Firstly, why must one zero a rifle? In my humble understanding, light affects how the eye perceives objects, and different lighting conditions affect how you perceive the target in different ways. Other factors that might affect where your bullets land on the target are wind, and how light is reflected off fog and snow. A rifle that hits the dead centre of a target on a sunny day will not hit the dead centre on a cloudy day, no matter how good the marksman is. This is why you must zero a rifle. Now, how does one zero a rifle?
It is helpful to have someone looking through a spotting scope as you are shooting, but you can also do this by yourself (as I do). Firstly, shoot five bullets at a standard paper Biathlon target at 50 metres. Look through the spotting scope and determine the centre of this group. In a perfect world, your five shots will be centred on the target. However, if you live in the same world as me, adjustments must be made - especially if the shooting conditions are different than the last time you shot.
To make adjustments to how your eye perceives the target, two adjustment screws on the Biathlon rifle's rear sight are used. One of these adjustment screws adjusts the sight left and right, also called a windage adjustment. This is the adjustment used to compensate for wind, and is usually located on the side of the rear sight. Counter-clockwise will move your bullets right, and clockwise will move them left. The L stands for the German word links (left), and the R stands for rechts (right). I turn the screw towards the R is my shots are going to the right, and turn the screw towards L if they are going to the left. Hopefully this isn't too confusing!
The other screw is usually located on the top of the rear sight, and moves the sight up or down. This is the adjustment used to compensate for changes in how your eye perceives the target in certain light conditions. This is also called an elevation adjustment. Turning the screw counter-clockwise will move the fall of the bullets up, and clockwise moves them down. In German, the H stands for hoch, which means high, and T stands for tief, which means low. I remember how to adjust the screw by turning the screw towards H if my bullets are going too high, and T if they are going too low. See, German really is one of the most useful languages you could learn!
Each turn of the screw moves the bullet approximately 3 mm, or one bullet width on the target when it is at 50 metres. Something to remember: make small adjustments at a time - don't go turning that screw like it's the Wheel of Fortune!
Regardless of spiritual inclinations, confirmation is also an important step in zeroing. This is done by skiing a short, fast loop to elevate your heart rate before shooting five final rounds. This is done in recognition of the fact that in general, bullets move downward as acuity improves with moderate exercise, and moves upward when it deteriorates with intense exercise.
Because every athlete is different, you should get a sense of what happens to your own shooting during varying levels of intensity, and know how to compensate for this accordingly. I will discuss this more on the Pre-competition Shooting post.
One thing that zeroing in practice should help you develop is a sense of changing environmental conditions. Always always always pay attention to what is happening with the light and wind! There is nothing more frustrating then missing a shot because of avoidable errors. Maybe the Penalty Loop should be renamed The Thinking Loop, because this is where you go to think about why you missed your targets, and how to avoid mistakes the next time!
When you are entering the range during a race, here are some very important things to remember that may possibly make the difference between getting selected to the National Team or being dumped by your boyfriend or girlfriend:
- As you enter the range, do an effort check. Did you ski in too hard? If so, make sure to consider this and take an extra few seconds to slow your heart down before shooting
- Check the lighting conditions!!!! During your zeroing before the race, you should always make a note of how the lighting conditions are. When you come in to shoot, one of the first questions you should ask yourself is: did the lighting conditions change? If so, make the adjustment with your elevation adjustment screw! The general rule is lights up, sights up. If it is sunnier in the range, move your sights up 2 clicks. If it is cloudier, move your sights down 2 clicks.
- Check the wind! If the wind seems different, how? Compare the wind to how it was when you zeroed by observing the wind flags. Wind flags are red flags located in a line towards the target. How they are moving should help you determine how to make adjustments.
Wind, I believe, is the single most confusing environmental factor to adjust for during a Biathlon race. If the wind is light and steadily coming from one direction, there is little problem and the appropriate adjustment can be made. However, the wind often comes in gusts, and can come from different directions in a short period of time. Furthermore, the wind can be different at the shooting line than how it is closest to the target.
If the wind is coming in unpredictable gusts, do not make an adjustment. Instead, keep an eye on the wind flags, wait for a calm period, and fire your shot at that time. This is very hard to do, and not a skill easily mastered by the novice Biathlete. However, this is what makes Biathlon so amazing! Just remember, no matter how bad the shooting (or skiing) conditions are, your competitors often have to suffer through the same conditions!
Anyway, so here is a very general description of how the wind affects your bullet:
- Wind coming straight towards you tends to push the bullet up
- Wind coming from behind you will push the bullet down
- For a moderate side wind, there will be 1 click of elevation change for every 3 clicks horizontal change
- Generally, the flag at the 10 metre line is one you should pay particular attention to
- If the wind is swirling, pay attention to the flag nearest you, but keep an eye down-range to see what wind may be incoming
- Cold, dense, moisture-laden air magnifies the influence of the wind
To make matters worse, every range has its own personality. That is, different ranges will have unique wind conditions.
Conclusion
The best thing you can do is practice in all kinds of conditions. If you look outside the window and the weather isn't very nice, do not say to yourself, well it's nasty out so I won't be shooting today. Remember that you have to be prepared for all environmental conditions that may occur during a race. The only way to do this is to practice in all environment conditions that may occur during a race.
Familiarize yourself with how to adjust your sights. Shooting in gusting winds is the ideal time to practice one of the hardest aspects of Biathlon shooting - waiting for the best conditions to shoot while not allowing your heart rate to get too low.
Dry firing is very important to help you cultivate concentration and condition the muscles in your body to hold the rifle as still as possible, among other benefits. However, learning how to shoot in different environmental conditions can only be achieved by shooting in different environmental conditions.
Take every obstacle as an opportunity to test yourself and become a better Biathlete.
If the conditions are difficult during a race, do not beat yourself up for having a bad day on the range. Conditions can change quite quickly, and it is very possible that the conditions during your shoot are different then those for your competitor. If you want proof of this watch some of the races going on right now in Östersund!
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