The process of shooting a weapon is a fundamental skill for any shooter, whether athlete, hunter or soldier. midpoint With the aiming point, it's not just the target's performance that depends on the weapon's effectiveness in real-world conditions, and many newcomers make the same mistake of randomly twisting fly-bearers without understanding the logic of moving the sightings.
The main confusion arises from the fact that the mechanics of the sight movement are often intuitively opposed to the desired displacement of the bullet. If the bullets lie to the left of the center, you instinctively want to move the sight to the left, but this will lead to even more withdrawal of the STP. mechanical sightings This article avoids unnecessary shots and saves ammunition, and in this article we will discuss the physics of the process, specific patterns of movement and common errors.
Before you start adjusting, you need to make sure that the shooting is stable. Trembling hands or an unstable position can create the illusion of a systematic deviation, which is not really there. Only after a series of control shots showing a stable group, it makes sense to make adjustments to the settings. whole Ignoring this rule is the way to an endless and useless shoot.
⚠️ Warning: Before any work on adjusting the sightings, make sure the weapon is unloaded, the cartridge is not in the chamber, and the store is removed. Safety always comes before accuracy.
Physics of the process: why the whole is moving towards holes
To understand where the adjustment screws should be rotated, you have to think about the geometric model of the shot. The aiming line is a straight line that goes through the slit of the whole and the top of the fly. The trajectory of the bullet is a parabola. The shooter's job is to get these lines to cross at the right point at a certain distance. When we talk about displacement. wholeWe actually change the angle of the barrel relative to the aiming line.
Imagine that the whole is the rear support and the muzzle section is the front. If you move the rear support (the whole) to the right, then in order to align the fly with the slot, you have to move the muzzle to the left. Accordingly, the bullet will fly to the left. Hence, the golden rule of ballistics of mechanical sights: the whole always move in the same direction where you want to move the point of hit. If the bullets go to the left, spin the whole to the left. If the bullets go high, lower the whole.
It is important to distinguish between horizontal and vertical adjustment, because the mechanics of their execution can differ on different types of weapons. In modern optical sights, the direction of rotation of flywheels is usually marked with arrows with letters. UP (up) and R However, with open mechanical sights such as the target on the Saige, veep classically SSThis luxury is often not there, and the shooter must rely on an understanding of the physics of the process.
- 🎯 The movement of the whole to the right shifts the middle point of hitting the right.
- 🎯 The movement of the whole to the left shifts the middle point of hitting the left.
- 🎯 Lowering the whole (decreased height) raises the bullet higher.
- 🎯 Raising the whole (increasing the height) lowers the bullet below.
Remembering this rule is critical, as a single click error or long-distance division can take a bullet several tens of centimeters away from a vital area.
Horizontal adjustment: elimination of lateral drifts
Horizontal shooting often raises fewer questions than vertical shooting, but there are some nuances here, the main tool here is the screw of the side corrections or the shifting bar of the whole. AR-15 or AK There are specific methods of displacement, for example, in many models, to shift the PTS to the right, you need to rotate the screw clockwise, which physically shifts the whole to the right.
If your weapon doesn't have fine-tuning screws, and the whole is a movable bar with notches (as in many old rifles), then it takes physical action to shift it, you use a special key or a sticker. The rule remains the same: hit or press in the direction where you want to move the holes. If the group lies to the left of the apple, we have to move the target to the left, which will cause the barrel to look to the right when aiming, and the bullet will lie to the right.
There's a common misconception about the wind, and some arrows try to compensate for the side wind by adjusting the whole, and this is only possible if the wind is constantly blowing with one force. side-corrections You take the aiming point out, you leave the mechanical zero unchanged, and you only have to touch the mechanics to shoot zero when you're still.
When working with the screws of adjustment it is important not to make excessive effort. A sharp jerk can break the thread or damage the fixing elements. All movements should be smooth, with a clear sense of clicking (if the mechanism is rattling). After each change of position, you need to tightly fix the whole with a counternut, if it is provided by the design, so that the vibration when fired does not knock the settings.
Vertical adjustment: work with the height of sight
Vertical adjustment is where the shoot always starts. The logic here is mirrored to the horizon, if we're talking about the height of the fly, but it's a straight rule. To raise the point of hit (if the bullets are low), you have to lower the target. It would seem absurd: lower the sight - the bullet flies higher? Exactly, by lowering the target, we force the shooter to pick up the barrel higher to match the aiming ones, and the bullet flies higher.
In many modern carbine systems, such as M4 Or their civilian counterparts, the whole has a calibrated drum, and the rotation of this drum raises or lowers the aiming frame. UPTurning aside UP It's like, if you shoot 25 meters and now you want to reconfigure the gun 100 meters (the bullet will start to fall at a distance, and we need to "lift" the trajectory by lowering the target? No, there's confusion. At a distance, the bullet will fall, so it was higher at 25 meters. To get to the center at 100 meters, we need to get the bullet below the center at 25 meters. So the target needs to be raised. Check: lift the whole, -> The barrel goes down.>
The difficulty is with rifles that have a rolling whole (for example, a swallow's tail or a nail with slots of 100 and 200 meters). Here the sight height varies stepwise. If you set the 100 bullets higher and you can't switch to 200 (because this will raise the whole even more and lower the bullet lower), you have to resort to sawing the fly or using an adjustable fly. But if you have a vertical correction screw on the whole, then spin it so that you lower the frame if the bullets higher and lower the frame, if you raise the bullet below.
- 🔼 Bullets above the center -> Lower the whole (or screw in if it presses on the frame down).
- 🔽 Bullets below center -> Lift the whole (or twist the screw).
- 🔄 On rolling wholes: long distance = above the whole = below the STP.
⚠️ Warning: Never change vertical settings unless you are sure of the distance to the target. A mistake in determining the distance will cause you to knock the shot down under real conditions.
Table of the dependence of the STP displacement on the click price
It's not enough to know the direction of rotation for a good shot. click-price On optics, it's often 1/4 MOA or 0.1 MRAD, but on the mechanics, it depends on the pitch of the screw thread and the distance between the aiming devices. The further away the target is, the greater the physical displacement of the hole at a single click.
Below is a table showing the approximate displacement of the PTS at different distances for a standard mechanical sight with an adjustment pitch of approximately 1 cm by 50 meters. The real values may vary depending on the length of the sighting line of your particular weapon.
| Target distance | STP offset (1 click/division) | Number of clicks required (for a 10 cm shift) | Recommended action |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 meters | ~0.5 cm | 20 clicks | Precise fit, small steps |
| 50 meters | ~1.0 cm | 10 clicks | The main shot. |
| 100 meters | ~2.0 cm | 5 clicks | Control and finalization |
| 200 meters. | ~4.0 cm | 2-3 clicks | Wind/range adjustment |
And you can see from the table that at short distances, one careless click makes minimal changes, which allows you to work very precisely. At long distances, the cost of error increases multiples, so experienced shooters prefer to conduct the primary rough shoot at 25-50 meters, and the final fine-tuning at 100.
What is MOA and why is it important?
MOA (Minute of Angle) is an arc minute. 1 MOA is about 2.54 cm per 100 yards (or ~2.9 cm per 100 meters). Understanding this parameter allows you to translate centimeters on a target into fly-by-wire clicks. If your click is 1/4 MOA, then at 100 meters one click will shift the bullet by about 7 mm.
Algorithm of actions: step-by-step instruction of shooting
To make it successful and not to become chaos, you have to follow a clear algorithm. Improvisation is not appropriate. First, you do cold shooting (if possible), then you shoot at short distances to hit the size of the target, and only then you work at work distances.
Start by holding your gun at point-blank range. Use sandbags or a special machine. Shooting your hands for shooting is only acceptable for experienced shooters, but beginners should avoid the pull factor of descent. Make a series of 3-5 shots, aiming at the same point of aim. Don't adjust the sight after each shot!
☑️ Checklist before shooting
After you shoot, analyze the group. Find the geometric center of the holes. Compare it to the point of aiming. Calculate the amount of displacement required. Now, if you know the rule "go full to the hole", make corrections. Make a control shot. If the group moved in the right direction but did not reach the center, add more corrections. If it went the other way, then the rule was applied incorrectly or twisted excessive.
It's important to remember parallax If you put your head on the butt differently every time, the aiming point will walk, and no amount of adjustment to the whole will help. dioptric For greater accuracy, they are less demanding on the position of the eye than open slots.
Typical errors and troubleshooting
One of the most common mistakes is to try to shoot a weapon that has a technical defect. A crooked barrel, a backlash, a broken patch or a low-quality round will negate all efforts. If you spin a whole and a group jumps unpredictable, look for the problem in the mechanics of the weapon or ammunition, not in your calculations.
Another mistake is torsion. The shooter sees the bullets to the left, starts to spin the screw, but does not feel the moment of fixation or knocks the score, and the whole person ends up in a extreme position, and the STP does not move. Always mark the gun body with a marker to see the initial position. If you made 10 clicks to the right and it got worse, then you should have turned left, and now you need to make 20 clicks back to go back to zero.
Use a marker or nail polish to mark the current position of the adjusting screws, which will allow you to return to factory settings at any time if the experiments come to a standstill.
Also worth mentioning is the effect of temperature: metal expands and contracts. When the barrel is heated (serial shooting), the point of hit can shift. Shooting a cold barrel for hunting, where you will make 1-2 shots, and shooting in bursts are different tasks.
⚠️ Warning: Don't try to force the "stiff" screw adjustment. This is guaranteed to lead to licking of the slime. Use penetrating lubricant (for example, WD-40) and give it time to act.
In conclusion, there is no perfect shooting, there is a shooting for a specific ammunition, a specific weapon and a specific shooter, a change in the type of bullets (for example, switching from one to another). FMJ on JHP If you change the brass manufacturer, you'll need to make a second adjustment, at least a minimal adjustment, and if you check zero regularly, you'll be very professional.
The main secret of shooting: never adjust the sight after one shot. Always analyze the group of 3-5 shots to exclude accidental breaks and errors of the shooter.
FAQ: Frequently asked questions
What if the screw adjusting the whole rotating, but not moving?
Most likely, the screw hit the limiter or the thread is dirty. Don't use excessive force. Try to twist the screw out completely, clean the thread with solvent, lubricate and screw back in. If the screw is idle without resistance, maybe the thread inside the mechanism has been ripped off or a fixing ball has fallen out.
Should I shoot a gun when changing my optics to a mechanic?
Yes, it is. The mechanical sight and the optical sight have different heights of the aiming axis above the barrel, and even if the optics were at zero, the transition to the whole will require a complete shooting procedure again, since the elevation angle of the barrel will change dramatically.
How do you know where to turn if there are no L/R markings or arrows?
Take one full turn (or 4-5 clicks) to one side, remember the direction, and check on the target. If it goes in the right direction, continue. If it goes in the opposite direction, turn in the other. It is better to spend 2 rounds to check the direction than 20 rounds to randomly rotate.
Does the wear of the barrel affect the need to move the target?
Over time, with a large shot, the bullet entry and the cuts wear out, which can lead to a decrease in the initial speed and a change in ballistics (the bullet will begin to fall faster). In this case, vertical adjustment (lift the whole) may be necessary to compensate for the decrease in speed, but horizontal demolition due to wear of the barrel is rare, unless the wear is uneven.