Great video. I am from the M16/M4 era. In Basic we had M16A2 and most of my Army career was the M4, so that is what I am used to. Really easy to zero those. However, I have a M1 garand and a Socom16 that I love shooting. I have them zeroed prety good, but never really understood how to do a correct zero in them. This helps for sure. I just have a few questions.
So, before you do what you show in the video, the rifle should already be zeroed?
What is a good zero distance? For example in the Army we zero for 300m, but using a 25m range.
Should you mechaniclly zero these rifle first? For example on the M16/M4 we would max the windage out both ways counting the clicks and then take the sight back to the halfway number of clicks. Is the needed on the M14?
Good questions. Please forgive me if I answer them out of the order you asked them. I'll start with mechanical zero. When I was in Marine Corps Boot Camp, we went through the same process of establishing a mechanical zero on our M16A1. That was in the spring of 1985, and I don't think I've ever done it again since then. I suppose for issued rifles that get recycled to a new shooter every couple of months the idea of establishing the rifle's (sight's) mechanical zero is helpful for instructors. Trying to figure out if a new shooter is hitting somewhere off target is a result of improper technique or an issue with the rifle is likely easier if you have some idea of where the bullet SHOULD be hitting. However, when zeroing a rifle for you alone, I don't think it is all that critical.
As to what distance you zero your rifle, a lot of that depends on how you intend to use the rifle and at what distance you expect to do most of your shooting. The rifle you see in the video is used for match shooting at a distance of 300 yards. That's why I wanted a dead-zero at that range. That zero also gives me a good center torso hold from the rifle's muzzle out to 500 yards or so. Your shooting needs may be different, so you might opt to zero at some other distance.
You can, in fact, zero at a closer range just like you did in the Army. For example: If I zero my rifle at 16 yards, it is also zeroed at 300 yards. The important consideration for accomplishing that task is knowing the trajectory of your bullet. There are a lot of apps and calculators out there, some are better than others. I use Ballistic AE, and it works well. The accuracy of the info you get from a ballistic calculator is highly dependent upon the number of variables you can include. Bullet type, weight, velocity, sight height above the bore axis, altitude, etc. all have a bearing on your bullet's trajectory. I would advise against using an ammunition manufacturer's generic trajectory table for this purpose. You really need data from your rifle.
Sorry for the long-winded response, but I hope it helps. Take care!
Howard
