So, you just got yourself a shiny new air rifle, and you can’t wait to test it out?
Or do you already have an air rifle of your own, and you haven’t been hitting any bulls lately?
Zeroing your rifle to the proper distance is the first thing you need to do right now.
But, what distance to zero air rifle scope is ideal?
We will teach you things you need to know about zeroing your air rifle scope so that all or almost all shots hit your intended target.
How To Zero Your Air Rifle Scope: The Right Procedure
Zeroing or sighting in your air rifle is essential because it ensures your rifle functions at its 100% capability.
If you aren’t familiar with the term, when you zero your air rifle, you align the aim point of your scope with the barrel of your rifle.
This gives you a higher chance of hitting the bull’s eye every time.
Needless to say that zeroing your air rifle is a process.
When you are trying to find that sweet spot where the barrel and the scope of your rifle are in perfect calibration to hit your target, several factors come into play.
The type of rifle you carry, your choice of pellet, wind speed, wind direction, distance, and so on all play a part in this process.
Things You Need
To make the process of sighting in your air rifle easy for you, we recommend that you gather the following items: various types of pellets, lots of bullseye targets, measuring tape, and a calculator.
Trying different types of pellets will help you identify which is best for your air rifle.
It would be best to pack cleaning pellets, so you don’t have to use the
The bullseye targets that have the plus sign across the bullseye will make the process a lot easier because you’ll be able to align your scope and the target faster.
You’ll need a measuring tape to take accurate measurements of the distances you’ll be shooting from.
A calculator will also come in handy when making conversions and other calculations.
Finally, you will need a comfortable firing position that you can shoot from repeatedly.
Shooting from a specific position is key to zeroing your scope.
Variations between your firing positions will reduce the accuracy of the zeroing process.
The Steps You Need To Take
Once you have all the items mentioned above, follow the steps below.
1. Assume the Right Position
Assume your firing position and place your air rifle on support where it won’t move on its own.
It will ensure that you will be firing from the same position every time.
2. Set Up Your Targets
Next, you need to set up your bullseye targets.
We recommend that you start the process with your target in close range.
You can start with your target about 10 yards away from your firing position in a non-windy environment.
Starting from this close distance will help speed the process because you are more likely to hit the bullseye.
Once you get your firing position with the bullseye target 10 yards away, try to fire away at the target.
It is better to take your shots in groups of five, as it’ll help you get a more accurate assessment of your shots.
Making your assessment after every attempt will most likely make zeroing your air rifle a tedious affair.
So, after taking five good shots at the targets, you get the bullseye targets and take measurements.
You will measure how far above or how far below the bullseye target the center of your five shots.
You will also record how far left or how far right the bullseye target the center of your five shots.
3. Zero In Your Rifle
When you are back with your rifle in your fixed firing position, it’s time to zero in your rifle.
For this, you will use the dials on your scope.
You should have two dials: one right on the top of the scope and the right side.
The dial right on top of the scope controls the scope left or right to account for wind.
The dial on the right side of your air rifle is used to adjust the scope up or down.
It is to account for the descent of the pellet once it leaves the barrel.
You will find the exact specifications of how much they impact the path your pellet will travel on these dials.
For example, if the distance of the center of your shots to the bullseye was about one inch and the dials can show that one click will alter the path of a pellet by ¼ of an inch at a distance of 100 yards, you will need to calculate how many clicks you need to turn the dial.
Now is the time to bring out the calculator because we’ll be doing a bit of arithmetic.
We know that you shot from 10 yards away, and you were one inch off.
We also know that one click moves the point of impact by ¼ of an inch at 100 yards.
To adjust for the distance of the shots, we know we need to turn the dials four times, but you didn’t shoot from 100 yards away.
Since you are ten times closer to the target (100yards/10yards = 10), you multiply four clicks by ten, and you get forty.
So, you have to turn the dial 40 clicks to zero it out.
If you were two inches away from the bullseye, you would have to turn the dial 80 clicks.
Once you can take a group of five shots and hit the bullseye center repeatedly from the 10-yard distance, move the bullseye target 25 yards away from your firing position and repeat the process.
You can also zero in your air rifle’s scope to a distance of 30 yards or even as far away as 100 yards.
It depends on how far away you’d be shooting from most often.
If you’d only be shooting indoors or short-range, you would want to zero your scope somewhere around 20 yards from your fixed firing position.
If you need to use your rifle in short-range and long-range situations, zero your rifle at a distance of 30 yards.
Thirty yards is where a vast majority of air rifle owners zero the scope of their rifle.
It allows you to shoot with great accuracy over both short and long distances.
Finally, if you’ll be taking only long-range shots, you’d want to zero your rifle at around 50 yards.
Targets are typically harder to hit when the distance exceeds 50 yards.
That’s because of gravity’s force, which is always pulling the pellet downwards once it leaves the barrel of your rifle.
At short distances, this fall is usually insignificant. At longer distances, this fall is always pronounced.
So, to make up for this phenomenon, you have to aim higher than your target when taking a long-range shot.
What Distance To Zero Air Rifle Scope: In Conclusion
Zeroing your air rifle is not an optional activity.
It goes a long way to determine whether or not you will hit your target when you squeeze the trigger.
If your air rifle is not correctly zeroed in, you will have a painfully hard time hitting the bullseye.
What distance to zero air rifle scope depends primarily on your intended firing position.
Zero your rifle at 20 yards if you plan to take only short-range shots, 30 yards if you will be taking both short-range and long-range shots, and 50 yards if you’ll be taking only long-range shots.
Be safe!