# How do you sight in a scope?



## Beeman17 (Jun 17, 2008)

I'm looking at easier ways. I have a decent pellet gun but I can only hit 1 inch groupings at just under 20 yards, every click I do to sight it in is usually too much. I use the 3 shot method.


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## darkgael (Feb 10, 2006)

Your method is probably as good as any. Have you tried a variety of pellets?
And....don't know your airgun but a one inch group at 20 yards is about as good as many airguns will shoot. There are one hole airguns out there but for many guns one inch is a good group. 
Pete


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## Beeman17 (Jun 17, 2008)

Oh ok. I think these are the best pellets for it, I read that someone else tried a bunch and these were the best. Sometimes I shoot maybe 3 shots, and 2 will be close, then 1 will be a few inches high or low. Do you have any tricks?


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## darkgael (Feb 10, 2006)

Beem - " I read that someone else tried a bunch and these were the best."
Maybe. They might be the best in someone else's gun but not in yours.
Example, just yesterday I was sighting in an air rifle, a Gamo Viper with a red dot scope, and trying some pellets in an air pistol (Benjamin EB22) - both .22s.
The air rifle liked Beeman Silver Bears - I have a .22 steel spinner target set up behind my home at about 25yds. I could hit the two inch disk with every shot using the rifle and the Silver Bears - without benefit of a rest, shooting sitting, the gun on my knees. I could hit the smaller disk most of the time. The same with the pistol (well, maybe not every shot). Then I tried some Crosman pointed pellets. The pistol liked them but the rifle would not shoot them. Put in a Crosman, shoot, nothing. Put in a Silver bear, shoot, "tink" - a hit. Put the Crosmans in the pistol, shoot, "tink". Not the rifle though. 
I tried two heavier pellets - the Eu Jin 28gr. and the Beeman Crow Magnum. They were erratic in the rifle but just fine in the pistol. Go figure. The rifle seems to be more picky about what it will shoot well. It shoots Hobby pellets (Beeman, I think) well also. 
Sighting in. I start with a target at about seven yards, just to see what the sights are like. If they are on paper, I center the shots. Then I move the target to 15 yds. Repeat. Then I move the target to 25. Repeat. Some pellets will shoot fine at seven yards but not at 25; the EuJins (from my gun) are an example.
Pete


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## Beeman17 (Jun 17, 2008)

Alright thanks. But I meant he used the same pellets I have, and it was the same gun so it should shoot the same, same pellets and gun. Also my dad built a stand type thing to rest the gun on for sighting in, and it goes into the ground. It's such bad accuracy with every shot so I think it's best to just sight it in the way you normally would shoot when you hunt so I go in prone.


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## darkgael (Feb 10, 2006)

"I think it's best to just sight it in the way you normally would shoot when you hunt so I go in prone."
Absolutely!
" same pellets and gun"
Ah! That was not clear. When that happens to me, I know where the fault lies and I sit back and examine my techniques. What am I doing to cause the variation? It's not always easy for me to find the answer to that question.
Pete


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## pennyshooter (May 30, 2008)

Beeman17 said:


> Alright thanks. But I meant he used the same pellets I have, and it was the same gun so it should shoot the same, same pellets and gun. Also my dad built a stand type thing to rest the gun on for sighting in, and it goes into the ground. It's such bad accuracy with every shot so I think it's best to just sight it in the way you normally would shoot when you hunt so I go in prone.


alright first off, how you hold the gun can really change how the gun responds. especially in a springer and with guns with lots of recoil. so i would recommend putting out a target where you feel comfortable shooting and where you would think you'd be shooting mostly. and trying different places to hold the rifle. with every gun i get, i shoot at a target with my hand pretty close to trigger guard and slowly move my hand further out until the groupings are as close as i can get them. if i haven't found the pellets that my gun likes by then, i find them after this little process.

and the gun rest for sighting, i wouldn't use. from personal experience, resting the gun on something will have the gun shoot off, every time. always hold your gun. happy shooting :beer: :sniper:


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## Aces1295 (Nov 26, 2007)

You probably already know this, but for the sake of common ground I'll mention it anyway. On a typical scope, 1 click will move your shot 1/4 an inch at 100 yards. That means that at 20 yards you will need 5 clicks to get the same results. 1 click at 20 yards should do virtually nothing. I would make sure your scope stop is in place and that everything is tight. Someone already mentioned this, but the recoil on a spring rifle weird. The spring causes the recoil to go forward while the exiting pellet pushes it back again. That is why you will hurt your accuracy if you benchrest your rifle (also why you need a special scope if you don't want to ruin it). If you have a spring air rifle, they can definitely take some time to break in. I experienced some of the same accuracy problems when I bought my rifle. They worked themselves out after a few hundred rounds. It might not even be worth trying to site in the scope until then. Just frustrating.


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## Beeman17 (Jun 17, 2008)

Alright, I shoot at 20 yards usually, that what my scope is sighted in (kinda) at. So if I change it 5 clicks, it will move 1/4 inch for sure?


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## Beeman17 (Jun 17, 2008)

k also, does it change it depending on where you're putting your left hand on the gun?


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