Is it ok to ask someone else to sight in your rifle?

12Bravo20 said:
The OP asked a question and I gave my answer based on my own experiences why I will not sight in other people's rifles. Others have different experiences than me. I got tired of complaints or being accused of messing up a scope so I stopped sighting in other peoples rifles.


Now when I do help a family member or close friend, I state that they will have to adjust things once I am done before they shoot a single round.

And no need to bust anyone's chops over personal preferences or personal experiences either. This is the High Road and not ARFCOM or Glock Talk.
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We’re or at least I am talking about getting the rifle to repeat point of impact not adjust the scope for another person. You can assist with that but they have to look through the scope and decide if the reticle is clear not fuzzy and the parallax is results driven by the user of course.
 
A True Story

One day my neighbor asked me to sight in his 22, he brought out a Marlin 60 with what looked like a bb gun scope on it. I agreed and took it home with me. I had trouble seeing through that POS scope, but I was surprised just how well that 60 shot, it grouped VERY good, and I did get it sighted in...

Weeks later we were out on his deck and a woodchuck came out from under his hay barn at about 30 yards away, and he ran for his 22, took an aim and fired, the woodchuck ran away! Neighbor said, "I don't think the guy that sighted this thing in, did a very good job".

Several minutes later, the woodchuck came back out, but a bit further away than the first time. I said, "give me that gun", he did, and I took aim and dropped that woodchuck right in its tracks!

As I sat the rifle down, I said, "I think the guy that owns this rifle needs to eat more carrots!" lol

He never said one word back to me... lol

DM
 
When i retired i began to pursue my hobby full time and got a job part-time at a mom and pop gun shop. I loved helping folks that came through the door with all sorts of problems and questions (i learned a lot as well).
One of my favorite jobs was fitting and laser bore sighting scoped rifles. We had so many happy and thankful customers. The shop closed a few years ago. I miss working there.
 
Unfortunately, when it comes to sighting in any gun, people come in varying sizes and shapes with widely differing eyesight. That affects how each person shoots a particular gun. When you get a gun sighted in another person may find it shoots to another spot for them. It's a try and find out proposition. I see it every time my family and I have a range day together. Some of us shoot to a slightly different place with other's guns. My son out grew me by quite a bit and shoots to a slightly different point of aim with any of my rifles but that doesn't deter him from adjusting and burning up a lot of dad's ammo. He is an excellent shot and I consider the difference between where we hit the target is caused of our size difference and it holds true when I shoot one of his rifles. There is little difference with handguns.
 
When I do sight in gun for someone, I have them shoot it before they leave with it. If there is any difference in thier poi, we adjust the scope right there.
My SIL and one of my friends consistently shoot about 1/2 moa right of where I hit. So I've just learned to zero thier gun about 1/2" left at 100yds.
I'm sure it's a parallax issue, but since I can't see thru the scope while they shoot, I can't verify that they are getting full sight picture and proper eye alignment .
 
I used to volunteer to sight in rifles at a local outdoor range. I’ve done it for dozens of people that would otherwise be helpless to do it themselves because they don’t know how the adjustments in the scope work or because they can’t shoot consistently enough to really know if it’s them or the rifle. Nothing wrong with asking for help. Some of these people I wanted to tell that they shouldn’t be hunting after observing their initial attempts, but it’s better they be a poor shot but have a properly sighted rifle rather than being a poor shot combined with a rifle that’s not sighted in.

For the last few years my father in law who is in his late 60’s has asked me to sight in his deer rifle. He is a superb shot but he just doesn’t enjoy the recoil of shooting from the bench anymore so he just has me or my brother in law shoot a group and make whatever adjustments and then he’ll take one shot to confirm.

One thing to mention is two people shooting the same rifle usually shoot to slightly different point of impact, but at typical 100 yard hunting range it’s not a big deal.
 
I had someone else zero a rifle for me once. It was caused by ignorance. I killed the deer I was shooting at but hit lower than where I was holding. The scope had been bore sighted but not zeroed. I needed a place to zero. I couldn't do it on the hunting club land because it was during deer season. I wound up going to a gun smith that did it for $10 plus one dollar for every shot fired. He shot it said it was close. Adjusted, shot again & said it was on. I questioned him. He shot a third time. & said yep, it's on. I gave him his $13 & left. I never messed with that scope again the rest of the time it was on the rifle. I replaced the scope about 10 or 12 years ago & zeroed it myself. The gunsmith did an excellent job. I have used him once or twice over the years to do a couple of minor things for me. He is sharp as a tack.

Edited to add: It took more than 3 rounds for me to zero when I mounted & zeroed the one for myself. It is hard to beat a man at what he does.
 
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mainecoon said:
I always think it’s best to sight in your rifle yourself, but is it ok to ask a friend to do it? If someone asked me, I’d be cool with it. But it also could be a patronizing thing to do, like asking them to wax your car.
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I'm interested in most facets of shooting and handloading, so if someone asks me to do something... I'll have at it, assuming I know them, and they me. FWIW, I don't know how many times my friends have asked me to shoot a particular firearm... to see if it's sighted in, to see if it's accurate (or just them,) to see if it functions correctly. I've had people ask me to shoot a new firearm first off. I shoot enough that I'm pretty good, and I'm familiar enough with most firearms that I'm not intimidated by something new. I've shot firearms in front of their owners, handed the weapon back... and they are like 'how did you shoot it that good?' *scratches head* Practice?
 
Charlie98 said:
I'm interested in most facets of shooting and handloading, so if someone asks me to do something... I'll have at it, assuming I know them, and they me. FWIW, I don't know how many times my friends have asked me to shoot a particular firearm... to see if it's sighted in, to see if it's accurate (or just them,) to see if it functions correctly. I've had people ask me to shoot a new firearm first off. I shoot enough that I'm pretty good, and I'm familiar enough with most firearms that I'm not intimidated by something new. I've shot firearms in front of their owners, handed the weapon back... and they are like 'how did you shoot it that good?' *scratches head* Practice?
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I had a friend last year that missed a deer and brought the gun over to see if it was off. Kimber 6.5cm with a Vortex Diamondbac. I put 1st round dead center of a clay pigeon at 100yds and handed it back to him.:what::)
 
There is nothing illegal, immoral, or fattening about asking someone else to sight in your rifle. As others have noted, though, people are built differently and hold rifles differently, so while a competent other can get your rifle sighted in for them, you ought to confirm zero yourself before you put the rifle to use. You'll likely find it is "close enough" for hunting purposes, especially when shooting from field positions. But I wouldn't want to take a rifle afield that someone else zeroed without testing it myself.
 
I used to work on guns for a sporting goods store that was owned by a friend. I must have zeroed about 40 rifles or more each fall.
I bought a "Sight-Align" vise that had 4 rubber feet. First, I'd use my bench-rest with rear bag, then if on paper, would clamp the rifle in my Sight Align, aim at the target center, then turn the knobs to zero it in the proper relation to the desired point. Then I'd fire the rifle from the rest to check it. That worked very well and took a minimum of shots. When you have 10 or more rifles to sight-in, it was nice to have a technique that saved the shoulder. It was pretty-much foolproof also.
 
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I'd sight in a gun for someone. It's not difficult and I enjoy it. I've sighted in rifles for other people before or at least get them on paper and then fine tune to the individual. I wouldn't let someone else do it for me unless I could check it after to make sure it worked for me.
 
The more I study marksmanship and instructing, and the physics of firearms, I’ve largely come to believe that the fabled “everyone holds the rifle differently” is bad science. No matter what science you choose - optical physics, ballistics, mechanical engineering, ergonomics and physiology, or simple anthropology of real shooter performance in combat training and competitive shooting sports behaviors, it just doesn’t compute.

Rather, “most people jerk the trigger differently” much more accurately describes the differences in POI between shooters.

**Certainly, there are circumstances where it has been demonstrated that shooters can effectively bend a rifle into a different POI, such as when shooting offhand with a tight sling and shooting jacket, but in general, holding a stock differently doesn’t really change POI significantly. Certainly not the few inches at 100yrds which are commonly blamed on it when a shooter rips a shot way the hell off of target.
 
.38 Special said:
A few years back a fellow on the bench next to me was going through box after box of expensive Weatherby rounds trying to get his new Mark V on paper. I offered to help and he turned me down. Finally, with seven rounds left he changed his mind. I took the bolt out, bore sighted it at 100 yards, took a shot, reset the rifle on the bags with the reticle on POA, then twiddled the knobs until the reticle was over the hole. The next shot was about a quarter inch away from the bull, so with a little self-satisfied grin I told him it was ready to go.

He hit the target with two out of the five shots he had left - neither hole was anywhere close to anything - grumbled at me about not knowing what I was doing, and packed up and left.

So no, I don't sight in rifles for people anymore. :p
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You meet a guy at the shooting range. Then you really put him in his place with your amazing knowledge and skill. He gets up and leaves in humiliation and you get to tell everyone how awesome you are. Its amazing how many stories here go just like this.
 
Bill Raby said:
You meet a guy at the shooting range. Then you really put him in his place with your amazing knowledge and skill. He gets up and leaves in humiliation and you get to tell everyone how awesome you are. Its amazing how many stories here go just like this.
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It's almost as common as someone misreading a light hearted anecdote and then being a dick about it for no real reason.
 
mainecoon said:
I always think it’s best to sight in your rifle yourself, but is it ok to ask a friend to do it? If someone asked me, I’d be cool with it. But it also could be a patronizing thing to do, like asking them to wax your car.
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Thats a great question.
 
Bill Raby said:
You meet a guy at the shooting range. Then you really put him in his place with your amazing knowledge and skill. He gets up and leaves in humiliation and you get to tell everyone how awesome you are. Its amazing how many stories here go just like this.
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Well, if he was too proud to accept help until it was the last option, he probably wasn't going to take any instruction on shooting techniques either.:confused:
 
Having become a Marine in 1959 I am among the generations of Marines who espoused the Rifleman’s Creed. It dissuades me from having anyone but me sight in any firearm I might own. It’s personal.

“This is my rifle. There are many like it, but this one is mine.
My rifle is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life.
Without me, my rifle is useless. Without my rifle, I am useless. I must fire my rifle true. I must shoot straighter than my enemy who is trying to kill me. I must shoot him before he shoots me. I will …

My rifle and I know that what counts in war is not the rounds we fire, the noise of our burst, nor the smoke we make. We know that it is the hits that count. We will hit …

My rifle is human, even as I, because it is my life. Thus, I will learn it as a brother. I will learn its weaknesses, its strength, its parts, its accessories, its sights and its barrel. I will keep my rifle clean and ready, even as I am clean and ready. We will become part of each other. We will …

Before God, I swear this creed. My rifle and I are the defenders of my country. We are the masters of our enemy. We are the saviors of my life.

So be it, until victory is America’s and there is no enemy, but peace!”

 
dweis said:
It dissuades me from having anyone but me sight in any firearm I might own. It’s personal.
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Not everyone has that kind of training etc, many folks are better off letting someone else sight in a rifle. Seriously.....

But yea, I'm sighting in my rifle, period, and it gets double checked before a match. That said, there are a couple of people I would trust to do so. My nephew the Marine is one. :)
 
"Is it ok to ask someone else to sight in your rifle?"

I've done it many times for friends, when they were leery of their abilities...or couldn't afford to waste a lot of ammunition in the process. I've found that with a rifle, shot off good, soft bags, with a solid hold, the zero obtained is very close to what a hunting or field zero would be. Too, the soft bags and firm hold, minimize the effects of shooter to shooter differences in holding....seldom more than an inch at 100 yds with center-fires in deer rifle calibers.

Lastly, I've always tried to have the gun or in one case, lady, present while I was doing the "work" and use the opportunity to do some light instructing in the basics of safely shooting.

But I've also found that sighting in adjustable sighted handguns for another shooter is mostly a waste of time as the differences in grip, sight alignment and picture affect the point of impact to a far greater degree.

Best Regards, Rod
 
It's not just eyes, but build and how much you weigh. I have a rather "heavy" friend, (and I'm kind of slim) and we used to shoot a lot. A rifle zero'd for me would always shoot low for him, and a rile zero'd for him would shoot high for me.

In a gun store/gunsmith shop one day. Lady comes in with a rifle. "would you bore sight this? My husband missed two deer at close range last weekend". So the smith bore sights it, and remarks, yes, the scope was way off. But then he tells her: "he'll still have to shoot it for a final zero". She looks at him and says: "oh no, he NEVER shoots his rifle. He just has it bore sighted". The smith, and a couple stander-by people/customers try to tell that, oh yeah, he needs to actually shoot it, and she replies again that the husband NEVER shoots the rifle unless he's shooting at a deer.!!!! Smith said: "no charge" and lady walked away happy and satisfied. Yes...they live among us.
 
My son-in-law shot a deer at about 75 yards with my rifle/ammo that he borrowed. He said he put the reticle on the deer's neck and the bullet hit the "exact same spot". I asked him if he expected that it wouldn't and he said he didn't expect it to be that close. It was actually sighted-in to be an inch high at 100 yards, but there aren't any scoring rings on a deer's neck, and with recoil, it's impossible to make a definite deduction as to the exact points at which he aimed or hit, but apparently close enough for his purposes.
 
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