Thread: Changes in the impact point

Sorry guys but I don’t agree the change in the point of impact is not worth sorting out. Always, always, always sight your rifle in how you will be using it. I like to have absolute confidence when I have to take a 200m shot that my rifle is going to hit where I am aiming – not 4 inches out to the left and high (maybe…). Even at 200m you could be shooting in enough wind that you will want to take it into account so by not having your rifle sighted in you are simply compounding the errors.

How much the POI moves really depends on the rifle and how you sighted it in to start with. I have seen rifles that the POI shifted more than an inch at 100 yards from bipod to off the elbows and then again when shooting off the sling. I have a friend that was sighting in his rifle (Tikka T3, 260Rem) using almost the exact same technique as you describe above and he was getting groups 2-3MOA. He talked to me about it and I recommended he hold the fore end with a sandbag under his arm. He was concerned that he wouldn’t be as steady when holding the fore end but would try it as that was how he hunted with the rifle. He rang me back afterwards telling me of his now sub MOA groups…

Having the rifle out by a couple of inches at 100m might not be a problem for the ideal side on shoulder shot but what happens if, for whatever reason, you want to take a head shot? Say finishing a wounded animal that all you can see is the head?

When sighting in one of my rifles I might do accuracy testing off a bench rest but I always sight them in how they are intended to be used out hunting. If I have a bipod then I’ll sight it in off the bipod and then make sure I am still happy with it shooting prone, off my elbows with a sand bag under my arm holding the rifle fore end. If the rifle won’t be used with a bipod then I simply sight it in off my elbows using the sand bag.