure your rifle is zeroed into the distance you will be shooting.  You don’t want to sight in your rifle at 100 yards and then be taking 250-yard shots and expect to be accurate.  Even if you are not using rest while hunting, you most definitely want to use a rest when sighting your rifle.  This will ensure that your scope or sights are accurate and there is no guessing when you are pulling the trigger on a deer.  You want to be confident in your ability to hit the target at various distances.