Well after about a 5 month wait I received my White Oak upper.  With the package was a letter that states the upper was already zeroed.  But I have several questions.  I have shot thousands of rounds in the infantry so I'm very familiar with the AR sighting system.  However, that was with the 55 grain (A1) or 62 grain (A2) bullets and the 8/3 on the dial.  

This sight says 0, 5, 10 etc.  Where does john zero from?  I'm sure its not 25 meters.  What grain does John use to zero?

Can someone school me on this HighPower Sighting?  

Thank You for your time.

Attached is a couple of pics.

I'm sure others will chime in, but here is my experience.  With the WO upper, the front sight base is not secured to the barrel with through pins like a normal military rifle M16/AR variant, it is secured by opposing set screws in the location where the normal pins would be located.   What is usually meant by zeroed, is that the front sight base assembly is positioned, by loosening and tightening of opposing set screws on the base, so that the front sight is centered with the rear sight set a mechanical zero or dead center.  Some brands of rifles will not shoot dead center with the rear sight set dead center, but only with several click left or right added.  This is fine for some people, but if you shoot longer distances and are exposed to crossing winds, you may end up running out of left or right windage adjustment if you had to move the rear sight away from dead center just to get on target.  

The rifle should be close to zero at 200 yards on a standard highpower target with the elevation wheel set somewhere between 5 and 12 clicks off mechanical bottom.  If it is not, you can adjust the front sight to get there by screwing the front sight up or down as needed.  With the WO upper, be sure to loosen the set screw under the front sight post before attempting to move the front post.  It is there to prevent inadvertant movement and lock the sight firmly in place.  Loosen the set screw and then move the sight up.  If you need to move it down, you will have to move the set screw down as well.  It can be accessed with a standard allen wrench from the bottom of the front post thread hole directly under the front post.  Once set for the elevation hold you desire, 6 o'clock or center mass, retighten the set screw under the front post.

The actual performance of the rifle with a specific bullet weight needs to be verified by you.  If the barrel is 1-8 twist or faster, it should shoot 68, 69, 75, 77, and 80 grain bullets accurately once you have worked up a load for it.  They will also shoot lighter bullets in most cases, but you trade long range wind performance when you use lighter bullets.  Some clubs don't even allow you to use 55 grain bullets at the 600 yard line during matches because of poor performance.  Most shooters set the 200 yard zero around 10 to 12 clicks off bottom with their favorite load so that if they ever shoot a reduced course at 100 yards, there is enough elevation to lower the rear sight to just a few clicks off mechanical bottom to be on target.  

So my routine with a new rifle is to take a "standard load" that I use for highpower, and set the rear sight to 12 clicks off bottom and shoot.   Then adjust the front sight until the point of impact is where I want it on the target.  Then lock the front post down and I am ready to go.  The windage should be correct or just a click or two off if the wind is calm and I am steady that day.  Then I can shoot farther distances as needed to ge tthe proper come ups.

Doug Giraud
Giraud Tool Company

Both the WOA uppers (and the uppers I've had re-barreled by WOA) have had their actual zero quite close to mechanical zero for windage, and for elevation, I've been somewhere around 20 (as low as 17 and as high as 25) quarter minute clicks up from the bottom. So, with a new upper, somewhere around 20 will usually find the black. Unless you really want to mess with the front post, you probably won't need to. It's shaped (there's a face of it that should be towards you––the widest face) so you can only adjust it in full revolutions (5 minutes). Oh, and the markings 0-5-10... are just there to help you keep count of the clicks. You're a lot less likely to put your dope on incorrectly when you've got the extra reference marks.

As far as what distance/load Holliger uses, it doesn't matter a bit. He's just getting it close. Your position, load, sight picture, etc., will determine what your actual zero is at each yard line and position. Oh, be sure to put a reference mark with nail polish (or something) on the windage knob so you can find your zero again––it's a real pain to stare at the little marks, putting on and take off a click, trying to figure out where the mechanical zero is. You can tell by the hash marks if you're a revolution off, and then your reference mark tells you exactly where you are.

First, forget about the 8/3 dial, the numbers on the elevation wheel, and how you used to zero a rifle.

For Highpower you will have a zero for each yard line of the course (200, 300, 600). That zero will be dependent on your sight picture (six o'clock, center of mass, flat tire, etc). Just use the same sight picture at any given yard line every time you shoot. Then write down what zero (windage and elevation) has to be on the gun to shoot a center shot when the rifle was pointed in the center.

I would recommend basing your elevation zero from the bottom most click. Then each yard line zero will be a certain number of clicks from the bottom for elevation. For windage, either use the location of your windage knob now or set it so the line on the rear sight leaf lines up with the longest line on the rear sight base. That will be your windage mechanical zero.

Since White Oak did the hard work for you just count how many clicks your elevation is now from the bottom. This will be a good starting point for your 200 yard zero.

Your zero will shift over time so write it down in a data book to make sure you have the correct zero when you shoot.