The Best Bore Sights: Zeroing Made Simple

Laser bore sights are essential for maintaining an accurate zero. Laser bore sights are essential for achieving and maintaining an accurate zero. That’s why you’re shooting low to the left. How do bore sighters work? A bore sighter is a laser that fits in the barrel. This projectes a red dot to the maximum range of the laser, which is usually 25 yards. They come in two types: those that you put in your chamber and those that you put in your muzzle. The chamber version has a housing that is machined to the dimensions and shape of a specific cartridge. It can be 9mm,.45ACP,.30-04,.223 or any other size. Turn the device on and load it like a standard cartridge. The 7.62×39 bore sight laser is partially inserted into an AK’s chamber. It is inserted into the barrel and turned on to project the dot. The threaded end of the stick can accept an adapter for the bore size. Once it is inserted into the muzzle, it will be securely held. The laser projector will show you the point of impact for either bore sight. The laser can be used to calibrate your iron sights or optics. Installed on a rifle’s barrel, the Wheeler Professional Bore Sighter. What can you do with them? It depends on how far you can travel, the gun you use, and what caliber and load you have. You can bore sight indoors or outdoors. Indoors is the best option because you have better visibility. However, you might find yourself needing to go outside to get a greater distance. Some people have as much as 25 yards of yard. It is important to determine what you have access. It is a good idea for you to use a bullseye target, or any other type of bullseye target, with a way to hang it from and a rest to keep your gun stable. Bore sighting a pistol red spot is the easiest, especially if it’s a 10-yard zero. Set up a target at 10 feet, turn on your bore sight, and zero the optic to laser. It can be a bit more difficult for long guns. You should have a 25-yard line of sight. You would create a trajectory table with your load and optic height calculated. Let’s say you have a.223 with 100 yards zero and a 1.93 inch height over bore. Then, find the point of impact at 25 yards. You want to zero your optic to whatever point of impact it should be relative to that distance. It would be approximately 1 inch below the load. If you don’t have the trajectory table, then recalculate it for 10-yard increments. This will give you a point at impact that is 1.5 inches below your point of aim. Place a piece or target pasty or tape at the point where you want to zero in. Turn on your bore sight and place the dot on the tape or target pasty. Adjust your reticle so that it is in the bullseye over the laser. It’s quite simple, right? It is as simple as calibrating the reticle (or iron sights) at a known distance to a laser. This can be done without any ammo or pulling a trigger. But does this mean you are good to go? No. It doesn’t. What is the closest Bore Sighting can get you? Bore sighting can help you get to the ballpark but not 100%. You will still need to fine-tune the zero at the range with live ammunition. Here’s why. Any misalignment is an error in calibration. One way to measure deviation from the intended point of impact in shooting is in minutes of angle, or MOA. At 10 yards, a 2-MOA error in alignment is 0.2 inches. It’s 0.5 inches at 25 yards, which is the maximum visible range for most bore sight. How will you know if you aren’t getting a zero at these distances? This graphic shows how a constant MOA value increases the further the muzzle is from a target. A small misalignment at close range could lead to major deviations at long distances. It’s impossible. It is impossible. Zeroing must be done at the range with the ammunition that you intend to use in your gun to verify how close or far your laser zero is from the point of impact. They can save you a lot of time and effort by allowing you to get your shots on paper before you even go to the range. Depending on the use case, which brand or style of bore sight is best? A basic bore sight can be used by the average person, but a professional gunsmith or armorer will need to spend more. There is also the question of whether to get the cartridge-style version or the in-muzzle type. It would be smart to purchase the cartridge bore sights for multiple firearms with only one or two calibers. If your guns are 9mm in diameter and.223/5.56mm in length, you will only need two devices to service them all. A multi-caliber bore scope is the best choice if you have guns that are chambered for multiple calibers. A bore sight is not going to be used often by most people. A professional-grade set of tools is not necessary. There is nothing wrong with buying a set of professional-grade tools, but you don’t have to purchase them all the time. What are the best bore sights? Let’s take a look. EZShoot bore sight kit The EZShoot bore sight kit is a muzzle-end laser kit. You can choose from multiple muzzle attachments to fit different calibers. It is powered by one CR2 battery, which has a range of between 15 and 100 yards. Wheeler Professional Boresighter. Some people would rather buy one and only cry once. The Wheeler Professional uses an iron magnet to attach to the muzzle and a switch to turn on or off the laser. The aluminum housing measures approximately 1-inch in diameter and is large enough to hold any firearm. It is a simple tool but durable enough to last a lifetime. The MSRP for the red laser version is approximately $120 and the green laser’s about $180. MidTen Boresight Although there are many brands these made-in China bore sight laser cartridges can be whitelabeled under, MidTen is the most popular. These are cartridge-style bore sight, designed for the most popular calibers of pistol, rifle, and shotgun. These lasers are powered by onboard batteries (typically AG13), and they turn on when you tighten the battery compartment. The red laser can be seen up to 100 yards. They are easily found online for around $20 per. StrongTools BoreSighter Although it is similar to the EZShoot, there are two main differences. First, the barrel adapters can be made up to 12-gauge, instead of just.54-caliber (12 gauge is.85 caliber). Second, it runs on CR2 3-volt batteries which are much easier to work with than watch batteries. You can usually find them (or the exact same product whitelabeled under a different brand) for $30-40 depending on whether you want the green or red laser. SiteLite SL100 Mag Laser SiteLite is a trusted brand that professionals trust for frequent use. They are found in military and police armories around the world. The Mag Laser inserts in the muzzle with adapters and sleeves. SiteLite lasers can connect to software that you can download from SiteLite’s site to create a unique trajectory and zero. This eliminates all guesswork and allows for the most accurate calibration. The SL-100 is their entry-level model. It costs about $100. Target grids and bullseye sizes can be downloaded in MOA. This is a great option for long-range shooting. Enter your email address below.