Anyone use boresighters?

[tpcollins]

I realize with a Triumph I can just pull the breach plug, look thru the bore, and get the scope close but I was wondering if there's some boresighters better than others?

I had one of the laser type with variuos arbors I had to check one firearm and noticed if I rotate the laser, it would follow a circular pattern on the target at 25 yards. I aligned the scope with the center of this circle but was disappointed and took it back. Any suggestions would be appreciated, thanks.

 

[omegasmoke]

I have 2 different brands of boresighters. I have a laserlyte that I used on my omega when I mounted the scope. I bought the shotgun arbor so it would work with the muzzleloader. The 20 ga. arbor worked very well. I bore sighted it with the laser at 25 yds. about a 1/2 inch high and it ended up being 1/2 inch low and right on left to right when I first fired it. I also used it to level the crosshairs with the optional attachment I purchased. The other one I have is a SSI laser boresighter and I first tried that on a 30-06 and it really was not that accurate at all. That brand was a little disappointing. The SSI would not work with the muzzleloader.

 

[fliowa]

I have never bore sighted a muzzleloader. I just set the first target (large piece of cardboard) up at 25 yards to get it on paper. Usually only takes a couple shots. I then back it up to fifty yards and then 100 yards. Then depending on the gun and scope combo I may continue on out to 200 yards to determine bullet drop.

 

[bluedog]

Bushnell

I have one of the older Bushnell optical sighter with the multiple arbor system that goes into the muzzle.....works great! I have sighted in dozens of rifles and MLs over the years and have saved mucho ammo in the process.....

 

[GM54-120]

Ive had average success with the LaserLyte brand.

They work best on a cloudy day and out as far as you can see the dot. Usually not much past 30yards.

In short...they are ok at getting close enough not to waste too much time at the range.

 

[Busta]

Anyone use boresighters?

Just the one I was born with. With inlines, your eyeball can do a much better job than any boresighter I have ever seen. If you don't believe me, take a rifle that you know is sighted in, put your bore sighter in and see what it shows you. I would bet that you won't even be close. This is also a good way to check out a bore sighter for any type of accuracy.

Eyeball Method.

First, mount your scoped barrel, can be out of the stock, into a sight vise or in a rest of sorts. Can even be some V cutouts in a cardboard box. Just something you can shim/adjust to get your bore in line with the object you use.

Just use a ball or round target at 25 to 50 yards. You can leave your breech plug in and use the flash hole as an aperture to center the round object in the bore. After centering the round object, just dial your scope to center L to R, and then I dial between center and 1/3 up from the bottom, depending on how high the scope is mounted.

Just remember, if your cross hair is above center, you will want to turn in the UP direction to lower your cross hair. If your cross hair is to the right of center, you will need to turn to the R to move your cross hair to the left. It will seem backwards, as you are moving the cross hair to the line of your bore.

Once you have done a few, depending on how far your round object is, you will usually know where to set your cross hairs initially. I have set up several of my rifles to within just a few inches at 100 yards. This saves me the extra time and bullets/powder/primers involved in starting at 25 yards, then 50 yards, before moving out to 100 yards. With this method, I can go directly to the 100 yard mark and be on paper.

Another thing, and more importantly, I can see right away if the mounts and rings are going to be able to keep my scope as near the center of it's adjustments for optimal performance. Not all bases are created equally.

The T/C's have also been known to need a 20 MOA base or need the rear of the base shimmed to keep the scopes from running out of UP adjustment. This will be very obvious to my eye, before I waste the time/bullets/powder/primers shooting.

 

[Semisane]

Time for a story with a chuckle.

About ten years ago there was a guy in our hunting club who was not what you would call a "gun guy". I spent an afternoon with him on the club rifle range sighting in his bolt action .270 - got him set up for "dead on" at 100 yards and he was managing to keep his shots in a three or four inch group from the bench at that range.

The next week end he missed two deer. He swore he had a good sight picture on them. When we benched the gun again it was shooting ten inches high. Turns out he was in WalMart during the week and bought himself a bore sighter, then re-sighted the gun using the instructions that came with it. He thought it would "fix his group".

 

[SJAdventures]

I use the laserlyte brand bore sighter with the cross hair leveler adapter and have been satisfied with it.

 

[Nutoy]

Time for a story with a chuckle.

About ten years ago there was a guy in our hunting club who was not what you would call a "gun guy". I spent an afternoon with him on the club rifle range sighting in his bolt action .270 - got him set up for "dead on" at 100 yards and he was managing to keep his shots in a three or four inch group from the bench at that range.

The next week end he missed two deer. He swore he had a good sight picture on them. When we benched the gun again it was shooting ten inches high. Turns out he was in WalMart during the week and bought himself a bore sighter, then re-sighted the gun using the instructions that came with it. He thought it would "fix his group".

Not to take away from the topic, but that sort of thing happens more often then we think. Sad but true.
I know of people sighting in thier guns before hunting season, then buying a new scope, putting it on thier gun thinking it's going to shoot the same.
They walk amongst us everyday,,, and they breed.

 

[Bucker]

Bore Sight

Yesi do use one on all weapons a mechanical. It has a 50 cal arbor in the kit. It is nmade by BSA. I have found that I am 3 inches right and 6 down on every gun I have boiresighted , so I adjust and do very well with it.

 

[tpcollins]

Thanks guys. I got impatient and headed to Cabelas and bought the Leupold Zero Point. When I started to play with it, it's not as simple as it seems (there is no way to center it side to side on the muzzle without using the correct width drill bits or equal width shims). Long story short, you center your crosshairs to the grid, remove it and hopefully hit paper, put it back on and you're suppose to be able to see your POI on the target at 100 yards with it reinstalled and adjust the crosshair to POI - I'm not convinced.

Last year I tried a laser type but found if I rotate it in the barrel, it projected a big circle instead of a dot - I took it back.

So last summer I dragged the table saw to the middle of my driveway and set my rifle without the bolt on my shooting rest and used the bore to sight in the scope. Some Liberal called the cops on me and one came sneaking along my sidewalk to find out what was going on with me and a rifle in my driveway - thought I'd go back to a bore sighter!

 

[Okie Hog]

i have used a laser boresighter for many years. It really does save a lot of ammo. i boresight the gun in the house. There is a one inch target dot on the wall 25 feet from my loading bench. Then the gun is taken to the range and zeroed at 50 yards or 50 meters, depending on the firing range used. The target is always the same; a Shoot-n-See 2 or 3 inch paster mounted on a big target backer. Seldom is the first bullet off more than 6 inches at 50 yards.

Recently bought a green laser boresighter. It is powerful enough for use in bright sunlight at 50 meters.