Sight Adjustment Savvy

by
posted on July 19, 2016
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
savvy1.jpg

Sight click graduations have a lot to do with how a shooter proceeds in a match. There’s no question that, for me at least, the finer the adjustment, the better. A sight that moves the bullet 3 inches per click is decidedly a more difficult decision to make! Finer graduations mean both less consequence on a missed read, and better results on a “hit.” They also allow me to take a precise setting to favor a wind change.

null
Keeping a list of target ring dimensions will help with sight adjustments during a match. Photo by Chip Lohman.

Figure out the number of clicks per ring to estimate needed correction. This is a term familiar to Smallbore and Air Rifle shooters whose sights use extremely fine click graduations. For the High Power 600 yard MR-1 target, scoring rings X through 8 are in 6-inch increments, or 3 inches per side, meaning that there should be about 2 clicks per ring with 1/4 minute sights: 6 (hundred yards) X .25 = 1.5 per click. A mid-ring 10, for example, should take about 3 clicks to center on the X (1 to get to the X ring, and another 2 to get to its center). This information especially helps new shooters to know “how many clicks” to move.

If you’re fishing for a zero on the outer rings, it helps to know that ring numbers 7 through 5 are double-wide, meaning it will take approximately 4 clicks per ring, or 6 inches of movement.

Do this for each target and you won’t get lost with sight adjustments during a match. You can find the target dimensions in each online NRA Rule Book.

Latest

2026 Winch Seminolecup 1
2026 Winch Seminolecup 1

Connor Daniel Leads Team Winchester and White Flyer Sweep of Seminole Cup Main Event Podium

Team Winchester and Team White Flyer sweep Main Event podium at 2026 Seminole Cup, Connor Daniel wins HOA and Desi Edmunds takes Lady champion honor.

2025 IPSC World Shoot: Team USA on the World Stage

Christian Sailer won gold by 136 points at the 2025 IPSC World Shoot in South Africa as Team USA medaled across all divisions.

Mount Aloysius Defends MAC Championship Title as Two Mollys Steal the Show

Mount Aloysius College defends MAC championship title with 4558 aggregate as Schreiner’s Molly Mitchell and Mounties’ Molly Miller split conference’s top individual honors.

New: Fix It Sticks Armorer’s Punch Toolkit

Fix It Sticks pairs a new magnetic-socket hammer with 24 punches in a portable kit aimed at competition shooters, armorers and gunsmiths who work on guns away from the bench.

Champions Old And New: 1989 National Matches

The 1989 National Matches featured new metric targets, a record-setting U.S. Pershing Team victory, repeat champions and breakthrough performances across all disciplines.

NRA America’s Rifle Challenge: Kyle Lamb’s Position-by-Position Guide to the ARC Barricade

Kyle Lamb covers six positions on the NRA ARC barricade with practical tips on stability, transitions and rifle placement.



Get the best of Shooting Sports USA delivered to your inbox.