GLS
Classic Southern Gentleman
Here’s how I do it:
Buy a roll of construction paper from Home Depot. Attach a piece covering a real estate banjo sign With a readily available dove load, shoot from a rest at a sharpie scribbled dot on the center of the paper. Wooden clothes pins or those “bulldog” paper clips can be used. First distance is with a dove load at 15 yards.
With the gun secured in a vise of sorts, I’ve used a Workmate bench but you might as well buy a Caldwell Gun Rest available from Amazon for $35--Caldwell Zeromax Adjustable Ambidextrous Rifle Shotgun Gun Shooting Rest
Always shoot with same shoulder pressure and forearm grasp you use in the field, best you can do. I use a small plastic table I bought at Wally World or Target, the one with the folding metal legs to shoot off of.
With the gun firmly held in the vise, make sure the red dot is aimed at the original point of aim. “POA”.
This is the “why didn’t I think of this moment.” An old rifleman taught me this method. With the gun aiming at the POA, turn the up/down and L/R screws until the dot lies at the center mass of the shot. No click counting is necessary and it avoids making the mistake of moving the screw in the exact opposite direction of where it should be turned. I like having someone with me turning the screws until I say “stop”. I prefer to be able to view the dot while someone turns the screws so I can judge if the gun moved. While I have zeroed without assistance, it can be difficult finding the screw slot while looking at the target and that's why I like a second pair of hands doing the adjustment. It is critical that the gun not move while screws are adjusted. Repeat as necessary with the dove load. Use a cheap load that is commonly available.
After the gun is accurate at 15 yards, move the target to 40 yards. Mark the center of the paper with a quarter sized dot that you can see at 40 yards. Shoot a tss load. After the shot with TSS, note where the center of the pattern is. Mark the center of the pattern. This is Point of Impact (POI). Repeat the process of aiming at the POA and moving the dot, not the gun, until the dot is centered on the POI. Remember, the dot, not the gun is moved. DON”T COUNT CLICKS.
After adjustment, repeat the shot on a fresh piece of paper. If its close enough, STOP. A matter of a several inches difference is fine. Don’t be like a dog chasing its tail.
Now move the target back to 15 yards. Shoot another dove load. Take a photo with your phone of the result. Save the photo. Over the course of the season, recheck at 15 yards with a dove load. If it varies from the photo, the red dot has been knocked out of adjustment. This can happen. Keep your gun in a plastic gun case when driving to and from the hunt. The cases are cheap from Amazon. Gil
Buy a roll of construction paper from Home Depot. Attach a piece covering a real estate banjo sign With a readily available dove load, shoot from a rest at a sharpie scribbled dot on the center of the paper. Wooden clothes pins or those “bulldog” paper clips can be used. First distance is with a dove load at 15 yards.
With the gun secured in a vise of sorts, I’ve used a Workmate bench but you might as well buy a Caldwell Gun Rest available from Amazon for $35--Caldwell Zeromax Adjustable Ambidextrous Rifle Shotgun Gun Shooting Rest
Always shoot with same shoulder pressure and forearm grasp you use in the field, best you can do. I use a small plastic table I bought at Wally World or Target, the one with the folding metal legs to shoot off of.
With the gun firmly held in the vise, make sure the red dot is aimed at the original point of aim. “POA”.
This is the “why didn’t I think of this moment.” An old rifleman taught me this method. With the gun aiming at the POA, turn the up/down and L/R screws until the dot lies at the center mass of the shot. No click counting is necessary and it avoids making the mistake of moving the screw in the exact opposite direction of where it should be turned. I like having someone with me turning the screws until I say “stop”. I prefer to be able to view the dot while someone turns the screws so I can judge if the gun moved. While I have zeroed without assistance, it can be difficult finding the screw slot while looking at the target and that's why I like a second pair of hands doing the adjustment. It is critical that the gun not move while screws are adjusted. Repeat as necessary with the dove load. Use a cheap load that is commonly available.
After the gun is accurate at 15 yards, move the target to 40 yards. Mark the center of the paper with a quarter sized dot that you can see at 40 yards. Shoot a tss load. After the shot with TSS, note where the center of the pattern is. Mark the center of the pattern. This is Point of Impact (POI). Repeat the process of aiming at the POA and moving the dot, not the gun, until the dot is centered on the POI. Remember, the dot, not the gun is moved. DON”T COUNT CLICKS.
After adjustment, repeat the shot on a fresh piece of paper. If its close enough, STOP. A matter of a several inches difference is fine. Don’t be like a dog chasing its tail.
Now move the target back to 15 yards. Shoot another dove load. Take a photo with your phone of the result. Save the photo. Over the course of the season, recheck at 15 yards with a dove load. If it varies from the photo, the red dot has been knocked out of adjustment. This can happen. Keep your gun in a plastic gun case when driving to and from the hunt. The cases are cheap from Amazon. Gil
