Sighting In A " New " Gun

[JimP]

I'm new to the forum - and back into doing some handgunning. I've just picked up one of the new Sig X-Fives 226 model in a .40 S&W and it has a fully adjustable rear sight.

My groups at 21 feet are about 3" - and about the same at 30 feet. At 40 feet they get about 10" and 50 feet - they can be 18" or so. Part of that is eyes ... in my 50's with bifoculs.

Any recommendations on distance to get this new gun dialed in - distance, loads, technique ?

[AlamoShooter]

Get some trigger time if you have ben away a wile. The sight in has most to do with what you wont to hit. An old style way is if you wont to hit a say?? a 6"target the sight should be that the bullet hits 3" high at your normal shooting distance = 10 yards? 15 ?yards.

That way you have the entire target sitting ontop of your front sight.

It all depends on what you want to hit and how far you want to hit it.

[Crusher]

From what I hear about the X-5 s thy are tack drivers out of the box. Maybe bench (rest) the pistola and give it another go at 20-25 yds. If you do your part I think you will be amazed at the accuracy the gun is capable of.

[TCK]

From the way your groups open up so much past 30', I would sight it in at 30 feet. There is no sense in trying to sight a gun in using a 10" group.

[Front Man]

I agree with TKC. Zero at ten yards and then check your groups at 25 yards.

Take a bunch of ammo and spend the range time just shooting groups!

I keep the target I finish zeroing with and identify the hits (on the target)with the yardage and wether the hits were from the bench/sandbag or free style.

It also adds a little confidence to leave this target visible as you leave the house on match day.

If butchering the English language was a misdomener I would be on Death Row.

[shred]

Sighting in off a rest to start with is also a good idea-- not always are the groups in exactly the same spot as when you're shooting freestyle, but it's a lot easier to get close.

[Front Man]

Right.

That's why you have to do both.

And record which holes were bench and which were freesyle.

JMHO

FM

[JimP]

Thanks - that all makes sense. The Sig X - Five will certainly shoot better groups than I can shoot offhand ( and all the groups I was talking about were off hand vs on a rest - should have said that I guess). The guns test target was at 25 meters I believe and was easily a 3/4" group.