How to Align Sights at the Same Distance on a Rifle

Without sights on a rifle, hitting a target is mostly left to chance. Sights are an important component on any rifle, although they often get the least attention when learning how to handle a rifle. There are two types of rifle sights: open style and aperture style. Open consists of a V-shaped notch for the rear sight and a post for the front sight. Aperture style consists of a peephole in the rear and a post in front. Both operate on the same principle: the rear sight is lined up with the front sight. Aligning sights at the same distance from your eye is essential for hitting a target.

• 1

  Lie down on the ground in the prone position, with your stomach on the ground and your rifle butt pressed against your shoulder. Take aim at a paper target and look through the rear notch or peephole. Align the front and rear sights so the bull's eye of the target sits on top of the front sight post.

• 2

  Focus your eye on the post of the front sight instead of the target. Notice how far your eye is from the rear sight while you are in the prone position. This is called eye relief. Adjust your rear and front sight alignment so the post on the front sight is perfectly vertical, and then further adjust your front and rear sight alignment so the target is perfectly centered in the V-notch of an open sight or the circular peephole of an aperture sight. This is called the sight picture. Remember how this looks and always try to reproduce this sight picture when firing in any position.

• 3

  Sit in the cross-legged sitting position and take aim at the target. Press the rifle butt against your shoulder, and with one hand at the trigger, use your other arm as a gun rest with your elbow on your knee. Remember the distance of your eye relief from Step 2 and try to reproduce it in this new position.

• 4

  Stand with your right or left shoulder facing the target, depending on which hand you use to pull the trigger. Spread your feet comfortably, 1-1/2 to 2 feet apart. Press the rifle butt against your shoulder, take aim at the target with your trigger hand in position while holding the rifle fore stock steady with your other arm. Remember to reproduce the proper eye relief and the proper sight picture from the steps above. Fine-tune your aim so the bull's eye sits on top of the front post and you should hit pretty close to center as long you squeeze the trigger evenly and stay steady.