How to Sight In a TenPoint Crossbow Scope at Every Distance

Set Up A Solid Rest And Check Your Eye Relief

Sighting in a crossbow scope requires absolute stability. Even a tiny twitch of your shoulder or hands will throw an arrow several inches off target downrange. Before you touch any adjustment knobs, prepare your shooting area and check how the optic fits your body.

• Use a sturdy shooting bench: Rest the forearm and stock of the crossbow on sandbags, a padded shooting rest, or a dedicated bench vise. Never attempt to sight in by standing and shooting off-hand.
• Place a dense crossbow target at exactly 20 yards: Measure the distance with a physical tape or a verified rangefinder from the front of your shooting bench to the face of the target. Ensure you have a clear dirt berm or safe backstop behind your target to stop stray arrows.
• Set your eye relief: Eye relief is the distance between your eye and the rear glass of the scope. Mount the crossbow to your shoulder with your cheek resting naturally on the stock comb. If you see a dark shadow or a black ring around the edges of the view, loosen the scope rings and slide the scope tube slightly forward or backward until you see a crisp, full circular view.
• Verify the crosshairs are level: Look through the optic and make sure the horizontal crosshair sits perfectly parallel to the flat limbs of the crossbow. If the scope is twisted sideways in its rings, your arrows will drift off target at longer distances. Tighten the scope ring screws evenly once everything is straight. If you bought your optic as part of a complete TenPoint crossbow package, check these factory ring screws with a hand wrench before shooting, as shipping vibrations can loosen them.

Zero The Top Twenty Yard Crosshair Using Turret Knobs

Your TenPoint scope uses a reticle, which is the system of crosshair lines or dots you see inside the scope glass. The very top crosshair or top illuminated dot is designed specifically for your 20-yard distance. Sighting in starts by getting this single top aiming point dead center.

1. Cock the crossbow and load an arrow safely: Use your cocking sled or built-in crank mechanism to draw the bowstring smoothly until the trigger latch engages. Slide an arrow down the flight rail until the nock sits firmly against the bowstring. Never let the string snap forward without an arrow loaded. A dry fire is firing the bow without an arrow nocked, which absorbs zero energy and can shatter limbs and fling sharp shrapnel.
2. Aim at a single spot on the target: Settle the bow into your bench rest, look through the optic, and place the top 20-yard crosshair directly over a small target dot. Keep your breathing steady and squeeze the trigger smoothly with the pad of your finger.
3. Check the arrow impact and shoot separate dots: Walk down to the target to see where the arrow struck. If you shoot a second shot to confirm your group, always aim at a different dot on the target block. Crossbow arrows hit with extreme accuracy at close range, and shooting at the same bullseye will cause the second arrow to smash directly into the back of the first arrow, destroying both shafts. Before reusing any arrow, always spend five seconds flex-testing carbon arrows by bending the arrow gently by hand to listen for cracking sounds before shooting.
4. Remove the adjustment turret caps: Unscrew the protective caps on the top and side of your scope body. The elevation dial is the top knob that shifts your hit up or down. The windage dial is the side knob that shifts your hit left or right.
5. Make your click adjustments: Look at the directional arrows stamped onto the dials. Turning the top elevation dial in the direction of the arrow marked "UP" raises your arrow impact point, while turning it the other way lowers it. Turning the side windage dial toward "R" moves your arrow impact to the right, while turning it toward "L" moves it left. On most TenPoint scopes, each click moves arrow impact roughly one-quarter inch at 20 yards. If your arrow hit two inches low and one inch to the right, turn the top elevation dial eight clicks in the "UP" direction and turn the side windage dial four clicks in the "L" direction.
6. Fire a confirmation shot: Settle back onto the bench, aim at a fresh dot with the top crosshair, and fire. Continue making small dial adjustments until your top crosshair consistently puts arrows directly into the center of the aiming dot at 20 yards. Once centered, screw the protective dial caps back on finger-tight.

Calibrate The Arrow Speed Dial At Forty Yards

After your 20-yard mark is zeroed, do not touch the elevation dial or the windage dial again. TenPoint scopes feature an arrow speed dial, which is the numbered ring located near the rear eyepiece that matches scope spacing to arrow flight speed. Adjusting this ring changes the internal magnification slightly, which widens or shrinks the physical gaps between the lower distance crosshairs while keeping the top 20-yard line fixed in place.

1. Set your baseline speed: Check the rated speed of your crossbow model in feet per second. Rotate the speed dial ring so the printed number roughly aligns with your bow's factory rating. For example, if your bow shoots around 400 feet per second, turn the ring index mark directly to 400. This provides a clean starting point for your long-range calibration.
2. Move your target back to 40 yards: Measure the distance carefully to ensure the target face sits exactly 40 yards away from your shooting bench rest.
3. Aim using your 40-yard crosshair mark: Cock the bow and load an arrow. Look through the scope reticle. TenPoint reticles typically feature descending crosshairs or dots calibrated in 10-yard jumps: the top mark is 20 yards, the second mark is 30 yards, and the third mark is 40 yards. Place that third 40-yard mark dead center on a fresh bullseye dot. Squeeze the trigger from your solid bench rest.
4. Examine your vertical arrow impact: Walk to the target and evaluate whether the arrow hit high or low relative to your aiming point. Because you already locked in your side-to-side aim at 20 yards, ignore minor left or right wind drift for now and focus purely on the up-and-down height.
5. Adjust the speed dial ring based on height:
   • If the arrow hits LOW at 40 yards: Your arrow is dropping more than the scope reticle expects. Turn the speed dial ring to a LOWER speed number. Turning the ring to a lower number expands the visual space between the crosshair lines inside the scope, which naturally forces you to aim the crossbow higher, raising your downrange impact.
   • If the arrow hits HIGH at 40 yards: Your arrow is dropping less than the scope expects. Turn the speed dial ring to a HIGHER speed number. Selecting a higher number pulls the crosshair lines closer together, lowering your aim and bringing the arrow down into the bullseye.
6. Shoot and fine-tune: Fire another arrow at 40 yards using the third crosshair. Make tiny rotational tweaks to the speed dial ring until the arrow punches directly into the center of the bullseye. Once your 40-yard mark hits dead center, the optical geometry automatically aligns your remaining distance marks across the entire scope view.

Confirm Remaining Yardages Without Adjusting Any Knobs

Now that your 20-yard turret zero and your 40-yard speed calibration are locked, every other distance marker on the glass should match reality. The next phase is verification. You are not turning knobs or spinning rings during this phase; you are simply confirming that your arrow hits where each crosshair points.

Move your target to 30 yards first. Settle the crossbow onto your bench rest, place the second crosshair down from the top on the target bullseye, and take a shot. The arrow should strike within the center dot. If your 20-yard turret zero and 40-yard speed calibration were done accurately, 30 yards will fall directly into line without any adjustments.

Next, move the target back to 50 yards, and then out to 60 yards if your target range allows. Aim using the corresponding fourth and fifth crosshairs or dots on the reticle. At these extended ranges, arrows spend significantly more time in the air, making them vulnerable to crosswinds. If a gentle breeze pushes an arrow two inches left or right at 50 yards, do not turn the side windage dial. Simply note the wind direction and confirm that your arrow height matches the elevation line.

Once practice points hit accurately across all yardages, you must check your hunting setup. Field points and hunting broadheads often fly differently due to blade surface area catching air currents. If you are preparing the best TenPoint crossbow for hunting during the pre-season, screw on practice broadheads that match the exact grain weight of your hunting points. If your broadheads hit slightly lower at 40 yards due to added drag, you can rotate the speed dial ring slightly lower by a tiny fraction to account for the speed loss without ever disturbing your main turret zero.

Fix Common Setup Mistakes That Throw Off Your Aim

If you struggle to get your arrows grouping consistently while sighting in, the issue is rarely a broken scope. Most sighting frustrations stem from subtle mechanical errors or inconsistent shooting form. Check these common trouble spots before you waste arrows or assume your optic is defective.

• Canting the crossbow limbs: Canting means tilting the bow slightly to the left or right rather than keeping the limbs perfectly level with the horizon. If you tilt the bow just a few degrees to the right, your arrow will strike lower and farther right than your point of aim. The farther back you shoot, the worse this error becomes. Keep the top scope turret pointed straight up, or install a small sight level bubble on your scope rail to keep the bow square before every trigger press.
• Loose scope base or mounting rings: Crossbows produce sharp, unique vibrations along the rail when fired. These vibrations can gradually loosen the screws holding the scope rings to the Picatinny rail. If your shots wander randomly around the target with no clear pattern, place a wrench on each mounting screw and ensure it is snug. Never over-tighten screws to the point of crushing the internal scope tube.
• Inconsistent cheek weld: Placing your face in a different spot along the stock changes the angle at which your pupil enters the rear glass. Settle your cheekbone firmly into the exact same spot on the stock comb for every single shot. Consistency in your eye position ensures you see through the optical center of the scope every time.
• Arrow and nock mismatch: TenPoint crossbows require specific nocks designed to maintain solid contact with the bowstring throughout the forward stroke. Using generic flat nocks or mismatched arrow weights will cause wild vertical velocity shifts. Make sure every arrow you shoot shares the same shaft length, vane style, point weight, and manufacturer-specified nock design.
• Bottoming out the adjustment turrets: If you twist the elevation dial all the way in one direction and your arrows still hit several inches away from the bullseye, stop turning. Forcing the knob past its internal stopping point will strip the internal gears. When a scope bottoms out, the mounting rail beneath the scope may be misaligned, or the scope rings may be uneven. Loosen the assembly, reseat the optic on the rail, or visit a local archery pro shop with qualified technicians to inspect your rail alignment before taking the bow into the woods for the 2026 season.