Tried to Google it or ask for people to explain it but no luck.
In: Technology
Bullets follow a ballistic trajectory. They fall due to gravity, and can be blown off course by the wind. For this reason, gunsights are adjustable in two ways: windage (left/right) and elevation (up/down).
“Zeroing” is the process of adjusting the gunsights such that the bullet will land exactly where the sight is aimed at a specific distance (typically 100m) on a calm day with no wind. This ensures that the gunsights are accurate in most cases. However, when the wind is blowing the bullet may land slightly to the left or the right of where the sights are aimed. When the target is closer or further away than the range the sights have been zeroed at, the bullet will land slightly above or below where the sight is aimed.
This is why many scopes & sights can typically adjust windage & elevation on the fly with a set of knobs or sliders. Gravity & wind both have a much more pronounced effect on bullets at longer ranges, and sights must be adjusted to remain accurate when engaging targets at different ranges. This is a big part of why snipers have spotters. The spotter will measure the wind and the distance to the target, do the math, and tell the sniper what adjustments need to be made. Some advanced modern scopes can do this automatically to an extent.
There are also more variables than just wind & gravity, but those don’t have a significant enough effect to matter at typical engagement ranges, and only need to be accounted for at long range or when a high degree of accuracy is nescessary.
Edit: typo
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