People not knowing how to zero

So I was curious if it's common in other places or just around these parts for folks to not know how to zero in (along with various other things Cleaning and the like ) their own rifles. Never fails around once ever month or so I have someone get me and ask for me to sight in their gun for them because "it ain't hittin right". Usually the story goes they took it to the pawn shop to get sighted in, which ends up they stuck a bore site tool on it and charged them $20. Then they can't hit a 5gal bucket at 100yd or less and they're confused. Then they get even more confused when they bring it to me since "you bee shooing then coke cans across the cow field "and I ask for a box of the bullets the gun likes, what range they would like it set at and when the last time they cleaned it. Then I have to explain how to actually zero the gun you need to actually fire rounds and adjust at a particular range and how a poorly cleaned rifle (and some of these barely take at lest an hour or so to get them decently cleaned) and different bullets will affect accuracy. And usually after all that I get a shrug half ,a box of rounds , $20 and a "well just get it close enough". IDK always just kinda confused me how folks spend $700 on a rifle n scope and have no clue how to zero it. And don't even get me started when you have to break it to them the $39 tasco scope on their 30-06 isn't gonna hold zero. So this common with y'all other guys or is it just in my little piece of merica?

All too common. I managed a gun shop with a range. The couple of weeks before deer season my shoulder stayed sore as all I did was sight in peoples' rifles and fix loose scopes, broken rings, and in some cases actually deemed rifles unsafe to shoot. Charged $20 to sight one in. That shop made a ton of cash from people being to lazy and to ignorant to sight in a rifle. Thing is, most of them didn't even want to learn how to. They just wanted it zeroed so they could go fling lead at a deer opening day and then stick the gun back in the closet.

I don't get it either.

see it all over

try explaining the simple math behind it blows some peoples minds

or how they have the scope mounted all wrong 45* cross hairs is a favorite

scope so car back they have to put their ear on their shoulder

so high they could hardly get a chin weld

Good practice for you , it sounds !

I have done ok on my scopes , but what I really enjoy is cleaning .

I have even taken apart my Marlin .22 semi auto rifle to clean out the residue that builds in there over time so it never jams and works like new.

I clean my 300 Weatherby after every hunting season.

It is like cleaning my leather gear, saddle, bridle,boots,etc. Love to see them shine and smell so good . Therapeutic .

Common here as well. It seems odd to guys like us but Some people care about how their guns work about as much I I care how my cell phone and computer works. I just want my phone and computer to work. Makes it easier for me to understand in that context.

It's very common, I'd say the avg hunter has very little clue on how to zero, or the ones that take a box of shells to get it close enough.

Too many people buy gun, put scope in it and assume it's sighted. The day before season..

LOL I have 8-10 guys that have me "check " their rifles every year. All of them work and I'm retired so they just take for granted I'm free. I kind of enjoy it thou. BUT one guy brought me a 375 H&H single shot ruger. NO MORE !!!!!
I told him I never wanted to see that gun again. WORST kicking gun I have ever shot. Headache for 2 days after. Blued up my shoulder. OK none of you start the I was holding it wrong.
Guess I need to invest in a Caldwell lead sled. Or even better one of their shooting chairs.

Your supposed to clean your guns ? JKD it is a winter time chore going through the gun safe keeping everything clean.

I have a cousin , smart enough guy ,but he hands me his 243 last year said it stuck shut I get it to move and open the bolt , look at his green ammo , this needs a cleaning

when was the last time you oiled this ? I don't know never

the bolt actually sqweeked like a loud door hinge when I opened the bolt

he said you gave me that bottle of oil last year , let me go grab that he goes in the house comes back out with it , I take the bolt out of his 700 BDL 243win oil the bolt , put it back in and cycle it a few time so much better

you really need to clean this

I cleaned his other 243 when it stopped shooting groups he had given a kid who needed a buss ticket in about 1975 75 dollars for it and had never cleaned the barrel in 45 years the barrel was green.

at least he gets them out and takes 2-3 rounds to make sure he is hitting where it should be but horrible at putting them away at the end of season , not uncommon for him to still find the gun behind the seat in his truck come spring.

Been doing it for years.
For 1 guy, it's been 30-35 years and he's a good shot and hunted all his life.
He says we shoot a scope the same and I can get it lined better than him.
I enjoy shooting somebody's else's ammo...lol Alway tell'em that they need to do the final
adjustments but most say just go ahead and set it where you think it needs to be...


Donnie

Ask an outfitter about folks pay a ton of money for a hunt and what they see. Some real horror stories out there.

the club my dad used to belong to had a gun deer sight in the first 2 Saturdays in November about 40 minutes outside Milwaukee

I used to work that good way to get brass and experience.

they started by having the people bring their guns unloaded and encased to a shed near the end of the line they would uncased your gun and check it while you filled out a slip and paid your 10 dollars a gun.

they would find some loaded nearly every year.

that guy would check for obvious missing or broken parts , bad corrosion or scopes that were obviously loose he took a bore light and looked down the barrel to make sure safe to shoot.

they then looked over your ammo to make sure it was the right thing for your gun and not green or dangerous to shoot. they had a bucket the would toss the green stuff in and say I can't let you shoot that on this range it is not safe.

then they would send them out to those of us at the 25 yard line to get them on paper

this was early 90s and you saw all sorts of stuff

had one guy bring a muzzle loader and he insisted it was fine to pour strait from the flask , it had a measure on it and he wanted to argue about it also.

Gun club i used to belong to had a sight in day the weekend before deer season for non-members. You wouldn't beleive how many folks bring a box of ammo aand hand their gun to a member to do the shooting for them. The line was usually quite long. It was fun for us members to shoot a variety of guns. Not so much when a 12 gauge slug gun appeared and you had no one on your left to pass it back to.

What get me is people are terrified to even touch a screw on a scope ring or add somthing to make the gun work a little better. Any time I go to the range now I always carry a set of Allen keys and various other screw driver bits and such because almost everytime I go (especially around deer season I ) some just got a new rifle and the scope is too fare forward or back. One guy about near had a heart attack when I suggested I loosen the scope ring screws and move the scope forward a little. Then the other gatehouse about wanted to fight because I said adding a cheap strap on cheek riser to his rifle would probably help with his shooting (said he paid $600 for the gun and he shouldn't have to put another penny into it)

I reckon I get that but when it comes to guys who say their big hunters it didn't make sense tonne they don't know how to adjust their own equipment. Like you might not know how to re install a motherboard in your computer but for someone who say their a computer guy it should be pretty common knowledge you should learn how to install adjust the settings so it works better.

old guys like me just get their kids to adjust their computer lol. i am teaching my grandson how to reload and son and me are going to mount a scope Saturday after we grind up some fresh pork shoulder that was on sale and make sausage.

I can live a fulfilling happy life without my phone and computer. That's not possible without accurate tuned in firearms and archery equipment.

I always check my scope and rifle before each season.

I mean I do always keep the brass too lol

I'm probably in the middle. I know how but don't like to (see the open sight thread) I don't mind the kick but for some reason the last decade I've become noise adverse. If I wasn't so cheap I would probably pay someone to sight it in but then each person is different and one man's sight in might not be the same as the next.

It’s way too common and the real shame is all the wounded game.

When it comes to cheap scopes i tell them a good rule of thumb is whatever you pay for your gun you should pay close to that if not more for your scope.

a guy that can shoot can keep a freezer full no problem with a 100 dollar scope. a guy that cant shoot will starve to death with a 1000 dollar scope if he cant get to a grocery store

Guess a lot depends on whether people have access to a range or land to shoot on. I’ve got a friend that calls every year and asks if he needs to check my rifles for me if I decide to put down the bow, lol. I’ll load them up in cases with corresponding bullets for each and leave them at the house for him. My joke with him is always, “Did you not get it sighted in last year?” Every year he’ll name the same rifle and tell me I need to sell it...to him, lol.
I do shoot them all before season just to make sure.
Going to throw him for a loop this year and intentionally loosen and retighten a scope. Can’t wait to hear him ask who dropped the rifle cause he had it dead on at 200yds last year!

foam ear pugs and muffs double up it can make a difference for many people.

maybe I should say read the package on the foam ear plugs every year I have people who have no idea how to put them in right to actually get protection from them. It has become the last part of my safety briefing so that they don't have them in during the safety briefing.

LOL I have plenty of experience sticking twisties in my ears. Muffs are probably the way to go for me.

It is incredibly common and don't even start to try to explain external ballistics to people. Most have not concept of trajectory and wind drift.

And they stare at you when you say parallax.

And don’t ask what their first zero is or what their point blank range is, they don’t know...

It’s really entertaining for all the prior service types that spent 100’s of hours on the range back in the day and hours cleaning weapons (only to be sent back by the armorer come turn in time for “a little more work”). Nowadays when I go to the range I end up watching in bewilderment at some of the things I see. My son several years ago worked the gun counter at Bass Pro and had plenty of stories of people buying a new rifle a week before deer season, asking what kind of “bullets” to buy and then “what’s a zero??”.

Had one guy I used to work with who fancied him self in expert on guns and hunting. One of them guys who pronounces Leopold LEO-POLE (seems like everyone around here who does that is a massive butthole) and will argue you till he's blue in the that the 270 is the best deer round ever. Anyhow was talking to him about how I was stretching my 30-06 out to 400yd he procced ask me what bullet I was using the second I said 155gr and he called me a liar and said that was impossible because the bullet was too heavy. I told him that made no sense. He said that you basically have to have the rifle sitting at an angle to shoot like that because the bullet it's gonna drop because its too heavy. Said in less it's 55gr and under you can't make a shot like that I was speechless to say the least

It’s one thing for someone to not know what there doing, it’s another thing not to try and educate yourself. There is an infinite amount of information available on youtube and the internet to educate yourself on just about anything. Heck, even reading the instructions can set you straight! Some folks will never put forth effort into something as long as someone is willing to do it for them. That’s all i have to say about that!!!

oh yeah you find the people who may understand 0-200 decent enough , then you try to explain to someone that the 150 is a lighter bullet for 30-06 and that the 180 carries more energy farther.
the 150 shoots flatter from 0-250 but at 300 to and beyond it is the other way.

yup it is gonna drop , but I am going to shoot 6 minutes high at 400

There was a few today at the range.
I felt like I forgot how when I needed help with a spotter and calculating 1/4" moa with being off feet high and to the right. The 270 wasn't off too bad, the 300 win was better and took fewer rounds, but the 308 was way off. Ran out of time before the range closed.

After a box and half of 300 win my shoulder was feeling it lol. No way my daughter will be able to handle it. But you never know.

How much do you charge? I enjoy shooting but not the gunsles at the range

Wolfdog sounds like your friends are lazy and just using you to clean and sight in their guns. One time I'd do it the next time I'd tell them your welcome to use my range. If they are real good friends buy them a gun cleaning kit for Christmas

Suppressors can make a 30/06 sound like a 22mag and reduce recoil 30%. Its an irritating and a long wait but fairly easy process.

I am waiting on big R to keep their promise. I will do without till then. It is a definite infringement to be forced to pay a tax and get permission.

P.S. a 270 IS a fine deer rifle. Or elk rifle or bear rifle. You have to sew a coyote if you shoot one with it but they are dead too.

P.S.S.

Deer are dead if you shoot their heart with a 22 long rifle, 357, 22 hornet, 223, 22-250, 243, and a 30-30 too. A 49 caliber patched round ball works too. I can't comment on other calibers as these are the only ones I have tried.

Have shot elk,mule deer,whitetail deer,moose,caribou,bear,and heads off grouse with my 270.

Those people just aren't as awesome as some of you, or they stroke your ego a little and get you to do it for them.

More common than a guy believes. I worked in Sporting Goods for 20 years and have my own Private but open to public range on my property. I've helped customers and friends etc... hundreds of times.
One man bought a weatherby .300Win mag arrived at my Farm and range before I left work. He put 20 rounds through that rifle (from 100 yds) at a paper plate & was very mad because I had sold him a rifle that wouldn't shoot. He got madder when I told him to go to town and get more ammo . When he got back to my range I had a 4'x4' paper target up for him to shoot starting up at the 30 us. Bench. He said "You think I'm that bad of a shot" I said if we can find your bullet hole on paper we can move the scope correctly . We had it hitting center in 4 shots. Then back to the 100 bench to finish in less than half his box of 20.

The average deer hunter that sights in here never uses the 200Yd bench but will try shooting across a hayfield at 400yds wondering why their rifle is off.

Lead sleds are Great!

Once the hit is on the paper or backing, only one more shot after adjustments, with a gun that shoots straight, can cut the last hole. Everyone know this method for zeroing?

Try talking to most about temp, humidity, elevations effect let alone spin drift. Then watch their eyes glaze over.

I'll shoot your eye out-to paraphrase an ol movie line to fit me.

Yep, can’t beat a lead sled.

There’s another important thing to check before firing the first shot off the bench. Check to make certain that the scope rings and base screws are tight, and any screws on the gun itself are torqued properly. I took my Ruger 77 ( .300WM ) to the range to shoot a new load that I was going to use to hunt elk. My grouping was inconsistent and I was getting frustrated. My buddy figured it out quickly....the screws that go up through the trigger guard ( and secure the action and barrel ) were loose....took over two full turns to tighten. That fixed it right up.

Don't brag too much about an 06 being better than the 270 . If I remember correct the 270 is just a 06 necked down . PLUS 270 is the perfect deer round. Easy to find ammo and cheap to shoot. But I have killed 99.9 % of my deer with my 6mm rem. Leave home with it and forget my shells. Turn around and go back. With my 270 (pre covid) just find a Walmart or sporting goods anywhere.

Yea 2 years ago guy brought me his new rifle that the scope was factory mounted . After "slinging" 4 rounds I started looking for the cause. Front base was loose. Removed rings and tightened 5 shots and done...

Those are your action screws and they can definitely run your day with frustration. With my sons first 22 I could only get 7-8 inch pattrens at 25 yards. I had put a new vx3i 3x9 Leopold on it and was getting irritated. When I checked the action screw it was snug maybe hand tight. I think I worked it to 65 inch lb and it started shooting groups instead of patterns.

on a new rifle I take the factory scope mounts off and lock-tite them then put them back on and torque 20 inch pounds, when I am happy with where it all sits I lock tite everything

be careful going too tight on action screws you can start crushing wood when the real answer is to epoxy or glass bed the action into the stock and always torque to a set around 25 inch pounds

lock-tite and snug did a bunch of scopes before I had a torque wrench my main concern was i can over tighten things easily

re-scoped a gun last fall that I had scoped 28 years ago that old lock-tite was still holding but breaks loose with tools

Then you got the guys who will use FMJ deer hunting ,can't tell you how many times I've heard " if it will kill a man it'll kill a deer !"

It's even worse when you go and meet other prior service who have no clue what their doing.

Usually like $20 for gas and my time to dive 15min to the range. I make sure to try not to say I reload because then they want to off an extra $10 or so to load them a box of shells

Exactly. Alot of these guys never really seemed to try. The yonger guys my age really irritate me. I'll tell them to go on YouTube and look up how to zero in their gun and save their money having me do it and alot of time I get " well my daddy always just had somone do his " or " I'll probably mess it up any way"

Unfortunately Wolf its a widespread problem. Its actually concerning the amount of people who have no clue about how to take care of firearms or how to do things like sighting in or cleaning barrels.