Sighting in iron sights (first time)

[jasona]

So finally got my wife to purchase her first firearm to join me at the range. She opted for a Savage 64F (partly because she shot a Savage at a Women on Target, partly because it was on sale) 22LR.

So here's the rub. I've never had to sight in a rifle with iron sights. My rifle has a holo-sight on it, with the manufacturer indicating what range it should be zeroed at.

The wifes' rifle has a basic blade in the front, and an adjustable (via "stair step") rear sight. I understand the basics of it (the higher we elevate the rear sight, the higher the POI will be at a given range,) but I guess the question would be, should we pick a range (say 20-25yds,) drop the sight to about the lowest notch, and zero away? Or is there a better option? Also worth pointing out, there's nothing the manual about what range etc.

At some point, we'll probably move to an outdoor range and she'll be working on 100yd targets...

[Quads]

There's probably 100 different opinions on what, why and where, much like zeroing AR15's.
In my experience, 50 yards seems to be about the all around sweet spot. I can do any dope / holdover in my head, it's easy, smooth and pretty reliable.
Generally speaking, get your your sight at mechanical zero, and get on paper at 25, dial that in, then move back to 50 and adjust as / if needed. Irons are far more forgiving than glass, so YMMV.

If you have troubles getting on paper at 25, then start at 10, which comes back to zero again right around 50 where you can confirm.

Some good reading on the topic, methods, and ballistics here:
https://savannaharsenal.com/2014/08/...-22lr-rifle-2/

[MIWoodsman]

Many manufacturers give their rifles a rough bore site from the factory. For a 22lr you might try a few initial shots at 20-25 yards before you adjust anything.

If it is not fairly close at that range then it is time to do a full sight-in.
You want to start really close, like 5-10 yards, and work your way out to your chosen zero-yardage.

Determining your desired zero-yardage depends on what she is intending to do with the rifle. Typical target shooting yardage or what type of game she might be hunting.

(This basic approach of starting in close generally works no matter what type of sight you are introducing to your rifle. It also saves you $$$ on higher cost/caliber ammo.)

[Ol` Joe]

Start at 20/25 yds and move out to 50 yd if you can. Your 22 will be quite close to on from 0-50 yds but drops real quick past that. A shot with high vel ammo such as mini mags will drop about 3” at 100 and std vel about 5”. I have noticed if I get my bullet hitting on the rise at 50 it is very close at ~75 yds with std vel ammo. I doubt you will be able to do this with low mounted irons though, you need a high mounted scope.
There is also wind drift to consider after 50 yds. A 5 mph cross wind will cause a high vel load (1250 FPS) to drift about 1” @50 yds and 5.5” @100 d. Std vel (1075 FPS) will actually drift about 1” less at 100 yds. If curious, a 5 mph wind is just enough to cause a little wiggle in your tree leaves. The average summer day in Mi probably has winds around 10/12 mph, if so dbl the numbers. Wind drift is the same no matter what sight system you have.
All these figures are from memory, although they are I believe, very, very close if not correct.

[Rudy18]

Can't remember where I found this, if it was here I'll apologize in advance to the OP:

Redneck Math for 22 Trajectory

This is why I zero at 75 yards. It stays the closest to the 0 line for as long as possible within the 100 yard practical range so I don't have to calculate huge bullet rises and drops according to range. It stays within an inch or two above or below all the way through so no matter what range I'm shooting at I have a good chance since the target is always within the MOA of the rifle.

Trying to calculate bullet drop on a 22LR on the fly is just not worth the bachelors in mathematics. Rule of thumb with a 22LR in a firefight: Always aim for the head. At close range you'll get an effective hit that will take someone down even with a 22LR, and the average male is 5'10" so by the time the bullet reaches the target with a 3 foot drop at 180 yards it'll still nail the guy in the balls.

[JDG]

A rifle with irons very low on the barrel, compared to say an AR, will be very forgiving at close up zeroing. Get it dead on at pistol distance, and your still going to be close at 50, and that's where I would leave it, fine tune it. Learn your hold over from there...