How to Sight in a Pellet Gun Scope – Step-by-Step Instructions, FAQs & More

If you own a pellet gun scope, it is understandable that it can be tricky to sight in with it sometimes.

But you don’t have to worry about it anymore.

We are here to help!

How To Sight In A Pellet Gun Scope in Steps

You should know how to sight in your pellet gun scope before using it. But there are many ways to do this, and you can use any method you want. All you need is a few items.

Note: If you want to know complete guide and tips about scopes click HERE.

Some Things You’re Going to Need

Shooting without eye protection can be dangerous. You should always use safety glasses while shooting.

You should try to get an indoor shooting range or a safe place to practice at home. Windy conditions make it hard to shoot accurately.

A paper target is recommended for beginners. You should be able to get a paper target for around $10.00 online.

A pellet trap is something behind your target to stop the pellet ricochet. Pellets ricochet off of things like wood, metal, concrete, etc. So, you need to make sure there isn’t anything behind your target to stop the pellets from ricocheting. Hay bales or plywood work well as targets because they’re soft enough to absorb the pellets without stopping them.

This is for that control factor. You just want the rifle as steady as possible. Use sandbags, a rolled-up towel, a lead sled, or even a shop clamp to hold the rifle in position. An air rifle doesn’t have much of a recoil, so that shouldn’t cause any problems.

A .177 caliber gun is a great choice if you want to shoot pellets. There are many different types of scopes available for this type of gun. The most popular ones include the Nikon 1-4x24mm, the Leupold 3-9x40mm, and the Vortex Viper PST 2-7x32mm.

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Note: If you want to know Who Makes Leatherwood Scopes? Click HERE.

Setting Up

Your rifle must be supported by rest or something else. You should aim at a target 10-15 feet away.

You should aim at the bulls-eye and then move your gun down towards the second mark. Remember to wear protective glasses!

First shots

Aim your gun. Put your crosshairs on your bulls-eye, and fire one shot. Hopefully, your bullet hits the bullseye. If it doesn’t, we need to find the location of your bullet. If it does hit the bulls-eye, then it’s workable.

Adjustment

Adjusting the horizontal and vertical knobs moves the cross-hair left or right, but does not move the gun. This means that the gun must be moved to shoot the target.

Second shots

Your first shot was perfect. Aiming at the center of the bulls-eye, you fired one bullet. This means you’re shooting straight down the middle of the bullseye. You must now move the target back to the left side of the bulls-eye. Once again, aim at the center of the bullseye, and fire a few more bullets. This time, you’ll be aiming slightly lower than before.

Note: If you want to gain information about How to Sight in a Leupold Muzzleloader Scope click HERE.

Moving the target back

Move your target back to 10yards (30feet). Repeat steps 1-4. You should be getting closer this time. When it’s shooting right where you want it, go back to 25 yards (75feet) and repeat steps 1 – 4. This time, you’ll be hitting directly on the center.

Why do we start the control at feet?

This is to make sure you’re hitting the target. Sometimes a scope can be off, so the closer you are to the target and the longer distance you shoot, the more likely you’ll hit the target right away.

What is the normal range to sight in your scope at?

You should always aim at half the distance of your longest shot. At 50 yards, you should be aiming at 25 yards. This is your comfort zone and the ideal range you should shoot at.

Why would we need the first shot to hit inches below where we’re aiming when we set the control at feet?

Ten feet is a really close range. At this range, if we zero our sights in, we’ll need to shoot at 20-30 yards. We’ll need to make more drastic changes to our aim. If we’re spot on target at 25-yard range, and move our target to 10 feet away, we’ll see it shoots about 2 inches below bullseye.

How to Adjust Simmons Scope?

The Simmons scope has two adjustments: elevation and windage. These adjustments allow you to aim at targets from different distances and compensate for changes in air pressure.

How to Adjust a Simmons Scope

Proper adjustment of the scope on the pellet gun ensures accurate shots. It should be done by sighting the scope before each shot. This helps to ensure accuracy.

Note: If you want to know When was the First Rifle Scope Invented? Click HERE.

Items you will need

A pellet gun needs to be aimed at a specific spot. To do this, you must use a bull’s eye. You can also use a scope to help you aim at the bull’s eye. When you shoot, make sure your pellet hits below the bull’s eye.

Adjust the elevation knob if the point of impact is low or high.

Remove the knob cover then turn the knob counterclockwise to raise the shot or clockwise to lower it.

Aim at the bull’s eye and shoot.

How shoot the gun to confirm that the scope is sight in at 10 feet.

The first bullet hits the target perfectly. The second bullet lands slightly lower than the first. The third bullet lands slightly higher than the previous two bullets. The fourth bullet hits the target perfectly again. The fifth bullet lands slightly lower than before. The sixth bullet lands slightly higher than before. The seventh bullet hits the target perfectly once again.

Precautions

1. A pellet rifle should have an open sight picture. There are many different types of sight pictures to choose from, but the most common sight picture is a red dot resting down in the U shaped notch between two green dots (a center hold).
2. Safety goggles are necessary when using a gun. You must wear them while shooting. Covering your eyes with cardboard helps reduce the amount of lead that hits your face. A clean sheet of paper works best as a target. Draw an aim point with a pen. Make it a circle about 1/2″ across. Then fill it in black. This will help you see the bullet hole better.
3. You must use the center hold sight picture when shooting. Shoot three shots at the aimpoint. Move the rear sight in the opposite direction you want to move your shot group.
4. The Shadow rear sight is clearly labeled for adjustment. Adjust the rear sight windage knob (on the right) until a three-round group is centered on the aiming point. Don’t worry if the group isn’t perfectly centered or if the front sight post is too high or low. Just turn the elevation dial until the group is centered on the target.
5. The sights should be set about an inch or two above the center of the barrel. This allows the pellets to drop down into the target.
6. You should move back to 10 yards. This is the distance you need to shoot your target. The pellet needs to be shot in line with the aimpoint. You need to make sure that the pellet hits one inch below the aimpoint. When you are shooting your target, you should use the correct sights.
7. The only way to ensure safety is by practicing safe shooting techniques. Make sure you know where all the trigger guards are located and what they look like. Also, keep your finger off the trigger until you’re actually ready to shoot. Finally, don’t point the muzzle at anything you wouldn’t want to destroy.
8. You should wear eye protection when shooting. Shooting ranges, competitions, and professional shooters may require different levels of eye protection. Make sure you protect your eyes before testing your rifle.
9. You should always choose an indoor space when you’re using a rifle scope. This is because wind can affect the accuracy of your shots. Also, if you’re indoors, there won’t be any distractions.
10. You must set a target at a specific distance. You can do this by using a paper bullseye, downloading one online, or making your own. What matters most is having a target at an exact distance.
11. A tape measure or ruler is used to measure distances.
12. A backstop is needed to stop the pellets from ricocheting. You should use plywood as a backstop because it is easy to cut and assemble. Sandbags are also an option but may be hard to find. Pellets traps are very useful because they are cheap and easy to make. Hay bales are another great option because they are soft and absorb the pellets.

You Need to Zero Your Air Rifle Scope

You should always zero your scope before firing. This helps you get better accuracy. Scope zeroing involves adjusting the focus ring on your scope until the crosshair appears perfectly centered on the target.

That Affect Zeroing

There are several things that affect how well your scope works. You’ll want to make sure that you’ve got the right ammunition for your gun. If you change ammo types, you’ll need to re-zero your scope. Next, you’ll want to account for any windage or elevation adjustments that you might be making. Finally, if you’re shooting outside, you’ll want to take into consideration the wind. Adjust for windage while sighting in your scope.

Distances to Zero Your Air Rifle Scope

There’s not a one-sizes-fits-all zero distance for an air rifle. You need to adjust your sights according to what kind of hunting you’ll be doing. For example, if you’re going to hunt deer or other big game, you should aim at about 30 to 40 yards away. If you’re going to shoot birds, rabbits, squirrels, etc., you should aim at about 15 to 18 yards.

The best way to shoot a pellet gun is by using a pellet gun scope. This will allow you to see where the pellets are going and adjust your aim accordingly. It will also give you a better idea of what kind of ammunition you should be using.

If you want to know more information about scopes click HERE.

Conclusion

We hope that now you know how to sight in a pallet gun scope.

Happy shooting!