I have been using 4DOF for 2 years now.  After the Podcast series you guys made on it, I switched over to ZERO ANGLE.  its a complete game changer.

I test my reloads and gather all my data at Sea level. Roughly 80ft in elevation.  But I hunt at or well above 5000ft. I recently set everything up at sea level. Entered everything into Zero Angle. Then went up to my hunting area at 5200ft.  Entered the new conditions at high elevation.  I put Clay Pigeons across a canyon from me all the way out to 300-550yards. In all different locations and distances. All I had to do was range the Clays. Input the yardage into 4DOF.  And I was literally hitting every single Clay on 1st round impacts.

I know for a fact I could do it out further if I wanted. But I wanted to stay within reasonable hunting distance for my bullet and caliber that I am using.  I'm a true believer in 4DOF and Zero Angle. Long as you enter all the data as accurate as you can be. It works.

Great vid. And yes, laser bore sight can be off. My favorite book is "Long Range Shooting Manual" by Ryan Cleckner. He is a lawyer and an author and podcaster. Formerly, he was a sniper team leader in the 1st Ranger Battalion 75th Ranger Regiment for some tours of duty in the GWOT. His instructional video has him zeroing a rifle at 25 yards. This always gets you on paper at 100 yards. And to that point, some outdoor ranges have a 25 yard zone in the rifle end of the range just for that purpose. It turns out that bore-sighting, old fashioned as it is, is still the best way to start the zero. It will get you within a few MOA at 100. And usually, the big variant is the windage.

Leveling of a scope to the rifle is not always so cut and dry and the turrets are not always squared with the reticle as mentioned,I have an old Lohman padded sight vise that is an excellent tool which allows you to adjust your crosshairs to the bullet hole or your shot group with no gun movement and saves you on ammo,I throw a lead shot bag on top of the base for solid stability.Good talk,Thank’s Hornady 👍

According to the Customer Service Manager of a major rifle scope manufacturer, the most common problem with scopes that customers send in for repair is turret adjustments that have been maxed out. Perhaps how to correct this problem can be addressed in a future episode. I also enjoyed the comment on sighting a hunting rifle for its cold bore POI since a single, cold bore shot is often the only one you get. Great video and podcast.

For 25 yard zeroing, we would make adjustments after each shot until it was hitting in the circle, but the other thing to remember is that at 25 yards, even a 1" circle is 4 MOA. Usually, that was no more than three adjustments before we had aligned our point of aim, and at that point, we were grouping within the circle.

5:05 Exactly what I've been preaching: if you know you don't hold the rifle straight, it's far better to level the rifle to gravity than to level to the rifle and then hold everything catawampus!

Your podcasts are extremely informative and I have really enjoyed them. I especially geek out on the reloading / dispersion / sighting in episodes.

I would really like to hear a podcast relating to LE rifles / AR rifles… 5.56 / 300 blk rifles / ammo / sighting in distances. (36 yard / 50 yard / 100 yard zeros) etc

Most of your videos relate to benchrest shooting and I would really like to hear how you apply this to red dot shooting. (Sighting in / dispersion / accuracy)

Additionally talking about SBR rifles / diminished bullet performance / etc.

Thank you!

I bought a factory Savage 6.5 Creedmoor and shoot F-class 1000 yard and 600-yard matches. Shoots well. Just ordered 7mm prc for hunting. You guys do great job. Keep it up.

I like to bore sight at night in the dark. I set up a small red LED light at a distance then align my scope 2 inches high. Years ago at my first home I had a tower with a red light on top approximately 3 miles away . I set my rifle in a stand with bolt removed and lined my bore and scope using shims to get the proper height. At that distance I set my scope and bore dead on. When I first get to the range I’ll shoot a clay pigeon at 100 on a Sandy hill instead of paper. A spotter can easily see where I hit . I then adjust my scope till I hit my target then go to paper.

How could you go this whole podcast without talking about the 4 shot bisection method is insane.

If you don’t have the fancy acoustic targets hands down the best target analysis tool
For the 10-25 shot dot drill is “On Target” for your pc.  No calipers or spreadsheet needed. It will create a virtual composite  group with your group center and give you your exact offset from POA in mil or moa along with all the statistical analysis you ever wanted. There are 2 versions.  You have to get the more expensive one. It’s like $25 license fee.  Well worth it.

I have a horror story for you. I was just getting into shooting. I had an ar pattern rifle and I bought a cheap $100 NC Star 1-5 scope. I mounted it as best I knew I zeroed it. Next time I went shooting with a friend. We set up at 100 yards and begin to shoot. Our target was printed on a standard sheet of paper. I shot five rounds: miss after miss. The last round nicked the top of the sheet. So i hung up 4 sheets in a square and aimed at the center of them. Now it was hittin high and a whole sheet of paper to the right. I go to adjust the scope and I feel the scope move. It was so wobbly I could see it tip back and forth. I took it off and put on a carry handle iron sight. Buy good scopes and good mounts.

Also, to repeat what Jayden said in the group size episodes 50 & 52, you need to zero for the job. So, a hunter may shoot no more than 3 shots and the first one is cold bore. You don't fire a fouling shot at your game animal. So, for that, shoot no more than 3 shots and make adjustments and then let the barrel cool completely.

As opposed to competitions where you may shoot many rounds. In that case, yes, shoot more groups and adjust from that. That way, you are always within 1 MOA of where you need to be.

Another humbling thing - watch the Texas Plinking channel and he has a monthly challenge to shoot 1 MOA at 1,000 yards. He has a 10 inch steel. Also some 5 inch steel. If you hit the 10 inch on the first shot, you get a gold coin. You have ten shots. If you hit within those 10 shots, you get a silver coin. If you get a hit within those 10 shots, you get a chance to hit the 5 inch steel, a .5 MOA target.

These people have great weapons and great optics and hand loads. And get humbled. Mostly because of the wind but just variations. However, wind can gust up or down in the range and throw off the elevation.

46:53 I use silver sheet metal screws on a sunny day for my thermal. I put one in my target for an aiming point, shoot a 3-5 shot group, put the second one in the middle of my group, then move my reticle from point of aim to point of impact.

I bore sight at 25 yards with no problem.  Measure scope height and adjust laser and cross hair to match at 25 yards you can roughly adjust for bullet-drop at your intended zero distance

I use targets with little inch squares over the entire paper. Makes life sooooooo much easier.

But I love those Leupold bases where you can roughly adjust the windage with the bases before you even start to play with the scopes windage.

I really do appreciate these podcasts, informative and enjoyable. My local range has 50 and 100 yard rifle lanes and I've always started off a new rifle, barrel or optic at 50. It's just easier to get on target and after a few shots you can move back to 100 and finish getting it dialed in

Y'all need to get into the field for something like this.

I think the thing that has really clicked with me the most since I started playing with 4DOF is the fact that the rifle zero is not, in fact a zero.  The likelihood of my statistically significant 30 round group being exactly a multiple of my 1/4 MOA clicks away from my point of aim is about zero.  I have to be comfortable knowing that my impacts will be off from my point of aim, but with 4DOF I know how far off so I can dial in as close as my turrets will get me and call my shots.  So far as sighting in is concerned for shooting, I live in Maine so hunting is a close range event in most situations and there are very few rifle clubs that have more than 100 to 300 yards.  I know of two with 600 yard ranges, but shooting there would involve joining the club and for me, travelling long distances just to shoot on my days off.  You guys are wicked lucky and I know you all know how blessed your are to have your jobs.  I guess I was born in the wrong state...

Best part of my week!!!