One shot zero

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Pistol Ranch

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It is possible to zero a rifle with one shot...heres how.
Assuming that your rifle is "bore sighted' (on the paper at 100 yards).

Using a lead sled, sandbags or some other method to hold the rifle absolutely solid, fire one shot on the target.

WITHOUT MOVING THE RIFLE, adjust the scope crosshairs to center on the bullet hole in the target..

Done!!

P.R.
 
If you were in a building and no wind with very consistent ammo it would maybe get you close or even right on??.....but it would take you several rounds later to get confidence with your zero. Wind, temp, etc etc does make a different depending on range. You would have to cast your rifle in concrete to insure it did not move some degree of infinitesimal. Lead sled is great but it just depends on how accurate you want to be.

I have shot one round and set the scope to POI and shot one or two rounds afterwards for fine tuning. But I always then go to then intended range; 200 yards for some and 300 for others that I intend on using the rifle for because of hunting conditions and optics.

I have one set at 100 yards and is dead on with a night scope..others are set like I said at different ranges....but I hunt and my targets can be rabbit size up to ?300? pound ferals. Open fields, brush, wooded areas all make a difference on the rifle I grab and what zero it has.
 
This method assumes that your rifle shoots a group size equal to the bore size and doesn't throw first shot fliers...

Certainly should work for a hunting rifle of reasonable quality though. Your one shot zero will be within 1/2 the group size that the rifle shoots.
 
Suppose the gun fires a 2 MOA group at 100 yards. The one shot could be one on the fringes of the group, meaning the majority of shots could be off.

Now, I do use the method of firing one, three or five shots, sandbagging the gun and then watching through the scope as I move the crosshairs to the center of the group. But one shot and adjust is just the start of really zeroing a gun.
 
Its sound in theory, and I follow the practise. I just make sure to follow up with a few more shots to make sure:

  • The scope tracks true.
  • The adjustment is stable (doesn't change after a couple more shots as the springs and screws settle into their new position)
  • My barrel isn't prone to "walking"
 
I like to shoot as much as the next guy and I hear what you are saying about different ranges, 4 shot "confirmation" etc., etc.
Think about this..with the one shot, you are shooting a cold barrel. Thats what the rifle should do with the first shot..EVERY TIME assuming, of course that you are using the same ammo AND a cold barrel.

If you are SURE of your hold, on the first shot, the rifle can move..Just sand bag it to get the same sight picture you got with the first shot...then move the crosshairs.

Of course it will not work in a 15 m.p.h. crosswind, etc., etc. But for the newbies, it will prevent shooting up a whole box of ammo trying to "chase"
the bullet holes around a target..

P.R.
 
Don't forget the 'initial boresight'.

I have a 1911 fanatic friend who wanted help sighting his .308 in. Never been fired before. I showed him what 'boresighting' actually meant, and got him set on his way.

Another friend of mine wanted help sighting in a Saiga .308. Which was fine and dandy until the scope mount came loose because he hadn't used any loctite. (Literally falling off the gun).

I agree on the 'one shot' method, for getting about 95% of the work done. But I only use that under perfect conditions. The only way that you can be sure that the gun did not move is for it to be in a bench mounted vise. I cannot think of a centerfire caliber that will not move any commercial rifle rest that I have seen at least a little. If you felt ANY recoil at all, then odds are pretty good the gun moved at least a little. Fractions of an inch. But enough to make that 'one shot' less perfect.

And, as said before, you are at best, within 1/2 MOA of your rifle, but with no idea what the groups look like. Five shots later might be showing a 10" group at 100 yards.

But, back to method. That's how I do all of my sight adjustments, for what that is worth. Scope target, fire. Steady rifle back on initial POA and adjust to POI. Repeat until I start to think I'm the one missing the mark, not the rifle. And, one must remember to let the barrel cool down for a light barrel. On a heavy barrel, you might not be warmed up at all after 20 shots.

At some point, you are also going to want to see where quick follow up shots are going to lead. Some thinner barreled rifles can move poi with what I consider to be a relatively small number of shots.

YMMV. :D
 
Makes no difference...bolt,lever,pump, semi-automatic..remember you only make ONE shot..
Click to expand...

This is just foolishness.

Suppose the gun fires a 2 MOA group at 100 yards. The one shot could be one on the fringes of the group, meaning the majority of shots could be off.
Click to expand...

Read this over and over and repeat it to yourself aloud until it penetrates your skull.
 
You don't have to be sure your gun didn't move after the shot. Just put the crosshairs back onto your point of aim. Then adjust them to the bullet hole. Fire a group after that then fine tune your zero.
 
Abel said:
This is just foolishness.



Read this over and over and repeat it to yourself aloud until it penetrates your skull.
Click to expand...
Abel:
Do it any way you like..If you read this thread closely, you will see that I am not alone..

Think about this for a while..a 10 shot group does not necessarily tell you where your rifle will shoot with a cold barrel..

The teccys have left the reservation !!

P.R
 
You may have someone who agrees with you, but it doesn't make it right. If you are using this method to get a hunting rifle on target, you aren't being very responsible to the animals. You can get a cold barrel shot by waiting five minutes between shots. You should work hard to replicate your shots, at 100, 200, & 300 yards if possible. A one shot zero is a farce.
 
What about a lever action ,pump or semi auto rifle?
Click to expand...
Im assuming youre talking about the boresight issue? If so, a 90* bore mirror works for that part.

There is no such thing as a one shot zero.
Click to expand...
Well, it definitely "depends" and there is a "but". :)

This is basically the same method Shepherd uses for getting their scopes zeroed. Now this is where the "but" comes in. It gets the scope looking to where the bullets impact is, or vice versa, but you still have to fine tune things, so you do need to shoot some more to confirm what you did was right. Its not a Glock, there is no "perfection" here. :)

Now doing what was suggested I in the first post, I think will be pretty much impossible, unless you can some how secure the gun so it doesnt move at all.

Think about this for a while..a 10 shot group does not necessarily tell you where your rifle will shoot with a cold barrel..
Click to expand...
No, thats why you shoot all the time and record the results. Its not always an issue either.
 
Abel said:
You may have someone who agrees with you, but it doesn't make it right. If you are using this method to get a hunting rifle on target, you aren't being very responsible to the animals. You can get a cold barrel shot by waiting five minutes between shots. You should work hard to replicate your shots, at 100, 200, & 300 yards if possible. A one shot zero is a farce.
Click to expand...
Abel:
To make the statement that a one shot zero is a "farce" indicates that:
1.You have TRIED IT and it didn't work for you or..
2.You have not tried it and are just speculating on the results or..
3.You do not have the skill set to try it and are afraid it "might work".
You might try to convince the 10 point buck that I killed last year that a rifle zeroed with one shot was a farce but he's not here to argue.
Have a good day!!

P.R.
 
Leupold zero point boresighter can VERIFY it with one shot less.

The ZERO shot zero!

I always throw a shot downrange and verify I'm on before I go out hunting though. Anything can happen.
 
Pistol Ranch said:
Think about this..with the one shot, you are shooting a cold barrel. Thats what the rifle should do with the first shot..EVERY TIME assuming, of course that you are using the same ammo AND a cold barrel.
Click to expand...

I agree about the cold barrel effect as long as we are talking hunting rifles here. Well aware that many rifles will shoot a first round flyer.

What I think most are disagreeing with here is that the rifle will always do the exact same thing with the first shot every time.
 
If its dead on in "one" shot, why do you have to shoot 10 more rounds? Not totally convinced yet? Most folks that shoot often, think 3 shots, or even 5 shots constitute a group. You should be able to tell in that many shots, if not, you need to re-zero.
 
If you've only put one shot downrange, you haven't zeroed. This isn't a which came first, the chicken or the egg scenario. If you want to walk around with a non-zeroed rifle, that's your business. But don't try to piss down my back and tell me its rainin'. Part of the zeroing process is replication. If you can't replicate, you haven't zeroed at all. You just have a bullet hole in a piece of paper that happens to be close to where you wanted it. That is called a coincidence, nothing more.
 
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