How to zero a laser sight on a pistol or rifle

A laser that is not zeroed is a guess with a beam on it. Here is how we zero every SOLOFISH laser on the bench, and how you can do it at the range in about twenty minutes.

Before you start

What you need:

Your firearm, unloaded for mounting; the laser or laser light combo, fully charged; the adjustment tool from the box; a target at the distance you expect to use the laser, usually 7 to 15 yards for a pistol and 25 to 50 yards for a rifle.

Mount it right:

Slide the light or sight onto the rail, seat the key in a slot and tighten the screw. On our 1750 rifle light, keep the raised lip of the clamp on top. A loose mount moves your zero every shot.

Zeroing step by step

Shoot a group:

Fire three to five careful rounds with your iron sights or optic. Mark the center of the group; this is the point of impact you want the dot on.

Adjust elevation:

Switch the laser on in steady mode. Turn the elevation screw a little at a time to move the dot up or down to the height of your group.

Adjust windage:

Now turn the windage screw to bring the dot left or right onto the group. Alternate between the two in small turns; forcing one screw all the way in one direction can lock or damage it.

Confirm:

Fire another group with the dot. If it lands on the dot, you are done; if not, make one more small correction.

Keeping zero

Charging:

Lights with magnetic charging, like our SL-1107, recharge on the rail, so you never remove them and never re-zero.

After removal:

If you take a light off, put it back in the same slot and check zero with a few rounds before you trust it.