I dont understand AR sighting in....

[camoman33935]

Ok...well I've read a bunch of posts and went to links in the posts but I still dont understand how to sight in an AR15 with iron sights...

Does anybody have a link thats posted in terms that somebody who is maybe unfamiliar with the AR15 platform at the moment can understand?

Im gonna be getting my complete upper monday with any luck and I"d kinda like to know what I need to do to get it sighted in...

Oh and is there any special tools that I will need before I try to sight it in?

Thanks

 

[cdiaz6000]

if you are sighting in w / iron sights, i suggest you zero at 25 yards and try to get a sub-1" group.

once you are comfortable, you can move to 50 yards.

*note - i'm assuming you know a good sight picture, trigger squeeze ect..

any target will work.

 

[camoman33935]

yeah i know i good sight picture and all that.

I just wanna know about actually adjusting the sights

 

[Quoheleth]

Rear sight has a large dial on the bottom - that is vertical (up & down) adjustment. If you're shooting high, the sight has to go down. If yours is like mine was, even with the rear sight all the way down, it was still shooting 5" high at 50 yards. I used a wood toothpick and the pliers on my Gerber tool to turn the front sight up until POA = POI (point of aim = point of impact).

There should be a dial on the side - this is horizontal (right-left) adjustment. If it's shooting to the side, you move the rear the direction you want the bullet to go - IOW, if it's shooting to the left, you move the sight to the right.

Not hard at all.

Make sure you are using sandbags or some kind of vise/rest, or it's all a guess.

There is nothing as rewarding as sighting in your weapon and having it shoot exactly where you want.

I recommend a bright colored target - like the 6" dayglo target stickers - to stand out against the black front post. Makes target acquisition that much easier.

Q

 

[camoman33935]

Ok thanks...i think i understand the rear sight adjustments now but im still a little foggy bout the front sight adjustment...what range should i sight it in at?

 

[Quoheleth]

Re: front sight -- take a look at it. See how the front sight has "dimples" around the circumference of the base? There should be a small, black pin sticking up in one of those dimples (probably either front or back). That pin is spring-loaded -- you can push it down with a toothpick or matchstick (there is also a cool front sight tool you can buy from Brownells or Midway that does it for you) while turning the actual post with a rubber-tipped plier (to not scratch the metal). EASY!!!

Re: distance -- Take your pick! Personally, I used 50 yards. Why? It was handy - my stands were set up for shooting my .22 rimfire.

After you have it dialed in, then practice shooting at different distances - 25, 50, 75, 100, 200 - to see how it shoots.

Q

 

[Tim the student]

Can you be more specific as to what your question is if you have already read some stuff? Which part is it that you don't understand?

Basically, the front sight is your elevation adjustment. You use this to actually zero. There is a little pin that needs to be pushed down, and then you can move the sight. You can do it with a bullet, or whatever. But as you own it, and not the government, keep in mind about using metal on your finish. Tools are made specifically to move this without hurting anything. You can probably find those from Midway, and other places.If you move it up, the group will go down. If you get confused about that, use your fingers, one in front of the other to figure it out. The rear sight is your windage. Move this in the direction you need to go. Again, use your fingers if you get confused.

The rear sight will also have an elevation knob that is used to keep from doing Kentucky windage if it is set up properly. That means you can use that knob to be able to sight on normally at 500 yards if you move it to that position without changing your point of aim. The rifle will move of course, but you will still be shooting center mass. If you won't be doing things like that, don't worry about it until you want to learn your rifle better.

Look at these links, I think they might help. The target one will show you which way to move the sights. Only the number of clicks might change if you aren't zeroing at 25 yards, but the direction is the same. The other link is for the FM for M16's. Check out Chapter 5.

Honestly, if nothing makes sense, look at the target on the PDF file, and just follow it's instructions, even if you don't understand it. It will work.

http://www.bobdbob.com/~deneb/doc/targets/m16a2-25m-zero.pdf
http://www.scribd.com/doc/344690/M16-Rifle-Marksmanship

 

[camoman33935]

so if your shooting high even the rear sight is adjusted down as far as it goes, you turn the front sight out until its right?

thanks for the links Tim...they made it a bit easier to understand

thanks for yalls help

 

[Float Pilot]

OK here you go.

Rear sight

IF, you have an A2 style rear sight adjust it until the sight wheel is down and the 3/8 flat area is lines up with the mark on the left side (weapon facing downrange from you). The 3/8 means 300 meters while all the way down and 800 meters when all the way up.
Plus try to center the windage adjustment as well.

Next step.
Front Sight.
You will notice that the front sight si really a screw with a sight mounted on top. Inside the front sight protective wings there is an arrow that says up. UP MEANS THE GROUP OR STRIKE POINT ON PAPER GOES UP. The front sight is actually moving down to move the impact point up. Sight goes down so you naturally hold the end of the barrel up slightly to adjust.

So set the front sight down all the way and then back it out a couple of turns. You can use a bullet tip, handcuff key, small punch or better yet a sight adjustment tool to turn the front sight. The detent pin must be depressed all the way or you will bugger things up.

Then head to the range and sight in at 25 meters for a 300 meter battle zero.

With the rear sight on the 300 meetr mark, Move the front sight to adjust the groups until they hit where you want them at 25 Meters. You are then zeroed.
From 25 meters to 300 meters your bullets will impact within 2 inches of the line of sight. (your sight height)

For anything more than 300 meters you would use the rear sight adjsutment wheel.

The height of the sights over the barrel is why the 25 meter and 300 meter zero are about the same.

The bullet trajectory is coming up so it intersects the line of sight at 25 meters. (the difference between your barrel and sight height) then the bullet continues up in its acr to aboiyt 150 meters before it starts back down. At 300 meters it drops back through the line of sight again.

 

[DMK]

Here's the way I do it. I like the 100y and 50y zero without giving up the ability to use the markings for longer ranges. This also gives you a zero that's good from 50y all the way out to 220y and will put the rounds within 2" of your aim point at any range between.

RIBZ: http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=3&f=18&t=328143

so if your shooting high even the rear sight is adjusted down as far as it goes, you turn the front sight out until its right?

You don't adjust the rear sight to zero. You set it to a certain range setting and then you leave it alone make all of your elevation adjustments at the front sight. Once it is zeroed, you use the rear sight elevation adjustment to dial in the range of your target.

 

[camoman33935]

so heres what I get from what yall have said...

1) Put the rear elevation knob on 8/3
2) Center the windage knob
3) Screw front sight all the way down, and turn out two turns
4) Shoot to see POI
5) Adjust windage and elevation and windage
6) Adjust front sight to POI

anything else???

 

[camoman33935]

ok i found this

http://www.ar15.com/content/guides/sightIn/

It makes sense now that yall explained it to me thanks

 

[shuvelrider]

You might want to pick up a copy of FM 3-22.9, the army manual for M16/M4 series weapons. It explains all the methods for sighting in .

 

[JohnKSa]

Some good information here:

http://www.odcmp.com/USAMU/Shooting_Tips.htm
http://www.shootingusa.com/PRO_TIPS/USAMU/usamu.html
http://www.usaac.army.mil/amu/ProTips/archive.html

 

[Steve in PA]

If you don't understand how the sight sytem works, kind of hard to tell you how to sight in the rifle. There are some USMC and army manuals on the internet that might help you understand the sights and how to adjust them.

 

[camoman33935]

I understand it now guys...thanks for the info anyways

 

[Z-Michigan]

For anyone digging up this thread in the future - the Charles Daly manual for the AR-15 has a really clear and easy to understand description of the sights. You can download it here:
http://www.charlesdalyforum.com/showthread.php?t=15

It doesn't matter what brand of AR you have as long as it has standard type sights.

 

[camoman33935]

wow...thanks Z-Michigan....that makes it even easier...I really appreciate it...

 

[Z-Michigan]

Glad to hear it... thank Charles Daly (Mr. Kassnar) for the clear manual though.

 

[lefteyedom]

Zero the sucker in at 25 meters and you are done. 25 meters is simply the distance where the path of the bullet and the line of sight first cross.

 

[bb21]

It is interesting that the Charles Daly and the Bushmaster manuals are almost exactly identical. Thanks for the info, I am looking forward to sighting in my new AR.