help with zeroing scope for air rifle

[sharpey]

just wondering what the best way to zero a niko stirling scope to a bsa lighting tactical would be cheers for any help

[-Mongrel-]

Personally I'd put a paper target with a safe backstop out at 30 yards. Draw a cross on it and then try and shoot the centre of the cross. Put a few pellets into it (at least 10) and if they are all similarly off target then you can start to adjust the scope turrets. Keep shooting and adjusting until you are hitting what you shoot at.

 

Remember to keep a light grip on the rifle to allow it to recoil naturally and consistently.

 

If they are all around the target inconsistently then you may need to clean the barrel,check the scope is correctly and tightly mounted or it may be your technique. The first and second being easier sorted than the last!

[sharpey]

cheers and the scope and gun are brand new only got them yesterday and it has an ajustable zoom marker 3,4,5,6,7,8,9 does it matter which one i put it on cheers

[kent]

just wondering what the best way to zero a niko stirling scope to a bsa lighting tactical would be cheers for any help

 

 

Start at 8yds your windage (side to side adjustment) should stay constant and you will experiance less wind error than you will at 35 yds were the pellet will be dropping back down to point of aim after rising above in a curve from 8-35. You picked a tricky gun to get the best out of it will take practice especially in .177 they are quite jumpy, dont strangle it and use a light hold with good follow through for the best results

[Drayman]

This is what works for me with both air rifles and my rimmies.

 

Adjust the eyepiece so that the graticule is in focus for your eye.

 

Get a Workmate and a towel or enough soft cloth.

Fix the gun in the Workmate cushioned by the towel, firm enough to stop it moving but not too tight. Don't grip the barrel or squeeze the stock on to the barrel. Also, make sure you can reload without moving the gun.

 

Set up your SAFE target at about the distance you normally want to shoot e.g. 25 yds. The target should be bigger than you think necessary!

Set the zoom on maximum.

Aim at the bull and fire off several pellets. Try very hard not to move the gun or Workmate. If they don't group it is because of a) a new gun and will settle B) something is moving c) wrong pellets for gun (they have preferences). If the gun moves during loading then just move it back to the bull (don't adjust the scope).

Then without moving the gun adjust the scope so that it centres on where the pellets landed.

Job done.

 

Then set the target at different ranges to show you how much you need to hold over or under.

Use the gun at different zoom settings to see what's easiest for you.

 

PS. you'll need to experiment with pellets. H&NFTT's are superb in my AA410 whereas many others won't group at all.

 

Good luck.

[sharpey]

ok cheers for all the help and advise any more then please say anythging else and mine is a 22 version mate chhers

[ste12b]

This should help

[sharpey]

cheers guys

[cockercas]

Me I'd set it on 4x or 6x. Set the windage at 15yards and then move out to 30yards and zero. I have a lightning .22 its zeroed at 6 meters for shooting ferals of rafters. Make sure your hold is consistent. And iirc clamping a spring powered air gun in a vice to zero dose not work because of recoil. It works with pcp tho

[Drayman]

Me I'd set it on 4x or 6x. Set the windage at 15yards and then move out to 30yards and zero. I have a lightning .22 its zeroed at 6 meters for shooting ferals of rafters. Make sure your hold is consistent. And iirc clamping a spring powered air gun in a vice to zero dose not work because of recoil. It works with pcp tho

 

The Workmate works for my (and others) 22LR and a 17HMRs! In fact the biggest problem is then adding back in the person who pulls the trigger. You can get a nicely zeroed rifle to miss by miles

[bruno22rf]

Might work for a bolt action or semi auto rimfire but fixing a recoiling Airgun to a workmate is the work of a fool.Imagine trying to keep the workmate still whilst trying to cock the gun,never mind when the thing jumps with the recoil.Follow mongrels advice and you wont be far wrong.

[Drayman]

Never really did like being called a fool so we've just put a HW95K through the same process. Took the scope way off zero. Stuck it in the Workmate (snug, not tight) and fired. Took it out of the Workmate (just to keep you happy). Put it back in and aimed at the bull. Then adjusted the scope to the previous point of impact. Fired again - guess what. Took it out of the Workmate and loaded. Popped it back in an aimed at the bull - guess what. Took longer to get the Workmate out of the garage ....

 

ALL rifle scope combinations of any type are best zeroed with a bench rest of some kind. Mongrel's approach will work too but it depends if the chap can shoot consistently. The Workmate just happens to be a convenient tool. If you don't want to clamp it up then use it as a base for a rest with a bag of sand or bag of chicken food - whatever takes your fancy. The important thing is to remove variables where possible.

 

Each to their own!

[MM]

Ok. get hold of the scope and take the turret caps off. turn them BOTH to one way, and then slowly turn them back, counting each click as u go. make a note of how many clicks for each one. Then, half the number, and turn the dail back that many clicks. This will make sure when you seat the scope, it starts as level as poss. Then, check your mounts. some mounts can go on either way, but some need to be put on a certain way. Getting it right now will save hassel and confusion down the line. Take your time with these steps, as its very important. Place the scope on the lower mount, and then put the tops on. Turn each screw half a turn, checking that the scope is not moving out of line. Once you get it clamped tight, then start with the zero. Set out a nice big board with a good backstop. a bigger target makes it easier if it is well off zero to start with. Using a table or bench with some support bags, take a shot at the bull. Then, adjust accordingly. Once you are happy with the zero and distance, drop a blob of thread lock on the mount screws.

[bruno22rf]

Resting a gun ON a workmate and clamping the thing IN are as different as chalk and cheese (excluding Asda's "chosen by you" cheddar obviously).Also,unless you have total control and confidence in your equipment-adjusting to point of impact after firing just one shot is a dubious practice at best.BTW-nothing personal in the fool post-just a generic description.

[Drayman]

Resting a gun ON a workmate and clamping the thing IN are as different as chalk and cheese (excluding Asda's "chosen by you" cheddar obviously).Also,unless you have total control and confidence in your equipment-adjusting to point of impact after firing just one shot is a dubious practice at best.BTW-nothing personal in the fool post-just a generic description.

 

OK, you win. I give up. Life's too short .......

[Colster]

Zero it how you would shoot it. If you plan to take most of your shots while prone on 6x mag then zero it that way. Springers are very hold sensitive, you may find that if it's zeroed while prone it will be off for a standing shot etc. For this reason I'd never clamp a springer to zero it. Similarly, some scopes will shift point of impact when the zoom is changed.

 

With my springer, I would draw two lines on a piece of paper (one vertical, one horizontal). Start with the vertical line at a close-ish distance (10-15yards) and work on getting the left/right (windage) adjustment correct so you are consistently hitting the vertical line.

 

Now move out to 25-30yards (28 always worked fine for me) and now aim for the horizontal line. Once you have the up/down (elevation) adjustment sorted you can start putting up some targets/cans/fruit etc and have some fun. On a proper bullseye target you can fine tune the windage adjustment if necessary.

[Drayman]

Ok, I said life's too short but there's a whole new year to get through.....

 

If a rifle is properly zeroed to the scope it doesn't matter what position you shoot from it is still zeroed. The only thing that changes is the shooters ability to control the rifle. All rifles, including the 50 cal Barrat are clamped down and bench tested to keep things as stable as possible. Folks shoot with bipods, been bags, bench rests and so on to improve accuracy. Things only start to change when you add people, weather and different ammunition in to the equation. So the aim is to get the shooter out of the equation as much as possible.

 

So it's right to say shoot the rifle as you plan to use it but I still reckon its best to know that the rifle is first zeroed as best as possible to the scope. Then you can work on your own skill to keep it on target from any shooting position or style.

 

And it's not a question of who's right or wrong. It's each to their own. But I just don't see any difference between zeroing a sub 12 springer and everything up to a 50 cal.

[Colster]

 

And it's not a question of who's right or wrong. It's each to their own. But I just don't see any difference between zeroing a sub 12 springer and everything up to a 50 cal.

Nothing recoils like a springer, everything else just goes backwards in varying degrees. That's what I meant by hold sensitive, a number of ppl on here have expressed surprise at you clamping a springer to zero it but hey whatever makes you happy.

[-Mongrel-]

Ok, I said life's too short but there's a whole new year to get through.....

 

If a rifle is properly zeroed to the scope it doesn't matter what position you shoot from it is still zeroed. The only thing that changes is the shooters ability to control the rifle...

 

And it's not a question of who's right or wrong. It's each to their own. But I just don't see any difference between zeroing a sub 12 springer and everything up to a 50 cal.

 

I can understand where you're coming from with regard to clamping it, and indeed with a PCP I'd be quite happy to do that, but...

 

...it's a springer, and allowing for the recoil is part of shooting it and to do so consistently is surely the point? The thing is, you could zero it in a clamp, but when you come to shoot it you will almost certainly find that you are not 'on target'. I have to say that I would zero it as I would shoot it, and in my case that would probably be off a rest. I don't agree with it needing rezeroing for different positions, if you are consistent in your grip then it should remain consistently accurate.

Edited January 2, 2012 by -Mongrel-

[Drayman]

Mongrel,

 

"...it's a springer, and allowing for the recoil is part of shooting it and to do so consistently is surely the point?"

 

Absolutely agree. In fact that's part of what separates one shooter from another. But if someone without your skill shoots your rifle and misses the target is it because the rifle isn't zeroed or because of their skill at using your gun? Zeroing is purely mechanical. Shooting is a personal skill.

 

Colster.

 

If I could clamp down a springer so it wouldn't move a thou' I would certainly give it a go. But at 13 stone and squidgy I absorb more recoil than a Workmate but in a different way. The Workmate doesn't stop it all together as after you fire the gun it isn't perfectly on target. By the way, I still hold the gun and sight as normal - this isn't like the bench fire competitions. The tool just reduces the variables that I would add in to the test. So the aim is to take out my own ability, or lack of, when I zero a gun.

 

 

I'm not on a quest to convert anyone. I used to zero my guns by firing from the best rest I had available. But being a technical sort I thought "logic says if I ...." and for now, that's the way I do it and it works for me.