How to Set Up and Zero Your Red Dot Optic

Red dot pistol sights can transform your shooting game with getting on target quickly and accurately. If you just put a new red dot optic on your pistol, you’re like I'm from the future and I have cool guy hardware. And I don’t blame you. Welcome to the Red Dot Club. Here’s a quick guide for setting up and zeroing your new optic for optimal performance.

What is Zeroing and Why It’s Important

Zeroing your new optic isn't just a small box to check off your list. It’s foundational to operating your weapon with speed and accuracy. Zeroing means aligning your sight's reticle with where you want your rounds to hit down range. 

When your point of aim matches the point of impact, you’ll hit your target more consistently—especially when it really counts in a high-pressure situation.

Get All the Right Tools: Quality Matters

My current EDC set up is a CR920P War Poet pistol with a Holosun 507K optic. Getting all of the right components and mounting them the right way will save you tons of headaches. If you don’t mount properly, it doesn’t matter how many times you zero the sights. 

You’ll have to do it again every few weeks or sooner. So you can’t just throw an optic on a gun, zero it, and go on your way. The right screws and tightening it all down with the right tension is a critical first step. So make sure you have a good mount, the right screws (and treat the threads with Blue Loctite). 

Add a good spacer. I also take the extra step of marking the X with little dots of red paint so I’m aware the second any of the screws back out on my mount even a little. Once I'm sure that I'm mounted properly, now I'm ready to shoot. 

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Zeroing in Your New Red Dot Optic

I’ll walk you through three different spots to adjust for on your red dot—at the gun, at a close-range target, and at a spot further away. 

At the Gun. This is called Cowitnessing. Your cowitnessing the red dot with the iron sights. For this spot, you’re going to look through the optic and see where the red dot lines up in relation to the iron sites. You want that red dot to go where your focus would go if you were using your iron sights. Then you want to adjust for elevation (your sight’s top control) and windage (the side control). 

Adjust for the Target. This step involves going to the range or other safe space for firing off some rounds down range at a target. I typically will set up a cardboard target on a stand. Draw some nickel-size markings on that cardboard. 

Next, mark off seven yards. Sharpen the red dot so there’s no fuzzy perimeter. If there’s a bright bloom red dot in your optic, you won’t be able to really center on the target. I usually fire off three rounds from that seven yard mark and adjust the sights based on how the rounds landed. You might circle that first grouping to be sure you don’t confuse it with your next grouping. 

Next I use a sharpie to mark a bigger (big enough to see clearly from the distance) solid red circle on the cardboard and I’ll back out to about 20 yards (distance kind of depends on how well you can still see the markings on the target). Then I shoot a group of three. I may shoot a group of 7 or 8 if I’m not quite able to get a tight group at first. 

ONE NOTE: If your pistol fundamentals are off, it might lead to frustration when trying to group at 20 yards, though bracing finding something to stabilize on could reduce some of the issue. But don't be afraid to take the time to work on fundamentals with a good trainer, and then put in the time you need to at the range. 

PRO TIP: If you experience some eye fatigue, feel free to close your eyes for a minute or so and then come back to the sight with fresher vision. 

Adjust and Readjust. At the 20 yard mark, be patient. I might take you a few cycles of rounds and adjustments to get it right. 

But once you've got it, and all your components are good and tight, you'll be glad you took the time. Train Hard. Train Smart. Live Free.

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