Zeroing M1A Service Rifles

The M1A's sights are among the best in the world! It was even copied, to a certain extent, on the M16. They are easily adjusted for windage and elevation. There are two knobs, one for elevation, and the other is for windage. The windage knob moves the rear sight from left to right. The elevation knob moves the rear sight up and down. Look on your rear sight at the elevation knob. If it has a "M", then it is in meters.

To start with, I recommend zeroing your rifle at one hundred yards. (Meters are approxiamently one yard, so don't get too hung up on the difference.)

First set the windage to mechanical zero by lining up the index lines on the rear sight base and the receiver. Next, turn the elevation knob until it bottoms out. Then raise it back up 8 to 12 turns to get it close to zero at 100 yards.

On a windless day, fire three shots at the bulleye to establish a group. If the group is not in the middle of the target, either above or below the bullseye, then loosen the front sight screw with a 3/16" socket-head wrench and move it in the opposite direction you want the group to be. Remember that moving the sight 0.008" moves the group 1 inch at 100 yards. Tighten the screw down and repeat until you are in the middle of the target.

Now you want to set the elevation. This is best done at two hundred yards. To do this, adjust the elevation knob up or down until the groups are in the bullseye. Then loosen the screw on the side of the knob and turn it until it is on the 200 yard mark. You can still do this at 100 yards, but set the knob at the 100 yard mark.

Another way to zero your M1A is to fire the rifle at a small target at 25 yards, and adjust the elevation to 1-1/4" above the bullseye. This will put you on the target from 0-400 yards, but isn't as accurate.

You are now ready to shoot beer cans at 500 yards!