Plenty of commercially made targets are available for shooters, but the author favors plain white squares on brown cardboard.

An adjustable rest aids good shooting because with it you can "dial in" the exact position you want the rifle, bringing its natural point of aim to the bullseye. You can relax behind it, your body only a recoil brace. If you hold the rifle on target, you introduce muscle tension, pulse and nerve tremors that can kick your bullet off course. Sandbags are okay; you'll just use more time getting them to hold the rifle where you want it. Of course, you'll use a small bag to pad the fore-end cradle on an adjustable rest.

The rifle is best supported just behind the fore-end swivel and just ahead of the stock's toe. Protect forward sandbags from the swivel stud on recoil by wadding a washcloth in front of the bag. Never zero a rifle with the barrel touching a rest. The barrel will vibrate away from the rest and throw the shot wide.

Unless you're shooting a rifle of very heavy recoil and must hold it down (lest it jump off the rest), keep your left hand off the fore-end. Use it instead to pinch the sandbags or beanbags that support the toe of the stock. A little hand pressure here can shift the rifle just enough to bring the sight to the exact center of the target. Assuming you are right-handed, your right hand should keep steady but light pressure on the grip as you pull straight back on the trigger.

When you get that 12 o'clock group at 100 yards, move the box or backer to 200 yards and change the target, doubling the size of the square or bullseye. Now fire another three-shot group. It should be close to center. Adjust until it's there. If you have the room, move the box or backer to 300 and 400 yards, using appropriate targets, and note bullet drop.

Next, get off the bench and shoot one 200-yard group each from the positions you most often use when hunting. I shoot a lot from sitting with a tight sling. I've found that the sling pulls the rifle down and left, so my shots don't hit where they would if the rifle were benched. One .30 magnum put a sitting group nine inches below the centered group I'd fired from the bench!

A barrel-mounted sling swivel exacerbates this problem, but a stud on the fore-end is no guarantee that groups will stay together. A fore-end that applies lots of pressure to the barrel can be pulled free by a sling. A big change in point of impact may result.

Keep the barrel cool. I take no more than 10 shots before setting the rifle aside, bolt open, to bring the bore temperature down. If I have to take more than 30 shots, or if the groups open up, I clean the bore. Having two or three rifles at the range is a good idea. The second and third keep you occupied while the first cools. If you can only twiddle your thumbs, you won't let the barrel cool enough.

RANGE ITEMS Before you take your rifle to the range, make a list of the gear you might need. Such gear might include: Shooting glasses and hearing protection Sandbags and adjustable shooting rest Spotting scope with bench tripod Targets, with pasters or tape to cover bullet holes Stapler and staples, or tape, to attach the targets Trouble-shooting kit with screwdrivers to fit every rifle and scope-mount screw Rifle cleaning kit Old sweatshirts to pad your elbows on the bench Recoil shield or towel for your shoulder Notepad and pens to record sight changes and general observations

Post enough targets to occupy your rifles for at least half an hour. Frequent cease-fires waste time. At long ranges especially, set targets on adjacent frames if they're vacant. The walk may be good for your health, but it also raises your pulse and delays your shooting after you're back on the line. If someone calls a cease-fire too frequently, offer to loan targets or set up another frame for him. If he doesn't have a spotting scope, offer to look at that target periodically.

After zeroing, thoroughly clean your rifle and run a lightly oiled patch through the bore. If you have time to let the barrel get stone cold, shoot later that day at 200 yards to check point of impact. Pay a lot of attention to where the first and second shots land and how close they are. Those are the shots that count when you're hunting. Save that target.

Visit the range at least once more before the hunt to see if the zero has shifted, again firing from a cold barrel at 200 yards. A composite group from different days should form a knot no wider than four inches. Remember that wind affects point of impact; compensate for it.

Careful zeroing can teach you a lot about your rifle. Seeing those bullets chew out the center of a 200-yard target can boost your confidence. Learning where bullets hit at various ranges and from various shooting positions can tell you where to hold when you see game. It's a good idea to check zero from time to time, even if the rifle has been babied. Changing moisture and temperature can make wood stocks walk.

If you don't zero carefully, or check zero often, you may be hunting for a shot you can't make.