Just went through a couple of days of swapping scopes, and had brought home a Bushnell laser bore sighter to make things easier.

And it WAS easier. But when I got those rifles to the range they weren't on paper at 50 yards.

I used the appropriate plastic arbor pieces and had a snug fit in the bore of both rifles I used it on.
This was a cheap ~$35 tool, but looked to be simple and workable.

I see some catalogued with various suppliers that look similar at 2wice the price. Is there a laser bore sighter out there that is worth owning?

I took 3 rifles to the range yesterday, and the only one that was bore-sighted properly was the .17HMR that had too small of a bore for the Bushnell tool and was bore sighted with the bolt pulled.

If I can look through the bore that's how I do it, and I start at 100 yards. I can't tell you if there are any boresighters worth using.

Same here, always works fine. Can you do that johnw??

I think he did with the 17.

That's how I do it. The other day an older gentleman asked If I was going to start at 25 yards for zeroing in my new scope on my new rifle. I said no, that's a waste of ammo... 2 shots and its dialed basically...

Can and do. Been doing it that way forever.

But I like to be outside on a table with a gun vise and in daylight.
The weather has not been conducive to that, and all of my prep work for range day this week was done at night.

In retrospect, I shoulda taken the gun vise to the range and done my bore-sights right then and there. Which, in the final analysis is what I did. Just without benefit of the gun vise

I typically set up the rifle on the front/rear rest combination I use for shooting.

I swear I'm gonna have a set-up like that someday. Been saying that for 30 years or more.

Mine is an ancient Wichita Engineering front rest with a Protektor owl ear bag, and a Protektor rabbit ear bag in back.

Same same... Pretty simple.. No need to lock down the rifle in a vise of any sort.


This is all it takes.

Don't bad mouth the Wichita rest. Mine is just behind the rifle in the pic. My hoppes has the tighter front bag that holds the skinnier stocked rifles better. I use the Wichita for my varmint and tactical rifles. Works great..

I don't see where they would save me a single round of ammo or 1 minute of my time. With bolt rifles I look through the bore and adjust the scope before firing a shot. I just lay it on the sandbags. The 1st shot is within 2-3" at 50 yards. I adjust from there. I can have my bolt guns close enough with 3 shots. I may make minor adjustments later if needed. Other guns may take 4 shots

If I can't look through the bore the key is to use a target too big to miss. A sheet of poster board is less than $1. I prefer to start at 50 yards, but if you're unsure start at 25. As long as your 1st shot hits paper it doesn't matter if you're 1" or 1' from the aiming point. Just move the adjustments the correct number of clicks and shot #2 will be very close to the POA. I then go straight to 100 yards knowing I'll at least be on paper at that range for shot #3. After I tweak those settings shot #4 is going to be where I want it. It is only then that I start shooting groups.

You are proficient with your method. Some guys are unsure about doing it at 100 yards. I get that, but if you can do it at 100, you'll use up less ammo and time. That comes with experience though..

Not running it down, I just said ancient because I can't remember not having it.

To the OP.

Did you adjust the laser as you twisted the arbor in the bore? Mine is not just a plug and play set up.

I have an old Tasco laser bore sighter that has 3 or 4 tiny set screws that you adjust as you rotate the laser.

When you initially stick the spud in the bore and twist the laser it generally draws an oblong circle on the wall, as you adjust the screws it will allow the laser to put a fixed dot on the wall.

After that is done I stick the rifle out the back door and adjust the crosshairs to the dot at about 100 yards. If done correctly it is with 2" at 100 yards

Yeah...

My interest in the laser unit was to have the bore sight done before I got to the range.
And done at night from my upstairs gun room and the hallway

I've never used a proper bench shooting set-up, and always tried to have a bore-sight done before I got to the range.
I need to step up a notch or two

My laser works when properly set up. I actually do the back yard deal in the dark so I can see the laser.

Has never been off by as far as you describe when the laser is adjusted properly.

The bushnell unit has no adjustments like the ones you described. It's a tapered self centering spud with an expandable set of rear arbors

And i'll agree that 100 yards can easily work with a normal bolt removed bore sight. The range I frequent though has limited target stands and you'll take abuse if you're working with 3 rifles and wanna cease fire to go down range every 10 minutes. This also adds weight to doing the bore sight at home.

The pistol range just down the hill is more relaxed, and cold range usually happens 3 to 4 times per hour, or whenever a guy requests it. But 50 yards is all it's got to offer.

Same as the Tasco.

Are you sure there aren't 4 small Allen set screws up on the far end of the laser? At the 12, 3, 6 and 9 o'clock position?

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.