How to Use a Rifle Scope? A Complete Guideline

Excited about your first shot? But don’t know how to use a rifle scope? Well, this article has got your back!

After all, there is nothing more memorable and full of excitement than anticipating your first shot. A shooter must have good knowledge about how to adjust and aim at their target with accuracy, despite the distance.

Before jumping any further, let’s develop a basic concept about the various parts of the rifle scope:

Different Parts of the Rifle Scope Explained

A rifle scope comes with a varied number of parts. Several manufacturers create various kinds of rifle scopes. However, there is a basic list of components that almost each of the companies follows while making it.

So, before you take your riflescope for shooting, make sure to familiarize yourself with each of these fundamental components of the scope and what their job is.

Below is a list of the most common parts of a riflescope that one must know about:

• The eyepiece is the scope part that you need to view the target.
• The objective lens helps in having a closer look at the target.
• The shoulder is that part with the help of which you can adjust the diameter of the scope.
• Windage and elevation are the two knobs with the help of which you can move the reticle up and down and from one side to another side.
• Parallax knobs rarely need an adjustment. However, it plays a crucial part in the reticle movement with respect to the target.

How to Use a Rifle Scope? [8 Steps to Follow]

Accuracy and knowing the exact steps is the ultimate key to achieving your targeted results. Let’s know how to use them to start practicing:

Step 1: Prepare your rifle to set up

The first step of using a rifle is to make sure you have mounted it correctly. Otherwise, you will not be able to target properly and ensure a good hunt.

Check whether the rings are tightened and torqued properly or not. If you don’t know the specifications, ask the manufacturer to find out.

Step 2: Find out the eye relief distance

Eye relief is the ideal distance of the eyepiece from the eye. The more powerful the scope magnification, the narrower the eye relief will have to be to offer a precise view of the target.

Most of the riflescopes come with an eye relief rating of 3-9x. Meaning it ranges between 3 and 9 inches from the eyepiece. Be cautious while setting it, as keeping the riflescope too close to the eye areas may hurt you while firing.

This basically happens due to the recoil. In case your scope doesn’t come with an eye relief rating, you can determine it yourself. Just look through the scope and adjust until you get the desired picture.

Step 3: Always Boresight first

Take a break and slow down things.

Didn’t get the point?

Before firing a gun, make sure to spend some time boresighting a new scope. This will save us a lot of hands as we finally set down to work.

Unload the gun with the barrel totally clear. Once these two things are done, remove the bolt or magazine. Next up, the barrel must be pointed downrange while mounting the weapon in a safe resting place.

Step 4: Rest and center the bore and scope

You must set the rifle on a shooting rest while boresighting it. You can easily find this shooting rests at outdoor, shooting, or hunting stores. Plus, they come at a reasonable price.

Once you have placed the rifle on rest, next up, you have to stand behind the rifle to look through the bore to the barrel. Here, the goal is to center the aim in the bore by making modifications if needed.

One crucial point to note is dont move the rifle while adjusting the riflescope. After all, you will not like it if your reticle gets misplaced from its targeted place.

Step 6: Precision and boresighting

The highlight of a boresight is they dont need to be precise. Instead, you just have to ensure they are accurate enough to strike a paper target from a short distance.

Such as, you can test your rifle at 25 yards by placing a paper. If it hits the paper, understand you are doing well and on the right track.

If you dont like to bore manually, you can even use a laser boresight. Just go for the one that fits into your rifle’s chamber. Otherwise, it will be of no use. This laser boresight makes life and aiming easier, but it’s optional.

Once your boresight is set and the reticle/red dot is in the exact line with the target, your next task is tightening them all. Just make sure to keep the scope within its targeted area.

Step 7: Focus on the reticle

Once tightened, your next job is focusing on the reticle/crosshairs. Keep your eye sharply on the crosshair while looking through the riflescope.

A solid and clear background is preferable to get a good focus. First, point at the sky, look at the clouds or tree and then bring your eyes back to the scope.

Ensure the scope is sharp and in the right focus while turning our attention back to it. Here, the key is immediately using the eyes as they have to be faster while using a rifle.

In case the reticle looks blurry, make sure to fix it using the diopter adjustment. It must be located at the nearest distance. So, the next step is to make adjustments till the reticle is clearly visible when viewing through the sight.

Additionally, confirm that the reticle is parallel to elevation and windage. Otherwise, without getting the reticle alignment correct, you will not be able to angle and shoot properly, no matter how hard you try.

Step 8: Time to start shooting

Once the riflescope has been tightened and adjusting the reticle, it’s time to start shooting.

Here’s some pro advice:

When you test your rifle, make sure to use the same ammo you want to use for hunting. As a result, you will get a fair notion of how it will behave when you hunt from it.

You can ideally use a sandbag or a shooting rest to hold the rifle straight.

Now, fire a shot while keeping it straight in the target’s center. Once you release, the shot will be fired with the gun recoiling.

Bring the weapon back to the center of the target with the action being open. Hold it straight as much as possible while viewing through the scope and setting the crosshair to the contact point until it’s back in its original state. If more shots are needed, fire another one and repeat the entire method.

If the shot hits the center, aim for a greater range.

Some Storage and Maintenance Tips for Your Riflescope

• Always place the best scope caps over the lenses when they are not in use. This part is more prone to scratches and abrasions. So, covering them will work as extra protection.
• To clean the dirt or sediment from the lens of the scope, use a lens brush with soft bristles.
• Avoid keeping the scope in hot places or direct sunlight.

Conclusion

That’s all from the detailed discussion regarding how to use a rifle scope. Just follow the steps mentioned above as instructed while using a rifle scope. And you will be all good to go.

It’s all about practice. As the famous proverb goes, “practice makes a man perfect.”

FAQs

Check out the below queries regarding the rifle scope in case you have anything to clarify about:

At what distance should you sight in a scope?

Whether bored-sighted, your first shots at zero should be made at 25-35 yards. After each shot is made, turn the scope dial or rear sight.

How does a scope work on a rifle?

The objective lens is placed right in the forward position, away from the user. The light from this lens then travels to the erector lens, rotating the image and delivering it to the magnifying lens. Afterward, the ocular lens, closest to the user’s eye, receives the light from there.

Do you need to close an eye when looking down a scope?

Well, it doesn’t matter whether you are shooting with one or both eyes open. Most shooting instructors will advise you to follow your instincts and what produces the best outcomes.​