In todays article, champion shooter Rob Leatham explains his process for sighting in a handgun.
(Four to be exact.)
And the one that grabbed my attention first was the Target Model.
Sighting in a pistol is a straightforward process, but can be impacted by the kind of sights and ammo used.
Now, to be honest, the term zero means there is zero variation from sight to bullet impact.
So for me, zeroed means sighted in.
Since this is kind of confusing, Im going to document my zeroing-in process for your information and enjoyment.
Zeroing standard sights is similar tosighting in a red dot on a pistol. The goal for both is landing bullets where you intend. Image: Jeremy Tremp
The more you do it, the better youll get, too.
(Thats 75 feet on Top Shot!)
I shoot five-shot groups to see where the gun/ammo combination actually hits.
Many defensive oriented pistols come with fixed sights while competition guns, like the one shot by the author in this photo, use adjustable sights.
How precisely I zero the pistol is based on the intended use of the gun.
For many applications, it is at this point close enough and nothing further needs to be done.
My competition guns however are a different story.
I want them perfect.
Dead on to a little high is what I want to accomplish.
Once Ive done this, I have a basic zero.
Now it gets a little more complicated.
Specific Zeros:I next determine my practical distance and accuracy requirements.
is when Im testing for accuracy, which is a completely different task.
Depending on the sight, this allows you to simply and easily make adjustments.
Variations of Skill
The shooters skill level plays a very large part in the zeroing process.
You must be able to shoot well enough to determine if the gun is zeroed.
I shoot non-standard ammunition loaded to a very specific velocity to keep recoil to a minimum.
But do so based onyourpractical distance and accuracy requirements.
