How I Zero in a Rifle

[@marcbonomini2751]

1,000 points for knowing the secret about the magazine rest and sharing it. That's the kind of knowledge one cannot shake out of google.

[@m118lr]

.what “secret’? It’s OK to use the mag as a 3rd POC..it’s been a myth that it affects “feeding” for a long time. What I’d NEVER heard was that “it got its (bad) start with the ‘marksmanship unit’..

[@marcbonomini2751]

@@m118lr They tell everybody that goes through basic not to rest the mag on the ground. The "secret" part is that it's OK to do so, and Mac here is relaying that knowledge to us clowns.

[@AFGixxeR88]

Magpul magpod is amazing

[@ravensnflies8167]

the reason people learn to not rest the mag on the ground is that their DI would fuck them raw if they did. "oh look, its private pile tired again. you want us to all take a break while you lay your rifle on the ground?" i can literally hear that shit.

[@pr5721]

Basicaly this dood just said my drill seargent was wrong and im super ok with that

[@declineofthewest.]

Pat McNamara is a beast. I’ve been binging his stuff for two days. A literal wealth of knowledge. 💪🏻

[@roddog24]

Love the explanation of using the magazine to stabilize. I always assumed it was the army’s way of saying “because I wasn’t allowed to, so you can’t.”

[@billjenkins9822]

Should have brought my readers…..lol. Even tier 1 operators can’t defy age

[@joedavidson4486]

RLE Lens replacement surgery is the way go if you can afford it.

[@RP-ue9wy]

@@Rainersherwood He was talking for the dial, not the scope.

[@1982rrose]

Tier 1 reader

[@OldCelticWarrior]

I have seen him have his "readers" tucked in bags and everywhere. I just like that he is so real about it and doesn't care. I'm the same age and I can't see shite without mine and I don't care either.

[@blaster229]

This is why grip and trigger control is important. Still land those important self defense shots with poor vision.

[@romeoechofoxtrot18]

Pat thank you single-handedly made zeroing a rifle much easier for me to understand I recently put one together and mounted a red.and was having trouble with the accuracy now with the information you provided I think I'll be able to 0 it effectively on my own thanks for the tip thanks for your service you the man

[@user-pe1by4hg1f]

Man, wish you could come down to DFW more often, you have a very effective method of teaching. Thanks brother. Getsum

[@UrbanTiger74]

What part of DFW are you at? I'm in the DFW area as well

[@georgefloydsinhellwbreonna5330]

Eagle Mountain Lake up in this beotch!!!

[@UrbanTiger74]

@@georgefloydsinhellwbreonna5330 Ahhh the western fringes of DFW. I'm in Arlington. I was gonna say you're welcome to join me and my colleagues to go shoot on private land in SE Dallas but that'd be a drive for ya. Plus we shoot on weekdays when there's less people.

[@blakerogers6806]

@@UrbanTiger74 Anywhere I’d know? I’m in Plano but have been looking for a new range since Triple C shut down. There’s a bakelite mag in it for you lol. Sounds like you’re closer than ETTS. Love the AK74U by the way.

[@je6476]

@@UrbanTiger74 East Dallas over here. I’d certainly welcome an invite to that range.

[@downtherange]

Cheers Pat watching from across the pond 👍🏻 🇺🇸 🌎 🇬🇧 ExSF

[@greenstreet5287]

Hope we get to see more of this 300 upper. Curious to see how it performs in further tests✊🏻

[@juansimon5802]

its all over youtube. BCM quality speaks for itself

[@ericdbates]

BCM is awesome…that group from 300 BO isn’t. I think the curiosity is more with the 300 from a 9”. at least it is for me.

[@GSWEAR66]

@@ericdbates Possible the gun just doesn't like that load, the 300bo was developed around a 9" barrel and I have shot a few in 9 and 11.5 that shot 1" at 50 yards. I have a 11.5" Wilson Combat barrel on mine and it has shot every load pretty good. At 50 the worst was about 2" and the best just under1" but I have never shot subsonic loads through it, mostly shoot 115's.

[@travish4045]

@@ericdbates I have some experience with a 7" faxon barrel on an upper I built. I was surprised to find it whips several hand loads sub moa .

[@bryanzawlocki]

@@travish4045 I’m shootin out a 5.5” faxon, haven’t shot at distance from a rest but indoor groups at 30 yards standing are tighter than pats group there.

[@keithcrabtree9400]

With an authority and efficiency born of experience, so goes Mac's delivery of another valuable lesson. 🤘🎯🇺🇲🥃

[@Seedy446]

It’s true, when I was in the 82nd they always told us not to put the magazine on the ground. I always did anyway!

[@ianmangham4570]

All Americans, were you under Mike Kawalowski?

[@Seedy446]

@@ianmangham4570 no. This was back in the 90’s

[@chiefro7]

300blk is definitely one of those rounds you have to find what your gun likes. I went through like 10 different manufacturers before I found a load that grouped acceptably.

[@wintersoldier4335]

all way correct

[@flywheel9759]

I solved my 300 blackout problem by selling the damn thing and sticking with my tried and true 7.62/.308

[@11bravo80]

@@flywheel9759 Roger that f*** 300 Blackout it's garbage. The military doesn't use it no special operator uses it it's trash 762 based rifle or 556 people are just trying to come out with ways to make money doesn't always mean it works

[@adamrodgers2377]

Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with us. 🤘🏼 🤘🏼

[@captnawesme221]

Short and to the point. Didn't even ask me to "smash" the like button and subscribe. I'm definitely subscribing and gently clicking the like button.

[@blackjackpershing6469]

Run David Tubb chamber and bore lapping rounds through it. Gets things smoothed out without having to put a tons of rounds through it to get it to group better and run better. Great advise on everything, too many have missing content on what to look for and why. I new it was bogus on the mag myth but never knew why, Thanks!

[@SgtRudySmith31bRet]

If you do have failure to feed when resting on the mag , tighten your mag release this is especially true for metal mags and older ARs.

[@kevos823]

Thank you Pat appreciate showing us in real time cause that's how it goes.

[@Drago2600]

*shows friends grouping target of new 300blkout rifle* Friends- sweet man, I love my mossberg 500 too. 😭😭

[@pr5721]

Just found this channel and im loving it! Every short video iv watched has corrected some sort of false army doctrine iv been following for 10+ years lol. I appreciate you!

[@chriscrusader5412]

Thank you for your time.

[@zekereed5990]

that little bit of history was eye opening....im such a jarhead. good stuff thanks Pat.

[@Natedoc808]

I shot an 8.5” 300blk with a Ballistic advantage barrel on it and couldn’t consistently get better than 4” groups, swapped a voodoo 8.5” into, all other components the same (all cleaned prior to firing and after break in) and got sub 2 MOA groups with best being 1.43”. All with bulk federal American eagle 150gr factory loads. I noticed the chamber in the voodoo was significant tighter and compared casings with the case mouth out of the ballistic advantage being .08-.21 larger than those out of the voodoo. That chamber tolerance appears to play a significant role.

[@scaldedape6213]

Interesting zeroing method. Makes plenty of sense compared to walking back and forth from the target five times! Yeah, my BCM MK2 (which i love) had a bit of a break in period. So did my Aero Precision EPC. Never knew that about hydrostatic pitting either; interesting point. Maybe that group could tighten up with a different grain, maybe. Rock on. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Pat.

[@dvig3261]

Love it! Does make wonder what .300 blackout is good for..

[@johngalt1040]

BCM is my favorite AR Manufacturer. However, my last upper with a stainless barrel from them struggled to keep 2" groups at 100yds. I had multiple people shoot it with the same results.

[@gunsandcommissions]

Accuracy is very, very ammo dependent.

[@2ndamendment115]

There is a lot of class A companies now . POF, SOLGW is 2 that are top notch and under the radar on the YT but in the real work good to go and a lot of LE preferred DD so check those out

[@RaftGuidePhil]

I would call their customer service. I’ve had a lot of experience with BCM SS uppers and they all shot under an inch or better with good ammo. Also once they got good and fouled, they would group good with range ammo.

[@RaftGuidePhil]

@@2ndamendment115 I’ve never been impressed with SOLGW barrels. They use BA barrels which are mid grade at best.

[@temetnosce17]

When I installed my BCM 14.5" MK2 rail on my factory Rock River 16" Bull Barrel, I had to make specific torque adjustments. Definitely had a 1.5" to 2" variance when sighting in similar to your issue. Even had a range master take a look found the same issue between 50-200 yds. Replaced the RRA 1:9 twist and installed with a BCM 1:7, tried different ammo, higher vs. lower grain. Groups zeroed in flawlessly. Like others stated, it can definitely be ammo dependent but it also could be the sights and whether they're gauged to the caliber rifle and barrel length correctly. But the 1:7 is amongst the easiest fixes considering there are still 1:8 or 1:9 options out there. Same Primary Arms Optic, same lower, same BCM rail, all I did was swap for a 1:7 twist BCM to handle several loads. And some careful torquing.

[@Fast85FoxGT]

Awesome. I have always had trouble zeroing as I was never taught thoroughly. Thanks.

[@davidhubble5283]

Gracias SGM!

[@Rubberweasel]

I have both my hunting rifle 16" and 8.5" pistol zeroed at 50 with supers and a "drop table" for subs. I handload all my blackout so that's my personal setup. We still had general issue M14s in the navy until I left in 07.

[@drewjames8594]

Great Idea! I have a 8.5" sbr I pig hunt with and go back and forth with supers vs subs. Been wanting a better system other than re-zeroing all the time.

[@EboiseEboise]

I have the exact same upper and with good ammo my groupings look the same as yours. When I put a Surefire 300sps on the rounds were tumbling at 25 yds. I bore scoped the suppressor and couldn’t see any thing that indicates a strike but I’m going to send it back to Surefire to check it. I was pretty bummed out with the results all around.

[@bigro4444]

Inclusive to putting the mag in the ground. I’ve used magpod magazine base plates with great success.

[@EchoSigma6]

Oh crap, I didn’t know about cleaning the barrel of a new upper. I just bore sighted with the irons and then the red dot before going out to the range. Learned something new today and yes, I’m new to the AR platform.

[@jimziogas8978]

I have the BCM Blackout - Keymod 9 inch barrel too. It looks bigger when I hold it though! Pat Mac makes it look like a toy!

[@LIONTAMER3D]

black is for people that can't 7.62x39 =/

[@jimziogas8978]

Enjoy the new prices on imports you Commie.

[@TakoNekko]

@@LIONTAMER3D 7.62x39 is for people that can't 7.62×51 ;)

[@LIONTAMER3D]

@@TakoNekko i'm a big fan of dirt cheap & easy to find, so NO 7.62x51R

[@TakoNekko]

@@LIONTAMER3D I get totally get it! Just being a smartass.

[@cw6656]

Just picked up a new Christensen Arms mesa in .308. Started the break in process they recommend which takes 50 rounds. To me this seemed excessive but I thought what the hell I got nothing better to do. After two cycles of shooting then cleaning, groups went from just over an inch to under an inch for the next two cycles. Cycle being fire two 3 rd groups then clean. I bet that 9 inch will tighten up with a little break in.

[@ericdbates]

heh, 9” at 50m is like an 18 MOA rifle. not so good outside a hallway.

[@saint5203]

I have the 9 inch 300 blackout. It's my truck is gun and my master bedroom gun.Wife is always saying get that damn thing out of here. I don't plan on using it on anything over 50m. if you come to my house unwelcome in the middle of the night you're going to see a green dot. After that you'll be receiving a good dose of Barnes Vortx 115g 300 blackout. there's a real good chance that's the last thing you're going to see. hugs. Thank you for your service pat.

[@Operator11B]

At OSUT in 2009, one of the first things they taught us was HOW TO use the magazine to stabilize the rifle. Glad we had a company of Drill Sgts that knew there shit. A couple of them were ex ranger batt. Im sure that helped

[@11bravo80]

Hooah 11b?

[@jasestrong]

Great Video SGM Mac. Thank you for sharing

[@sombra6153]

You hit on three really relevant points. I remember when I was training in the early. 80s NCOs who carried rifles & rucks for a living in Viet Nam really stressing the importance of not resting the mag on the ground. No war stories that I remember to go with the admonishment, however. We always zeroed on sand bags anyway. I also don’t recall in the early years of my uneventful military career ever getting near a BRM range that had us using anything other than 20s. Maybe TRADOC and ROTC were trying to use up the existing stocks. The second thing you hit on was the importance of cleaning the bore. And finally, the one thing that I can really relate to is to not forget the cheaters when planning to adjust optics or sights !

[@Gizmus123]

In 07 we were still using 20s for group and zero during BRM in basic. They %100 appeared to be from VN era or somewhere near to. Bluing and finish all worn down, etc. Never saw another one after that.

[@austinkuipers6087]

In the olden days advice from the toughest seasoned warrior was in high demand amongst the tribe. Out of 20 or 30 fighting age men you sought the best and worked with what you had. Hopefully you didn't have a weak tribe. Now our tribe of millions can learn from the hot pressed, refined and highly filtered extraction of the very best. That's unbelievably cool, thanks for doing this.

[@zackaryhill1354]

Thanks for the knowledge no one every said that was why you never put your magazine on the ground.

[@MurkyDregs]

I'm getting my first ever AR and I never heard of or knew about hydrostatic pitting....cool!

[@roberteastern2397]

Try a Noveske. If you can find one. Mine shoots an sweet group.

[@kevinfox1780]

You should shim the barrel extension with .001, .0015 or .002 stainless shimstock. Ar's can have some wobble if the barrel extension is not tight against the upper receiver. I've noticed its a bigger problem with AR10'S than AR 15's. The other option is to get the upper from JP enterprises, you have to heat them up to seat the barrel, but they're super expensive.

[@jstep100]

Great info! Thanks much!

[@carlosfernandez1]

Learning more than what I did in active duty...Thanks for shearing. Like all your videos, specially Basic Dudes Stuff.

[@andthecowsaysmoo4]

Awesome stuff.

[@chuckz28]

Glad you did this with 300 black. I was considering a very similar build but may end up going back to 556 with that grouping.

[@paulsred65]

My very layman philosophy is whether I get shot in the sternum or 2 inches low and to the left really doesn't matter all that much. Same with caliber- I don't want to get shot by .22, 223, nor 300 BLK, etc. (is that "basic dude stuff"?). Good luck with whatever you decide to build.

[@chuckz28]

@paulsred65 Well I know Mac is a much better shot than me, so the chances of me getting good hits with that are much lower. My inaccuracy + the limiting inaccuracy of the equipment is too much for my comfort.

[@gdgbjbfgcbjn]

Great video Pat!

[@christwine2273]

Pat even makes zeroing watchable

[@skim193]

thanks for clearing up the mag rest issue for me

[@michaelcarter8209]

Outstanding

[@yourconscience749]

Thanks for your time sir

[@jackcarnes9415]

Love how much of a badass you are and then I get this "Man I should have brought my readers"

[@petewilkening6680]

The pitting would come from the speed of the round not the size/mass. Faster round will cause pitting.

[@springbloom5940]

F=MA

[@metalegion2248]

My friend taught me to sight in laying down as well . Beats a table that will move Everytime u shoot a round .

[@motorcarclassics2922]

Cool video. You forgot to mention how far the target is you are zero'ing for. Also worth mentioning the ballistics when zeroing a rifle, it is common to zero at 50 yards which also allows for a 200 yard zero.

[@geremypelleran8487]

He does mention its 50yds at the beginning and the 50yds to 200yds isn’t equivalent to the .300blkout. 50yd zero will be roughly 8-9” drop at 200yds with supersonic rounds.

[@ASqdrnDA]

He likes 50-200yd zero. It's what works with his optic, it may not work with other optics and it's height over bore, for the record.

[@williamvigil2951]

Appreciate the knowledge big dog

[@billskinner623]

The other reason the instructors taught people to keep the hand off the bottom of the magazine is because if you shoot with a plugged bore, the M16 is designed to vent through the magazine well and blow the bottom out of the magazine instead of it coming back in the shooter's face.

[@m118lr]

..a LOT of shooters HOLD the mag well, and in terms of ‘damage’ inflicted TO BOTH HAND AND RIFLE) there probably wouldn’t be much difference

[@WildWeasel4570]

I don’t have much experience with .300. With 5.56 ammo weight and twist rate are important factors. My 1 in 9 inch twist doesn’t shoot the 75s as well as my 1in 7 inch does. Git Chu Sum! 🤘

[@jonmueller2117]

Try using .25" graph paper, draw your own 1" bullseye, 4 per sheet. Easy to measure for sight adjustments. 5 rounds per adjustment. Start at 25yards. Any off the shelf rifle should put 10 rounds into 1" if not you need some skill training. Then go to 50 yards and on.

[@markokingo]

👍 I pin an upper in a vice..remove the bcg..look through the bore at a spray painted dot on a tree 100 yds away and center it in my bore, then center the red dot on it, then adjust my flips till red dot floating just over front sight post, then center in rear flip, gtg. My edc is 7.5" 7.62x39..no tack driver..gtg

[@caseyslinkard8499]

Thanks for this video, I just got done zeroing my 8.5 black out, and was wandering what was up with my group. Because my 62 gr 5.56 is about a 2in group and my blk out is more like a 5 in. I thought I was wrong, glad to see it’s the 30cal

[@firstimeshooter6590]

Yeah same with me. I’m new to 300 blk so I thought I was just sucking.

[@glenngomes4146]

Why not use a boresighter? I have both an optical and a laser device. It also comes in handy if you're going on a trip where the rifle gets banged badly or the stock warps. I've had both happen.

[@dietwaffles]

Learn something new every video 🤘

[@randypennington4968]

Awesome instructions

[@jacklewis3444]

Damn. I zeroed my Noveske 300 blk out upper the other day @ 50meters and literal got .25”-.5” MOA groups. I had good luck with the Hornady black Vmax 110gr.

[@maskedhobo]

With that length of .300 depending on ammo, you should be ok. Since it usually burns all the powder in like 8ish inches. Again, all that stuff varies a lot and a ton of what ifs to manage. Hopefully it gets sorted out. Thanks for the info Pat.

[@loserdogygo]

there's some ar10's that have reliability issues if you rest them on the magazine when firing but they are outliers.

[@Adamgvc]

Nice history lesson with some shooting. When did the Marine Corps switch from M14? I enlisted in 1999. And we were using A2. Never had the opportunity to shoot M14.

[@ironwoodtactics8778]

I recently was resting my P mag gen 2 on the bench while zeroing my new baby and the first shot Jamed the f’ck out of my rifle! Ejected shell stuck and a double dang feed, it was a cluster F! That’s the first time and I won’t do it again because it IS possible. Peace! Love you Mac!

[@connera93]

Love the videos man!

[@truthasareligion9472]

If even 1 in 100 of the dudes at NSW was like this dude I woulda stayed.

[@danielmarshall4587]

Enjoyed that very much, thank you.

[@justinblower7598]

We would have certain gun/magazine combos where putting the magazine on the ground and then loading it would cause malfunctions at SFARTAETC. Usually it was older lower receivers.

[@dasgespenst979]

From what I have found for research, under 10" of barrel length with 300blk the groups will struggle. I run supers and subs. Suppressed and un suppressed. With my 10" barrel, the supers have crappy groups. The subs however are tighter

[@bowlofrice8]

Would love to see one on zeroing an acog

[@getoutside2854]

Getusome! Thx Pat

[@heaththompson3834]

Always excellent content

[@NEODOMINATION]

Very informative as always

[@FrankieHustla]

Dont even own a rifle (Yet) but found it relaxing :)

[@thomasdavison7184]

I handload for my AR 10. I have been working on a super light 100grn Hornady bullet that I absolutely love. It's fast, lower recoil and really accurate out of my rifle. That 300 bo in my opinion isn't worth a shit. The only advantage is the 30 caliber bullet but you loose every other advantage due to the cartridge.

[@philipkellerman9826]

What do you prefer? Pat MacnaYODA OR Pat YODAmara? Just a question 😊

[@ianmangham4570]

Nice rifle pat 🙏🇬🇧

[@GadoTheLion556]

BCM barrels have had QC issues look at a video by gunthots and the engineer shooter.

[@duncang01]

I sight in my rifles at 25 yards 1st because I can get a good zero in just a few shots. then I move to 50, 75 and finally 100 with 2 inch high on center. Trying to hit a target at 50 yards with a new optic installed wastes ammo for me. I can get my final zero with 12 - 15 rounds most of the time.

[@johnclark538]

I've always bore sighted my rifles to the optic at 50yds on a sand bag, then moved back to 100yds, Gets me in the black in 2 or 3 rounds.

[@worryphree]

He sound like he almost bout ta cry right there at the end.

[@wingman8447]

I need my readers too. Kinda sucks. Can’t go anywhere without two or three. Good info.

[@anymouse6202]

Thanks for the video.

[@MrSLF]

Thank you.

[@sniperbob11]

You ever bore sight by looking down the barrel and zero optic that way (rifle staying static at a target)?

[@11_Chuck]

Very nice brother! Looking forward to see if the 300 gets better for you.

[@chasetew401]

Where do shoot at. I live up around Fuquay Varina. No good rifle range around me

[@JohnSmith-nf8bi]

Shouldn’t a brand new upper assist in feeding and chambering, locking/unlocking?

[@rogervasquez7640]

I noticed those new BCM charging handles come with some stiff springs making in somewhat hard to charge at first but after some break-in it'll be like "grease butter"

[@smackerindignity]

Bro! Get you a suppressor and subsonic, I've read that it's paintball quiet! I also heard a suppressor can improve accuracy.

[@SGDM762]

I use Hornady 190 subsonic and it’s devastating on pigs. Drops 8” at 100.

[@markthomas1810]

Yep, the 300 Blackout is a totally different animal... With that said,it has some things to bring to the table our standard 5.56 just cant do, especially in this short of package.. If you have a few moments take a look at Johnny's Reloading Bench, he has probably one of the best video series on the 300 Blackout, which even if your not into reloading for the Blackout, will show that your 9 incher can be very accurate with the right projectiles, powder, case prep, and assembly... He also has demonstrated that his 8.5 " gun is quite accurate with as mentioned ( quality loads ) a decent scope ( or Aimpoint ) with a decent trigger, and time... You have a good barrel and set up so, you should be able to achieve similar results as a 5.56, just within shorter distances. Unfortunately your at the mercy of the ammo manufaturers, who have to try and build ammo to fit a wide variety of chambers on the market, which may not suit your chamber as well... I have used Barnes 110 gr Black Tip's for good results as well as Hornady 110gr Gmx load, both of which the projectile was developed specifically for the Blackout cartridge, helping to develop both velocity and accuracy in that platform. I have been using BCM's 12.5" barrel for just over a year now, and with the 110 gr projectiles I can push them very close to the Ak 762/39 rounds... 2,350fps... Take care Pat... Still doing the Lord's work...

[@jpminj5746]

Pure awesomeness.

[@Chris-zh3zv]

curious the twist rate of that barrel and the bullet weight. might have to play around with ammo to find something that it slings a bit more consistently

[@gmfb521]

I have that same BCM upper on my "pistol"👍

[@rsmith6027]

Pat, do you zero again after a 100rds or so with a brand new barrel, or a barrel that’s been recently cleaned down to bare metal? With my precision rifles, I’ll see velocity climb until a new/clean barrel builds a nice layer of carbon/copper and stabilizes velocity. Wondering if it’s similar thinking with AR’s or not worth thinking about because we’re not expecting to stack bullet holes, and it doesn’t take long to get hundreds of rounds through a new/clean barrel. Thank you for all of your lessons. I’ve enjoyed learning from your content for years.

[@adamsanchez1828]

Thx man. Great simple Vid