How To Bore Sight:

There are many ways to zero in your weapon. You may need to adjust your new scope on your hunting rifle or zero in your new green laser on your concealed carry. Whatever weapon, optic or laser you are sighting in, you need to get it accurate quickly. Many people ask us how to adjust a scope accurately and quickly. The easiest way to adjust a zero is using a bore sight method.

Once a weapon is bore sighted it means that it is “on Paper” but it will still need some minor adjustments. Bore sighting will get your weapon close to target but not perfect, regardless if you use the traditional method or use a laser bore sight. Different barrel lengths, ammunition and rifle styles all affect a weapons point of impact. So you will always have to use real ammunition to make sure you are on target and for the fine tuning of your optic or laser. Usually just small adjustments is all you will need after boresighting.

There are two ways to bore sight. The first will only work with rifles: you line up your bore (centre of the barrel) with the target and the optic. The reason you can only do this with rifles is because you need to be able to see down the barrel. Don’t worry there is an easy way to do it without lining up your bore: The Laser Bore Sight.

The laser bore sight is usually a laser in the shape of your ammunition that sits in your bore and projects a laser showing you where your point of impact would be. This is a simpler option but both methods have their benefits and drawbacks.

Bore Sighting Without A Laser Bore Sight.

Laser bore sights have been around since 2003 but before they were invented bore sighting was still common practice. Traditional boresighting It is still one of the easiest, effective and simple ways to bore sight your rifle so when you take your first shot you are “on paper” and not chasing dirt.

Without boresighting first, you may have to “Chase Dirt”. This means that you take a shot through your optic, usually at 25 yards, and it doesn’t hit the paper or target. So you try to see where it hits in the dirt via a puff of dust and adjust the optic from there. It can be frustrating especially since many scopes will come from the factory all the way up, down, left or right. You could spend a lot of bullets “chasing dirt” just to get on paper.

Traditional Boresighting Method:

Put It On A Lead Sled:

The traditional way to bore sight your unloaded rifle is to first set it up on a vice or shooting sled. A Shooting sled will stop the rifle and optic from moving at all. This is important due to the fact that a slight shift between adjustments can throw off your boresighting.

Aim At A Target At Approximately 25 Yards:

Aim the rifle in the shooting vice at a target at about 25 yards. You do not need to be exact, you just need to have something between 20-30 yards to aim at. Make sure your target has a bright colored bullseye of some sort. This helps identify the centre of the target when looking through the bore and through the optic.

When you are on target at 25 yards you will be “On Paper '' at a hundred yards.Remember that you will not be firing live ammo while boresighting so you can do this in your fenced in backyard even if you cannot shoot in your neighbourhood.

Remove The Bolt Or Charging Handle:

To visually bore sight your rifle you will need to be able to see down the barrel. With a bolt action or hunting rifle you simply remove the bolt. On AR platform rifles you can still bore sight; Remove the upper and remove the charging handle and the bolt so you can see un-obstructed down the barrel. Now you can replace the upper with the optic on it and you will be able to look down the bore on either rifle.

Adjust Your Optic ( Or Laser)

You should now be able to look down your bore and see the bright bullseye on your target at 25 yards. Now you can look through your optic and adjust the crosshairs' windage and elevation to the same bright bullseye.

The trick here is to have no movement in your rifle. You may need to weigh down your shooting sled or vice. If you accidentally move your rifle while adjusting the optic it will make the zero inaccurate.

You will look between your bore and the optic making adjustments as you go. You should be able to see the same target through the bore as through your optic.

Fine Tune Your zero:

Now that you have boresighted your rifle you need to fire some live ammunition to make your final adjustments. As we mentioned before no bore sight technique is perfect. You will be “on paper” at the hundred yards if you boresighted correctly. From there simply adjust your zero until you are happy with your groups at your desired distance.

Boresighting With A Laser Bore Sight:

Original And Best Bore Sight:

Osprey Global was the first company to invent a laser bore sight tool. They actually hold the american patent for it from 2003. The Osprey Laser boresight comes in the shape of your chosen ammunition. For example it will be a cartridge shaped like a 9mm or 223 bullet or other caliber ( Osprey have a wide selection of bore sight calibers to choose from). After it is chambered it will project a laser showing your Point Of Impact.

Different Styles Of Bore Sight:

Although Osprey Global Invented the first Laser Bore sight tools, there are numerous styles of boresighters and companies that make them. It boils down to two main styles of boresights.

The Laser Boresight You Chamber:

This is the original style of laser bore sights and we think the best boresight style. The style is specific to a particular caliber like 9mm, 223,30-06 round or other particular round. The bore sight is shaped exactly like that round and chambers in the same way as the ammunition would.

The benefit of this style is that since it is the same size and shape of your round then it will bore correctly and be more accurate.

The main drawback of this style is that you need to purchase a different bore sight for every caliber you have. Obviously some will double up like the 223 and the .556 but most of your calibers will need a separate bore sight.

The Laser Bore Sight You Insert In The End Of Your Barrel:

There are companies that have made a boresight that inserts into the end of your barrel. You then twist to adjust it to the centre of your bore.

The big benefit of this style of laser bore sight is that you only need to purchase it once and it is one size fits all calibers. The main drawback of inserting it into the end of your barrel is that it will never be quite as accurate as a bore sight built for your exact calibre shape.

How To Use A Laser Bore Sight:

Mount Your Optic Or Laser:

Always have your optic, laser or red dot that you want to boresight already mounted. You should also be aware of how to adjust your windage and elevation on what you are sighting in. Many optics or lasers require special tools to adjust. Make sure they are handy and you are prepared to zero in your laser/optic. Remember that a laser bore sight has limited battery life so the more prepared you can be the better.

Choose Your Target:

Have your target already chosen. The ideal distance for your target is the same as traditional boresighting and is best to keep it at 25 yards. This will get you reliably on target at 100 yards. Since you are going to see your Point Of Impact projected in the form of a red laser you can use a tree or fence just as well as an actual target.

Chamber/Insert Your Bore Sight:

Regardless of what style of laser bore sight you have, you need to insert the laser bore sight. Make sure the batteries are inserted correctly. Some laser bore sights need you to turn them on, some are activated by the bolt pressing on the back of them. Check with your manufacturers instructions on how yours operates.

Adjust Your Zero:

Now a red or green laser will be projected from the barrel of your weapon onto your chosen target. This indicates your Point Of Impact, or where your bullet would have gone should you fire a live round. Simply adjust your zero to the laser bore sight .

If you are boresighting an optic you will look through the sight and see your crosshairs on the fence, wall or tree. The bore sight laser will be indicating your current Point Of Impact. Adjust using the turrets until the bore sight laser is on the centre of the crosshairs.

If you are sighting in a laser you will see two lasers projected on your target. Simply adjust your laser to line up with the bore sight laser.

Fine Tuning Your Zero:

Now that your Optic or laser has been boresighted you now need to fire live ammo. As stated before it won’t be exact but you will be very close to your target. Adjust your scope or laser with windage and elevation accordingly until you are happy with your zero.

Do Not Use A Laser Bore Sight In Sunshine:

It is difficult to see any laser in the middle of the day, especially in sunshine. The best time to use a laser bore sight is at dawn or dusk or inside. You can boresight inside your house, at the range, in a barn or wherever the lighting conditions allow you to easily see the laser from the boresight.

What Bore Sight Is Not:

Many people approach me looking for the lasers that you train with. Normally a pistol laser that you dry fire once it is chambered. The benefit of this style is that it will give you immediate feedback on where your grouping is. The associated app will also let you know how tight your grouping is and give you live coaching on how to improve your shooting technique. These are training lasers and not laser bore sights. The cannot bore sight your weapon and bore sights cannot be used as a training laser. If you are looking for a training laser or just want to learn more we have used Six Bullets TX and find the product excellent and the staff informative.

Boresighting Your weapon: Conclusion

Sighting in your weapon is an essential skill that every shooter needs to be competent at. A weapon without a zero is like a ship without a rudder: Unpredictable and dangerous. Boresighting your weapon, regardless of the method you use, will reduce frustration and wasted bullets. A laser bore Sight is an invaluable tool that will save your patience and your money in the long run. Knowing how to chase dirt and get on zero without any help is an important process to understand but boresighting is going to make your life easier and more efficient.