How To Zero a Rifle Scope

You finally got your scope mounted on your rifle, and you are ready to take it out shooting!

But you will only have a good shooting experience if you can zero your rifle scope.

Today, we will cover the basic steps of how to zero a rifle scope. No frills here, just a basic rundown.

Steps for Zeroing a Rifle Scope

1. Check Your Adjustment Values

The dials on the top and sides of your red dot allow you to adjust your reticle up and down (elevation) and left and right (windage).

When you rotate these knobs, they will click. Each individual click will move the reticle a specific amount in that direction.

The most common adjustment values for these clicks are ¼ MOA, ½ MOA, 1 MOA, and .1 MIL.

For those that are unfamiliar, MOA stands for Minute of Angle, and MIL is short for Milliradian.

In layman’s terms, 1 MOA equals almost 1 inch at 100 yards, and 1 MIL is 3.6 inches at 100 yards.

Depending on what type of scope you have, you will need to learn how these adjustments work. You can read more in our article on MOA vs. MRAD.

Most scopes will have the adjustment values printed on the turrets themselves. If not, refer to the user manual.

2. Get On Paper

Depending on how your optic is mounted, the optic itself, and other factors, you might find yourself shooting at 100 yards and not seeing any bullet impacts.

Starting at 25 yards will help you get a rough zero to ensure you will be “on paper” when you move out to 100 yards.

Remember, the closer you are to the target, the more clicks you need to move your reticle one inch.

Here is a handy dandy chart for MOA scopes to help you out.

If you are using an MRAD scope, you will use the reticle to see how many mils you are off and then adjust the scope by that many mils.

For example, if the bullet impact is 1.1 mils to the low, and 0.4 mils right, you will adjust 11 clicks up and 4 clicks left (each click is .1 MIL).

3. Shoot A Group at 100 Yards

Once you are on paper at 25, move out to 100 yards if possible.

We recommend using a rifle rest, shooting bags, or other stabilization aid to help take out as much human error as possible during this process.

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If you are using a second focal plane scope, make sure your scope is at maximum magnification to ensure the reticle adjustments are accurate. If you are unsure about your scope’s focal plane, check out our article on first focal plane vs. second focal plane.

Fire three to five rounds and observe where your shots impact the target. I really like using paper targets with 1-inch square grids to help me measure exactly how far off my impact is from my point of aim.

4. Adjust Your Windage and Elevation

Once you have your group on paper, it is time to adjust your scope so that your point of impact matches your point of aim.

Measure how far left or right and how far up or down the center of your group was from your point of aim.

If you are using an MOA scope, you can use the chart provided earlier and adjust your windage and elevation using the appropriate number of clicks.

For example, if your scope uses ¼ MOA adjustments and you are off three inches to the left at 100 yards, you will need twelve clicks to move the dot over three inches.

For MRAD scopes, regardless of the distance you are shooting at, you can use the reticle to make your adjustments.

With 0.1 MIL adjustments, if you are off 2 mils to the left, you will adjust 20 clicks to the right.

5. Repeat

Repeat the process as needed until your point of aim matches your point of impact.

Let your rifle cool off between groups to prevent the barrel from heating up and causing accuracy degradation.

6. Reset Your Turrets to Zero (optional)

An optional last step you can do is to reset your turrets to “zero.”

This means moving the turret so that the “0” on the turret is lined up with the center indicator mark on the scope body.

The purpose of this is that if you make any adjustments, you can easily just move the knobs back to “0” to return to your rifle’s zero.

Completely loosen the hex screws on the outside of the turret, turn the turret until the “0” lines up with the indicator mark, then re-tighten the screws.

You should not hear any clicks during this process, and the turret should spin freely. If you hear clicking, that means the scope was adjusted accidentally, and you will need to re-zero your rifle.

Final Thoughts

Hopefully, this will help you get started when it comes to zeroing your rifle scope. Remember, this is just a basic introduction.

It is ultimately up to you to decide what distance to zero your gun at based on your needs and your specific setup.

Tell us about your zeroing experiences below! Having trouble spotting your impacts? Check out our article on the 9 Best Spotting Scopes of 2023!