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Bore Sighters


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I have BSA optical  and bushnell laser boresighters and also a .308 and .223 laser cartridge  in the chamber for AR platform rifles, the optic are for bolt action and traditional style rifles as the optic ,  I like the Bushnell .22 to .50 laser ones that have several plastic bore pieces for a quick boresighting, I push the tapered mandrell in  the bore as far as the taper bore ahaft will go and rotate it slowly, while looking thru the scope to see if the laser is centered in the bore, it usually is off a bit, so I allow for that. The lasers need a paper target, with inches marked, to allow for the distance between the bore and scope reticle, when used inside . I do use them inside the shop at 30' and you do need to measure the distance from center of the scope to the center of the bore. I use the laser in the yard at 50 yards before going to the range. The laser isn't too awfully bright out past 50 yards on a bright sunny Texas summer day.

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at night you can use a street light to boresight with unless the view is restricted by the rifle receiver like on a mini 14 or a lever action in daylight I have used the top of a power pole. You gotta remember that boresighting is line of sight and you have to sight in at a range at a known sight distance to allow for a specific bullet drop compensation.

 

 

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I bought a SiteLite SL100 several years ago, and it's probably the best firearms-related investment I've ever made (aside from my 2nd gun safe...). It has a magnet that keeps it in place at the muzzle and comes with various arbors and O-rings, as well as a target marked in half-inch (maybe quarter-inch?) increments. Plus SiteLite offers a free download of their ballistics program with an activation code you get in the package. It's not perfect, but it's pretty damn good.

I've used it to boresight my Mini-14, 10/22, Savage 110 (.270), LR-308, my .22 WMR, and the wife's AR-15. A friend had me boresight his .30-06 and it was within 1/2" of where we needed it to be at 100 yards (note, we didn't start off at a shorter distance -- went straight to 100 yards just to see how close it actually was).

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On 7/19/2016 at 3:26 PM, COBrien said:

I bought a SiteLite SL100 several years ago, and it's probably the best firearms-related investment I've ever made (aside from my 2nd gun safe...). It has a magnet that keeps it in place at the muzzle and comes with various arbors and O-rings, as well as a target marked in half-inch (maybe quarter-inch?) increments. Plus SiteLite offers a free download of their ballistics program with an activation code you get in the package. It's not perfect, but it's pretty damn good.

I've used it to boresight my Mini-14, 10/22, Savage 110 (.270), LR-308, my .22 WMR, and the wife's AR-15. A friend had me boresight his .30-06 and it was within 1/2" of where we needed it to be at 100 yards (note, we didn't start off at a shorter distance -- went straight to 100 yards just to see how close it actually was).

Do you have the red laser or the green laser SiteLite ?

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I have only used it outside once, and had no problem seeing the dot at 50 yards. That was using the included boresighting target which, IIRC, SiteLite claims is coated with something special to make the laser easier to see in sunlight. Looks like satin-matte cardstock to me...

I generally use it indoors after mounting a new scope -- I know it's exactly 30 feet from one corner of the living room to the back wall of my bedroom, so I set my target up there. The wife thought I was nuts until I boresighted her AR after mounting her Eotech. When she took it to the range the next day to qualify, she only needed 3 clicks to get it dead-on. She doesn't giggle about my methods any more...

I do have the ballistic software on my laptop, and it's actually pretty good. It's no Strelok, but it serves its purpose. You input your caliber, weight, muzzle velocity, height above bore, and zero range, then choose the "near distance" you want to use the laser at (in my case, 30 feet). It will then tell you how far below the center of the crosshairs the laser point needs to be, and give you the option to print out a target with crosshairs in the center and a 1/2" diameter circle where the laser should be held.

Printing a target from the software makes for an easy setup. Put your rifle in a good rest/bipod, turn the laser on, line the dot up inside the circle, and adjust your crosshairs to match the ones on the target.

The kit comes with a reticle level of sorts -- a small target with a bubble level glued to it. You hang it with the level, well, level, and can use it to adjust your crosshairs. I loaned mine out to a friend once and it came back with the level gone and a boogered up spot on the target. I have always leveled my reticles by other means, so I don't much miss the level on the SiteLite target.

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Okay I hadn't seen a picture of the "reticle level" and was a bit curious, thanks, Don't you just love friends that tend to screw up any thing loaned, probably even mess up a wet dream.

Busnell lasor boresighter is simular to the SiteLight 100, but staff is plastic and not magnetic works for me, out to 50 yards in my yard. I also use it inside my shop at 30'.

 The laser in a .308 size cartridge size brass housing works in the chamber well if a patch is placed between it and the bolt gently closed on my LR308. both red lasors are easiably visable at 50 yards outside. I also have one in .223 and .3006. but the one for the muzzle is faster, and I worry about the ones in the chamber getting stuck.

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  • 6 months later...

Just for giggles I challenge anyone debating a bore sighter to try it country hick style if you haven't dropped coin yet.  Take off the upper receiver and get it situated on a target(I put mine on the kitchen counter facing off the porch to the driveway and walked out to the end and put a piece of blue edging tape on a tree at maybe 40 yards).  Take out the BCG and look down the barrel and line it up on your target then look through your scope an adjust as necessary to bring them into harmony.  A bore sighter is more accurate than this for sure, but to a level where it matters once firing at your chosen zero distance I don't see any difference.  I've never seen anyone dial a rifle scope in where they didn't do some fine tuning at their zero distance again.  I was done rotating turrets after maybe 5-6 rounds on my last 'eye sighter' build a month ago.   

Let's say a well done precision take your time like your life depends on it bore sighter gets you to 1" high and 1" right and kitchen counter eye sighter gets you to 4" high and 4" right.  What's the real world difference by the second shot?  For 1/4 MOA clicks @ 100 the laser guy clicks 4x and the eye baller clicks 16x.  After 2 shots they are likely on top of each other or under an inch at 100 yards.  

Edited by buttonbuck
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40 minutes ago, buttonbuck said:

Just for giggles I challenge anyone debating a bore sighter to try it country hick style if you haven't dropped coin yet.  Take off the upper receiver and get it situated on a target(I put mine on the kitchen counter facing off the porch to the driveway and walked out to the end and put a piece of blue edging tape on a tree at maybe 40 yards).  Take out the BCG and look down the barrel and line it up on your target then look through your scope an adjust as necessary to bring them into harmony.  A bore sighter is more accurate than this for sure, but to a level where it matters once firing at your chosen zero distance I don't see any difference.  I've never seen anyone dial a rifle scope in where they didn't do some fine tuning at their zero distance again.  I was done rotating turrets after maybe 5-6 rounds on my last 'eye sighter' build a month ago.   

Let's say a well done precision take your time like your life depends on it bore sighter gets you to 1" high and 1" right and kitchen counter eye sighter gets you to 4" high and 4" right.  What's the real world difference by the second shot?  For 1/4 MOA clicks @ 100 the laser guy clicks 4x and the eye baller clicks 16x.  After 2 shots they are likely on top of each other or under an inch at 100 yards.  

That technique won't work on pistols or shotguns.  But, my laser boresighter does.

Edited by 98Z5V
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First thing I try to make a newbie understand is that bore sighting isn't a substitute for sighting in, bore sighting with a lazer or optical bore sighter is just making sure the line of sight of the sights is in line with a straight line from the bore, sighting in aligns your line of sight with the actual trajectory of the fired bullet.

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11 hours ago, mrmackc said:

First thing I try to make a newbie understand is that bore sighting isn't a substitute for sighting in, bore sighting with a lazer or optical bore sighter is just making sure the line of sight of the sights is in line with a straight line from the bore, sighting in aligns your line of sight with the actual trajectory of the fired bullet.

I've never broken down the process to that level and I'm glad you did thanks. On scatter guns/handguns I'm probably a bit of a simpleton as I grew up learning to shoot on an antique Ithaca 12g side by side with no sights of any kind it was stone cold turkey/deer slayer.   "Here son shoot this at that" kind of thing and I could do it.  For some reason I just hit what I'm aiming at, but I also might be aiming at a more forgiving target.  I practice with my edc off a draw stroke for cns or upper left quadrant hits on ipda steel with paint feedback, not unlike MPBR for my hunting.  If I can put it in the vital zone I'm happy. 

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