Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Laser Bore Sighter?

John, this may not need to be said or maybe it does. IF you are at the range doing the laser bore sight, DO NOT forget its in there. I've seen a guy split his barrel like a banana peel doing this. It does happen from time to time. Just don't be that guy...

I set up an online account with Midway a few months ago. Some things are just too easy

A caldwell rock rest and a crosstac squeeze bag are supposed to ship tomorrow

I've got one of those laser bore sighters, the make I do not know. Using it is pretty much hit and miss.

I got one of those laser in the cartridge case ones from academy. The only gun I have used it in is a lever action since I can't pull the bolt on that one. It is a complete piece of [bleep] that takes some massaging to even get to turn on, but it has put me on paper twice so far. It's good enough for a one-off situation like mine, but I certainly wouldn't go out and buy one in every caliber, much easier to just look down the barrel when that's an option.

My dad gave me one of those laser bore sighter kits. I still have it, but don't use it. Sounds like your range sucks buddy. Sorry to hear you have to shoot in those conditions. Where I shoot, I often have the range to myself. At my old range and club, in the National forest and even now at my new range:

100 yard range^^^^

400 yard range:


Now, yesterday I switched scopes on one of my 22-250s and made it a point to do my usual bore sight method. Same as what mathman does. Just look down the bore, find the target and dial your scope for center. Here's what that looked like.

Target:

I try to use something that stands out and differs from what was already up. I should have torn down the paper targets that someone left on the backer. Generally I'll use a white target, but this worked yesterday. Then after making your first adjustments, you should be on paper:


Then do what's written on the target.

Fire off 3 shots like I did on this target. The reason it was not perfect on the orange dot is because I did not have the rifle locked down while making the adjustment. No need to really. You can do a final adjustment and know you are zeroed afterwards. After that, I played around at the 400 yard range. This new range has 3" targets and those are a lot easier than the 2" targets I'm used to shooting at:

For years I looked down the bore, its ok and gets me on the paper, not usually within 2-3" Though as mentioned it doesn't work so well for rifles where you can't pull the bolt easily or Ruger that the ejector alters the "sight picture" looking through the bore.

I never did get a Lazer one but I have an ancient Bushnell Collimeter I got off ebay. Wish I had gotten it years ago. Besides bore sighting you can do tracking tests with it. Its also the greatest thing in the world for setting zero in a Burris PL scope. It seems the Collimeters have gone out of favor but I think its really nice.

I cannot comment on laser sighters, having never used them. Seems pretty expensive if you own multiple calibers. Maybe a good deal for a 1 or 2 gun owner.

I too use an old Bushnell collimator, or look thru the bore. Both come with caveats tho.

One or two shots tell you just alittle, unless the rifle is known to be accurate. It should get you on paper tho, and one can go from there, for refining the aim point. 2 shots, if close together, are just an indicator of possibility. Or chance, perhaps. You pays your money and takes your chances.

I use either 3, 4,or 5 shots for sighting in a gun of unknown accuracy (ditto new reloads), figure the center of the group, and adjust accordingly. 3 shots if I feel I've gotten a reasonable shoot- if there is a flyer, I shoot more, cuz that may have been me. Otherwise, with single or doubles, one can chase those holes all over the paper.

With a trusted gun/scope of known sight-in, my preseason sight check is usually then only one or two rounds. If it or they go where supposed to, I go hunting. If I feel I've done it well...

The collimator can be way off if there is forend pressure - especially uneven pressure points - on the barrel. Or, on one memorable occasion, an un-noticed bent shaft..... . I suspect uneven pressure points will affect laser sighters adversely as well.

Recently I replaced a 17" '06 barrel with a 22" .270 purchased takeoff of uncertain merit on a Ruger Tang, bedded the lug area, free-floated everything from 2" forward of that, then tested for barrel merit. I retained the scope that had been mounted on the '06, and it's settings. Initially.

I likely could have saved a few rounds by bore-sighting, or using the collimator, but I wanted to get a rough idea of group size/
barrel merit, as well as seeing what the barrel change did to the scope settings. (Quite a lot!)

I started at 25 with 2 shots, touching, made a SWAG adjustment to get it closer to center, which worked well enough for third round, and moved back to 85 off an improvised rest (boat bow)- as far as could, and went from there. Groups with 2 shots or 3 looked promising enough to continue with this barrel, and at the same time I adjusted to be nearly zeroed after I finish the bedding job (today). Scope adjustments were consistent with hole placement. 10 rounds expended. At least I know the barrel isn't wildly inaccurate. How accurate remains to be determined. under better shooting conditions.

Snowing like hell right now - if it isn't tomorrow, I'll shoot for group again. I've about 7 rounds of decades old S&W 150's to burn anyway. Not what I first used- I'll save those for now. As long as the S&W are on paper, I'm golden. And there is info to be gleaned here too.