Bore Sight: A Top Gun Prep

A bore sight device/system is a great prep to have around in good times and bad. It can save you a lot of time and money when sighting in a firearm.

Spice and I own three different types, two of which I wholeheartedly recommend and the other type not so much. 

First, let’s take a look at what bore sighting is, and then we will talk about the three of the various types of systems out there.

What is a bore sight tool?

A bore sight tool is a device that you attach to a firearm that allows you to adjust optical or iron sights on the weapon without the need to fire it.

Although there are multiple types of tools out there, they all have the same goal… to get the optic or sight to line up to where a bullet is expected to hit, and to do this without having to fire the gun.

Proceedures vary by the type of bore site you are using, and accuracy also varies by type. Generally, the whole “you get what you pay for” concept holds true with bore sight systems, the most advanced (and expensive) tools tend to be the most accurate.

Does that matter? Not really, because no bore sight system can ever replace actually firing the weapon and sighting the gun in using the ammunition that the gun will be shooting. 

On Paper

No matter what a bore sight manufacture’s sales literature says, the REAL goal of bore sighting a gun should be to get that firearm “on paper”.

What does this mean? It means that when you take your weapon out to sight it in, gun that has been properly bore sighted will shoot close enough to being ‘on target’ at your opening short distance (we use 25 yards as our first distance on a sight-in) that the bullets hit somewhere on the paper target. The better you get a gun sighted in with the bore sight tool, the closer it should be to being on target.

Parallax

If you are a beginner at shooting, this entire section can be skipped, go ahead and move on to the next heading. For the beginning nature of this discussion, we will not really be addressing parallax because that’s an entire topic unto it’s self.

I bring it up because parallax is one of the bigger issues for a laser bore sight tool, since the distances used in laser sighting are often short.

In this instance, our accuracy level we want to achieve is “on the paper” so it’s “close enough” to not pay a whole lot of attention to parallax.

The three systems we are looking at today

Let’s take a look at the three types of bore sight devices Salty & Spice own and have the most experience with.

The first two are different types of laser bore sighters, using what amounts to “laser pointer” type lasers to mark on the wall or some other flat device where the bore of the barrel is actually pointed.

The third type of device is an optical system that simulates a target in the distance, and you can look through a scope and sight it in as if you were looking at a target.

All have their strengths and weaknesses, here’s what I think of each.

Multi-caliber laser bore sight system

There are a BUNCH of different brands of these on the market. They are inexpensive, readily available at just about any big-box store that carries guns or ammunition, and they are ubiquitous. Here’s one of them we own:

This kit fits from .50 caliber down to .22, depending upon which insert (see bottom right) you use. Those inserts screw into the long, pointy laser thing which slides down the barrel. Theoretically, the laser is shot on the same line as the bore of the barrel against a wall. 

With the light on the wall, the object is to take the optic and make the center of the crosshairs of the scope or the iron sights and line it up with the red or green dot.

This graphic shows the rifle that’s being worked up mounted on a bipod. Having the gun on a tripod, in a gun vice or on a cleaning stand is a good idea. When I’m doing laser bore sight work I strap one down to our Caldwell Lead Sled Solo and that works really well.

Specifics

The bore site pictured is offered by a ton of companies, the same tool under many different names. Here’s one of them like on this link (we are not affiliates, buy them wherever you like :). Here’s the seller’s “blurb”:

• Bore is light weight designed, and easy to use. It comes with 5pcs bore adapters to fit any 0.22 to 0.50 caliber pistols, rifles, handguns, and scopes. Simply choose the caliber adapter and place the laser unit in the muzzle
• This laser bore sight collimator installs in the barrel of the firearm and projects a laser beam from the center of the bore axis. It allows the accurate alignment of scopes, iron sights or laser sights on handguns and rifles
• The sight will emit a straight red laser beam, providing a precise reference for zeroing in on your target. Long sighting range; Light weight and durable. Allows for quick and accurate resetting of any sights

Another type of laser bore sight

Another type of laser bore sight is one that is housed in a simulated cartridge of the proper caliber. The laser is mounted inside a brass body that is sized the same as a casing.

 

This is an example of the type, and if you read the manufacture’s advertising blurb you would think that they are the greatest firearms invention since smokeless powder…

The Sightmark Laser Bore Sight provides the most convenient and accurate method for sighting in rifles of all types. Simply chamber the bore sight like a regular bullet and a laser dot will show exactly where the rifle is aiming; it’s easy to sight in any scope without firing a single shot. Live fire is only needed to fine tune the weapon being sighted in order to compensate for inconsistencies, such as bullet drop due to distance. Perfect for hunters, competitive shooters and law enforcement, the Sightmark laser bore sight is sure to take the frustration out of sighting in almost any gun.

Almost any gun?

Well… the problem with this type of sight tool starts with that statement. While they do work (to varying degrees) on guns of the same caliber as the shell casing is, unlike the type of multi-caliber system mentioned above these bullet sight tools are useless for all other calibers.

There are other issues as well. 

First, there’s quality control concerns… for the laser shell to be effective, the laser need to be EXACTLY centered in the round, and often with these kinds of bore tools poor manufacturing techniques don’t manage to get this done. 

Additionally, they are difficult to load into some firearms. The life of a round of ammunition is a rather brutal one, as it gets slammed from magazine to chamber, then the casing is extracted and flung heaven-only-knows where. Lasers are delcate electronics. That’s a problem.

I’ve got one of these devices somewhere or other around here. It’s in .223. I bought it years ago and, frankly, the only thing I’ve ever actually used it for after I attempted to bore site with it once is as a laser pointer to play “follow the spot” with our neighborhood cats. 

You may have a lot better experiences with bullet style laser tools, but me? I’ll pass from now on. Having said that, even though I didn’t like the one I have, it did get me onto the paper. Barely.

Optical Bore Sights

This style is, by far, my favorite bore siting tool. I’ve been holding off on doing this article until the joker who borrowed my tool returned it, but at this point in time I’m pretty much convinced it’s gone. Don’t cry for me, if I don’t get my bore sight tool back, then he’s not getting his Leupold VX-3i scope back… that’s a win for me.

Pro Tip: When you know better than to loan out your tools, then YOU KNOW BETTER THAN TO LOAN OUT YOUR DAD-GUM TOOLS!

I have and have used one of these for several years. They work great in most situations, as long as the sights are mounted relatively close to the barrel. They don’t work with optics that are mounted high.

• Boresighter with 3 expandable arbors
• Will fit .22 through .270 caliber, 7mm to .35 caliber, .35 to .45 caliber
• Comes with a deluxe carrying case
• Compact boresighter kit with graduated grid sighting reticle
• Each graduation is equivalent to 4 inches at 100 yards
• Includes three expandable arbors and carry case
• Arbors cover all calibers from 0.22 to 0.45
• Limited lifetime warranty

The pitch: 

Sight in accurately with the Professional Boresighter Kit from Bushnell. The kit includes a graduated grid sighting reticle, three expandable arbors, and a carry case. The arbors allow you to use the boresighter with all calibers of weapon from 0.22 to 0.45.

The real deal:

Once you figure out how it works, the tool gets the job done. One really nice thing about it is you don’t have to lock your gun in a vice to use it.

When I go to sight in a firearm, this is the tool I choose first. Well, OK, it’s the one I choose first once my dad-gum friend returns it to me.