Think it's too hard to sight in your own rifle? Not so! Here's an easy way to do it yourself - and it's quick and practically foolproof. (If you've already sighted in your rifle and just want to check your gun's zero, skip to the section labeled "Shooting a group.")

Bore sighting aligns the scope to the barrel and reduces the number of required shots to zero your scope. You can do this with a gridded bore-sighting tool you insert in the muzzle of your gun or by shooting a few shots that will serve the same purpose. The second method can only be done with a bolt-action, AR-15 or other gun where you can look down the bore of the rifle. And, you'll need a range of 25 yards. First, secure the gun in a cradle and remove the gun's bolt so you can see the bore. Line up your barrel on a spot 25 yards away. Then, adjust your scope so it's sighted in on that same spot. Make sure the rifle doesn't move and be sure to recheck the alignment.

Shooting a group should start at 25 yards. Pick a steady bench and use sandbags to support your rifle. Looking through your scope, aim at the center of a target and shoot three shots at one spot on the target. Measure the distance from where you thought you were shooting (point of aim) to the center of the group of shots (point of impact). Adjust your scope so the point of aim is moved to the center of the group. Shoot three more shots, and you should find that your point of impact is very close to your point of aim. To sight in for 100 yards, shoot three shots at 100 yards and repeat the procedure you did for shooting at 25 yards. If you usually shoot at distances greater than 100 yards (such as deer hunting), then you'll want your point of impact to be 1-1/2" to 2" high at 100 yards. This allows enough bullet drop when shooting at 200 yards.