Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics I need a good boresighter,which is most accurate?

I know nothing about these things,tell me which ones work and which are junk.I have my eye on a leupold ,are they any good or should i keep looking?
thanks

I would avoid anything that requires jamming a rod into the muzzle...

I have one that I never use. Just pull the bolt, set the gun up on bags, and eyeball down the bore on a distant object. Adjust the scope accordingly.

I have the Leupold magnetic bore sighter and really like it; easy to use, and no need to worry about messing up the bore.

I need to scope a lever action and, of course, you can't see down the bore. The laser sighters that fit like a cartridge in the chamber look inviting but I've never used one.

+1 on the Leupold. I really like mine. Just be sure to measure sight height above the bore. Nice and small and no assortment of bore spuds to worry about.

I have used the Leupold boresighter; works great. Highly recommend, easy to use.

My right eye looking through the bore at the target has always been more accurate than any device I've tried. The 1st shot at 50 yards is always within 2-3".

With a lever or any other gun that you cannot see through the bore simply use a larger sheet of paper for the 1st shot, or reduce the range. I'm usually within 1 or 2" of the bull in 3 shots at 100 yards with a bolt rifle. Add 1 more shot for rifles that I cannot see through the bore with. Ammo is expensive, but not that expensive.

If you sight in dozens of rifles a year a boresight tool might pay for it's self in a few years. Or if you own a gunshop and offer free boresighting with a scope purchase I could see buying one. But I cannot see the expense when they save zero shots with a bolt gun, and only 1 shot per sight in with non bolt rifles.

Accuracy is a function of the user's skill and time.

My advice is to look at the full range at Brownell's (and others, Midway, Natchez, Cabela's whatever) and read all the comments where available.

I have an older optical with spuds that is useful not only for initial sighting in but also for taking scope adjustments around the square and checking zero retention for a preliminary check.

My own choice for current use is a top of the line long range green laser with a single spud adjusted by attachments and o-rings to cover the range from .22 to 12 gauge; with software to match line of bore and line of sight to print laser targets that dummy different ranges usually for indoor use to get a 3" high at 100 yards preliminary from a 25 yard indoor or what have - notice this is a dummy operation that does not - necessarily - involve firing a full power centerfire rifle load on a pistol range. I tend to buy anything that looks lilke a gunsmith tool from Brownell's and value the comments for tools more at Brownell's - though I don't ignore the thoughts on other sites.

One reason for paying extra to get a green laser is to use it with red dot sights - hard to use an open the bolt and peer through the bore technique with a two eyes open overlay image sight. Another reason is to do a preliminary check before I take out my sky screens - it's long gone but a friend of mine did have the proverbial crease on his car hood from ignoring scope offset.

Overkill for a one time scope mount on a bolt rifle where the take it to the range and pocket the bolt lay the rifle over notches in a cardboard box does indeed do just fine and cheaply.

Crow_sniper: I have three different bore sighters down in my gunroom and have used them all - extensively - including the newest Leupold thingy.
I hesitate to recommend the new Leupold thingy not because I am unhappy with its results over the last 4 years (50 Rifles+ used on) but because I do not know how the damn thing works???
It just does - and works well.
Several times I have even boresighted with the Leupold then put another of the "spud" type bore sighters on the Rifle and the results are always rather close!
The Leupold works on the 20 calibers and the 17 calibers which was why I bought the Leupold in the first place.
A bore sighter is much better than trying to rely on the OLD method of lining the bore up with a white rock across the field - for one thing you can do levers and autos easily with the bore sighter and you can use them at night to be ready for the next days shooting (the white rock thing is difficult to do at night).
If you buy the Leupold and take care of the packing and save it and then after a while you find you are not happy with it then they are easily resold.
As far as which is the most accurate - that would be hard to ascertain over the long haul!
You would have to re-do the Rifles you boresight with one tool go shoot them and then re-boresight them with another tool and go shoot again - compare the results. That would be a waste of time I think and I don't know of anyone who has throroughly tested that premise.
Again I am VERY happy with the Leupold.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

The magnetic Leupold works OK. I have a set of the brass case laser bore sighters, but the quickest and easiest is a laser mounted in a hard rubber spud that doesn't damage the crown or bore. Twenty five to forty or fifty yards gets me on paper, then from there it's simple. I do agree with sighting through the bore for bolt action rifles. It is easy and quick. Two shots and I'm there. Now all I have to do is adjust for height.

Dogcatcher: If you are "jamming a rod into the muzzle" I think you are using the bore-sighter incorrectly.
None of the bore sighters I have ever seen require "jamming a rod" anywhere.
I have used various brands of spud type bore sighters for going on 40 years now and never had a "muzzle" damaged.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

I have the Bushnell with the .17-.50 spuds. Works great on scope change overs and i even used it to swap a Swaro from one rifle to another on a BAR and Rem 700....worked perfectly every time til i bought another scope:)

Must not be a Marlin....

I have the bushnell kit with the different caibler thingie you stick in the bore. It works well enough, but have thought long and hard about buying one of those laser things that you actually chamber in your gun and it shoots a lazer dot to your target.

Not using it incorrectly, they are designed poorly. Why would you stick a hard steel anything in the muzzle of your gun? Maybe if the rods were made of something soft like brass or nylon it would work...

I really don't see what all the fuss is about. I bought a laser boresighter at wal-mart for fourty bucks. Its made of aluminum with plastic arbors. Put the plastic arbor for your caliber of gun(.17 to .50 cal.arbors)on the aluminum boresighter, insert it in the bore,NOT JAM, turn it to tighten it up and turn on the laser light. Aim the laser at the target bullseye supplied with the boresighter at 10yrds and adjust your scope above the bullseye(laser light)aprox 2" and your done. I've been on paper everytime at 100yrds and just a fews inches from bullseye. The last I knew plastic and aluminum are softer then steel and will not hurt steel or the crown. Been using it for years and all my guns shoot very well, no damage from the boresighter to my barrels or crowns.

Save $40 and look down the bore. It will also get you on paper first shot...

Unless you have a pump, semi-auto, or lever you are working with....

Start at 25 yds.

+1 on the magnetic Leupold. I've used mine on everything from .22 to .416 and have always been on the paper.

It works!

donsm70

I just buy some painting paper used to cover windows in the role from home depot, and put that on the backboard at the range on the 50 yard distance.

Haven't missed it yet

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