Q&A for How to Use a Rifle Scope

To zero a rifle effectively, start by using a bore sight cartridge—a small laser beam inserted into the rifle's bore. This method efficiently aligns your scope or iron sights with minimal ammunition use. After bore sighting, fire a three-round group while maintaining the same point of aim using your optics, be it a scope, red dot, or iron sights. Adjust the windage and elevation knobs based on shot placement to bring your shots into the bullseye area. This process ensures precise zeroing for accurate shooting.

To choose a rifle scope, first assess your typical shooting distances, considering whether you often shoot at 50, 100, or 1000 yards. Factor in the importance of magnification for precision, balancing it with your budget. Ensure the scope is user-friendly once sighted in, with a suitable reticle for your shooting preferences. Investigate durability features, read reviews, and consider brand reputation before making a purchase. If possible, test the scope to ensure it meets your expectations in terms of functionality and clarity.

It's a personal preference. It used to be taught that you should shoot with just one eye open, but since superior snipers such as Chris Kyle have proven you can shoot well with both eyes open, this is also an option.

Unless your scope says otherwise, rotate your elevation (top) dial clockwise to lower your hairs. For most scopes, each click will move the shot placement 1/4" at 100 yards.

It's difficult to say. It depends on the scope and the rifle type. Some rifles can't shoot very far, so using a long-distance scope would be useless.

1/4" at 100 per click is 4 clicks per inch at 100, but at 50 it is double so it will take 8 clicks to adjust the shot 1". For 4" adjust it 32 clicks (4x8). This is because it is all based on angles and half the distance from the target means the distance between the angles is half as well.

Pratice adjtusting shooting angle at 200 yards with a zeroed at scope 100 yards.

No, the scope's magnification only affects what the shooter is able to see. It has no impact on the actual travel of the bullet, apart from influencing how the shooter aims.

Focus on both the reticle and the target. This is to make sure the reticle is in line with the target.

Your eye can be far or near to the scope, it just depends on your level of comfort.

Research what scopes are good for your rifle and caliber. Some scopes are designed to withstand the recoil of large caliber rounds so that the vibrations don't mess with the calibration or zeroing.

Depends on the distance to the deer and the level of elevation it's at. If it's on the ground exactly 100 yards away from the base of the stand, your shot will go high, so you should aim a little lower. If the deer is on a hill that's as tall as your stand, you should aim right at it. Say you throw a baseball off a cliff. That baseball will go a lot farther than if you threw it in your yard, because there's no flat ground to stop it. Bullets work the same way. Your sighted scope makes you aim your rifle up to account for the arc. Firing from a stand would be like shooting off that cliff, the bullet will travel farther than it would've on flat ground. Look up 'angle of elevation' for details.

It sounds like you are using the scope backwards. Try turning it around and see if that helps.

When you look through a rifle scope, you should see a vertical line and a horizontal line that intersect in the center. These are the crosshairs. The point where they intersect is your target.

On scopes with illuminated reticles, R and G are used to indicate the color choices (R for red and G for green).

If you are using a variable power scope, reduce the magnification to a lower level. If you are using a single power scope, then you need one with a larger objective lens and/or better quality.

The problem with scope reticles is that, depending on the clarity and zoom power of the optic, you may find it hard to range targets out past a certain distance. I have a 16X and find it hard to range anything accurately past about 800 yards. The reason for this is that the target remains somewhat indistinguishably similar at range when measuring will Mils or minutes. A 40-inch target at 1200 yards looks a lot like a 40-inch target at 1500 yards. A range finder will work fine as long as you get one that is well-suited for ranging targets far away.

It depends on how steady you are, as well as what types of terrain and distances you are shooting. The higher the magnification, the more movement becomes apparent and harder to control. Whether you're hunting in flat terrain or mountainous will determine your magnification settings as well. Again the exertion you are expending, the harder your shot will be, especially at a higher mag. Having said that, check your scope paperwork, as it will contain or give suggestions. There is no short and sweet answer to your question. Best thing to do is hit the range, most range officers will guide you. Once you can put 5 shots in a 1 inch square at 20 meters, then you can play with higher (>10x) powers.

Depends on the caliber. Check the ballistic chart for that caliber and bullet weight, available online. A .308 150 grain zeroed at 200 yards, with scope center 1.5 inches high, would shoot 0.8 inches high at 50 yards and 1.8 inches high at 100 yards.

Think in terms of MOA; it is 3 MOA and your scope may be 1/4,1/2 or even 1 MOA per click. Depending on the rifle, just sight your gun in at 100 yards to hit 2 inches high or 2 MOA.