by RGR Employee Michael Shelton (Instructor in CCW, Intermediate Pistol, Youth Safely Classes, Private Instruction)
(Special thanks to RGR Employee and Competitive Shooter Alex Arkhangelskiy for technical advice)
There’s no better place to zero your handgun optics than the indoor range at Reno Guns & Range. Lighted, working height shooting benches with automatic target carriers without outdoor wind makes sighting your handgun optics fast and efficient. Zero your optic quickly with minimal rounds using these three steps: Start close, work one axis at a time, verify at distance.
WHY ZERO?
The process of zeroing is measurement and verification and not a test of how well you can shoot at 25 yards. The sighted gun now allows you to continue to work on the fundamentals of stance, grip and trigger control without the mind clutter of wondering if sights or user error is the issue.
WHY START CLOSE?
Shooting at a target nine feet away hardly seems challenging, but the goal here is not skill building—it’s sighting your optic so you can concentrate on the other aspects of marksmanship, body alignment, grip and trigger control while being confident that your optic is accurate. Sighting at 9 feet eliminates the complication of distance. At 25 yards small deviations in barrel angle cause large deviations in point of impact or POI making it impossible to know if the sight is truly zeroed. You will put rounds through the same hole at 9 yards if the optic is correctly sighted. There will be no question.
WHY ONE AXIS AT A TIME?
Working one axis, then the other is the most frugal use of your ammo. It is also the best way to keep track of where you are and make corrections with a minimum of confusion without overcompensating in one direction or the other. Which axis you work first is up to you. For me, it depends on where my first shots land. If the rounds impact far wide in either direction, I will work on windage first. If the rounds are somewhere near the center but high or low, I start with elevation.
WHY SIGHT AT DISTANCE?
Statistics say defensive shooting happens between 3 and 21 feet. There are greater distances in competitive shooting, and not all bad guys know the statistics. Zeroing the optic so you know where a shot will land at 9 feet and at 75 feet gives you the confidence to compete or defend anywhere in the useful range of a handgun.
SHOOTING NEAR AND FAR
Sight at 9 Feet to have the point of impact-POI-an inch above the dot – at this range, with good triggering the rounds will go through the same hole. Holding the dot steady over your point of aim – POA, shoot three rounds. Adjust either the windage (left to right) or the elevation (top to bottom) and shoot three more rounds. Working only one axis, repeat until the rounds are where they need to be. Then work the other axis until your target looks like the picture above. Move the target out to 30 feet and adjust so the shots impact at the top of the dot. At 25 yards, the point of impact will be about an inch below the point of aim, assuming good fundamentals. Improving over time is the goal. A practical zero frees your mind to work on fundamentals so you meet your goal more quickly.
