Zeroing iron sights: pick your target, then set the rear sight

Tactical Rifleman's three-minute walkthrough covers the setup that happens before your first shot at a zero target on an AR. The first decision is which zero you want, because it sets the target you use and how you set the sights.

Key points

• Choose a zero: A 25-meter target is the standard military route and gives a 300-meter zero. A 50-meter target gives roughly a 200-meter zero, which the channel prefers.
• Set the rear sight: Use the small aperture and lower the sight all the way. For a 300-meter zero on an older A1 or A2, come up one click past the 300 mark. On an A3 or A4 with half-minute clicks, come up two.
• Get stable: Support the rifle on sandbags or a block. The video favors a "sniper hold," with the support hand at the rear making small height adjustments.
• Check alignment: Confirm your natural point of aim, and center the front sight in the rear aperture. The video calls this the step everybody misses, and says poor alignment means big groups.
• Shoot a group: Fire a three- to five-round group.

Quick take

The clip stops once the first group is fired, so it does not get into adjusting from there. It is still a clean checklist for the setup that most bad zeros skip.

Watch the full video: Tactical Rifleman