Zeroing Peep-type Sights

[IdealFugacity]

Hello all,

New to shooting...on my 3rd trip out i installed a Nikon Prostaff 4x32 on my Marlin 60 .22LR, i had it zeroed at 25 yards within 15 minutes and made a 5 shot ragged hole at 50 yards (off of sand bag rests on the bench). So i was immediately pretty happy with that and the new goal is of course to get as good as the rifle without the bench.

Now, with the scope and the rifle rested, there wasn't a lot to it. I got a parallax-free view, put the crosshairs on the bull and fired away as steady as i could.

When i do the same thing with my new Tech Sights peep sights, my concern is that i will have no idea if my sight picture is right or wrong. Ive never shot a peep sight before. So i will put the rifle on rests but have no idea if i have the front post properly aligned vs a little high or a little low in the aperture. Not as easy as putting an "X" on target!

Is this a big issue for people zeroing peep style sights for the first time or does it seem a lot more natural out in the field than it does in my head?

Thank you!

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[Certaindeaf]

Don't worry about the rear aperture.. your eye will automatically center it.

 

[pikid89]

as long as your cheek weld is solid, and your eye is aligned with the peep, your eye will center the front post.....keep in mind that you still need to focus on the front sight post NOT the target....the target should be blurry, and you must focus your mind on keeping that crystal clear front sight post in the center ( or six o'clock hold, which is my preference) of the blurry target

might i recommend you take that tech sighted rifle to an appleseed?, they ill teach you everything you ever wanted to know about peep sights, and then some

 

[Brian Williams]

With peep sights as with any iron sights, consistency is critical. Let your eye relax and put the front sight post where you feel you will have the best sight image and let the rear center itself. Best sight image can be one of the following, front post centered up and down in the bullseye (sometimes called dead-on hold) or holding the full bullseye on top of the post (sometimes called 6 O'clock hold). I like dead on hold for hunting, Self defense, and gun games but the 6 O'clock hold works better for pure target shooting.

 

[IdealFugacity]

Thanks! I am definitely going to an Appleseed which is why I want tech sights. I hope to hunt squirrels with them as well, on a bolt action 22, to stay in practice once I've done the AS event.

I will just need to figure out how to get that cheek weld consistent from the bench for zeroing in to the same cheek weld when off-hand, kneeling and prone.


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[pikid89]

dont try to zero it from the bench...zero it at 25 yards from the prone position and it will work for all your shooting positions....id even go as far as getting a GI web sling and learning how to shoot using a loop and/or hasty sling

Ive seen kids and moms at appleseeds, who have never shot before, shooting bone stock 10/22s with tech sights shoot 2-4 minute groups (which is about one ragged hole at 25yards) from the prone position and a loop sling....no bipods or sandbags

shooting from a bench with peeps is sort of counter productive, because sitting up places your eye vary far from the aperture, while prone places it very close, which is better for accuracy

dont be afraid to use some pipe insulation, some sports pre wrap, and some cloth sports tape to build up a cheek riser...it may look funny but it will do wonders for your shooting comfort, and in turn, your shooting

 

[henschman]

Just go to the Appleseed... all your questions will be answered there, and better than they could be by any of us typing it out to you on a forum! Yes, you will definitely want to mount a GI web sling for the Appleseed. I'd get the Uncle Mike's sling swivel kit that clamps to the magazine tube in front, and drills into the stock in the rear.

 

[pseudonymity]

You may be surprised to find out how little difference the position of the front post in the aperture really makes on groups. Put the rifle on a rest and put the front post on target. Now move your cheek position just a bit - just a tiny bit of movement moves the front post outside the aperture.

The aperture seems really large just because your eye is so close, but really the amount you can move and still keep the front post on target is really limited.

 

[30Cal]

Focus on the front sight. Only on the front sight. Not on the target; not on the aperture.

 

[bigfatdave]

It is difficult to describe, but there is a VERY detailed old US Army training film titled "shooting the m1 rifle" or "shooting the m1 garand" on archive.org that has a detailed section on shooting aperture sights from positions

The entire video is fantastic, and explains better than text alone can possiby do, with demonstrations and illustrations of all the concepts involved. You can skip the details on loading a Garand with en-bloc clips, but the rest should be mandatory watching for anyone who wants to get into real rifle shooting without the crutch of the bench/bipod/bags.

[edited because written in a hurry on a machine without useful spellcheck]

 

[BCRider]

Is this the one by any chance? If it isn't then it's still pretty good for positions that don't involve unpaking a bench from a range bag....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TlU2wUmNjo

 

[bigfatdave]

that's a small part of it

Here's the full version:
http://archive.org/details/Rifle_Marksmanship_with_M1_Rifle_Part_1
set aside an afternoon or watch in small pieces ... there is a TON of good info in there, you don't need a Garand for most of it, as it is basic rifle marksmanship (or at least basic semiauto rifle marksmanship, there are nuances of running a bolt or lever that I get to skip with a semiauto)

 

[IdealFugacity]

Great, thanks!!

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[bigfatdave]

I got sucked in and ended up watching a big chunk of those videos again - video #2 is specific to sights, although you'll have to determine if the proportions are the same compared to the classic Garand sight

 

[pikid89]

Garands/M1A/M14/M16 are 1 minute per click adjustments on the sights

the tech sights are a 5/8 of a minute per click (or 5/8" at 100 yards), so basically about a half a minute per click....