If you have the right tools laying around, zeroing your pistol mounted optic can be quick and easy. All you need is a target, a laser cartridge and a tripod.
Step One: Mount your optic. This is outside the scope of this particular blog post, but before you get started you will want to make sure that your optic was mounted with proper hardware prep, threadlocker, and a torque wrench.
Step Two: Use a laser cartridge to zero at home. You don’t even have to leave your house to confirm you have a rough zero. Make sure the gun is unloaded and pointed in a safe direction when you do this. Place a laser cartridge in the chamber. Aim at a reference point on the wall and compare laser’s projection with the reticle. Adjust the red dot’s reticl to ensure that the point of aim matches the laser’s impact at a known distance. My basement is approximately 10 yards across so I adjust the reticle so it’s a little bit higher than the laser impact since I use a 15 yard zero. That will get me close once I hit the range.
Step Three: Use a tripod or other improvised shooting rest. By this point the laser helped you adjust your red dot so the impacts will be pretty close to your point of aim. Adjust your shooting rest so you are standing in your shooting stance and holding the gun up at face level. The rest is supposed to supplement your shooting position and eliminate the wobble. I use a tripod and place a small shooting bag in the jaws. I then lay the dust cover of the pistol across the top of the bag.
If you have good fundamentals, you will be able to get your gun zeroed in about 15 shots and or about 15 minutes. Quick and easy!
