What target should I print for a 25-yard sight-in?

The 1-inch grid is the workhorse: every square is exactly one inch, so your offset reads straight off the paper. For proxy zeroing a longer distance from the 25-yard line, the proxy-dot target has a vertical inch ladder built for exactly that. Both are free PDFs printed at 100% scale.

Is a 25-yard zero good enough for hunting?

By itself, usually not — a rifle dead-on at 25 typically prints a few inches high at 100 because the bullet is still climbing through your line of sight. Use 25 yards to get on paper or to shoot a deliberate proxy offset, then confirm at your real hunting distance.

How many rounds does it take to sight in at 25 yards?

With a measured correction, usually two 3-round groups: one to measure, dial the correction, and one to confirm. The expensive version — walking shots in one adjustment at a time — is what a measured group replaces.

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Sight-In Targets for 25 Yards — and How to Use the 25-Yard Line Right

Twenty-five yards is where most sight-ins start: it's the shortest line at almost every range, a bore-sighted rifle is nearly guaranteed to be on paper there, and misses are easy to read. It's also where a lot of sight-ins quietly go wrong, because dead-on at 25 is not a 100-yard zero — it's inches high. Here's the target to print, and the honest version of what 25 yards can and can't do for you.

Free printable targets for the 25-yard line

1-inch grid — the default. At 25 yards your correction in inches is small, and the grid reads it straight off the paper.
Proxy-dot target — a point-of-aim diamond with a vertical inch ladder, made for shooting a deliberate offset at 25 (see below).

All are free PDFs (Letter and A4) with a printed calibration bar and coded corner markers. Print at 100% — "fit to page" shrinks the sheet and silently changes every measurement.

What 25 yards is actually for

Getting on paper without burning a box

A fresh scope mount can be feet off at 100 yards — off the paper entirely, which turns a sight-in into guesswork. At 25 the same angular error is a quarter the size, so your first shot lands on the sheet and the first correction does real work. Rough-in at 25, then move back and finish where you actually shoot.

Proxy-zeroing a longer distance

If 25 yards is all the distance you have, you can still leave with a useful zero — you just don't aim for dead-center. Because the bullet is still climbing at 25, a rifle zeroed for a longer distance prints slightly low there. Shoot to a small deliberate offset below your aim point and you've bought the longer zero from the short line. The size of that offset depends on your sight height and load — the app computes it for your setup, and the 25-vs-100 guide and the 50-yard-zero-from-25 guide walk the logic.

What it isn't

A finished hunting zero. "On at 25, done" is how deer get missed high. Whatever you do at 25, confirm at the distance you'll actually shoot before you trust it.

The three-shot sight-in workflow

Print the target at 100% scale ("actual size" — never "fit to page"). Every sheet has a 1-inch calibration bar so you can check your printer with a ruler.
Shoot a 3-round group from a solid rest, aiming center.
Photograph the target with the Zero Considerations app. The coded corner markers set true scale and correct camera tilt, the bullet holes are found automatically, and the app converts your group's offset into the exact click count for your optic's click value.
Dial the correction, then shoot a confirmation group. A group is a sample — the confirmation group is what makes it a zero.

Rimfire and pistol shooters: 25 yards is a legitimate final zero distance for a .22 plinker or a pistol red dot — the proxy logic above is about centerfire rifles being zeroed for longer distances. For pistols, see the red-dot pistol zeroing guide.

The other distances

For education and lawful sporting use. Figures here are rough and load-dependent — treat them as orientation, not dope. Always confirm your zero with live fire at your real distance before relying on it, and follow all firearm safety rules and your range's procedures.

Zero Considerations — photograph the target, get the measured group and the exact clicks to dial, then keep the DOPE. One-time $9.99 on both stores — no subscription, no account, works with no signal.

App Store — $9.99 once Google Play — $9.99 once What it does Free printable targets

On Android, Google Play gives you 48 hours to ask for a refund — try it on your next range trip and keep it only if it earns its spot in your range bag. Not ready today? Wishlist it on Google Play and Google will notify you if the price drops before opening day.