Steve H
Member
Not sure which forum to post this in, I hope it's OK HERE. Are there any laser bore sighters to avoid. I'm looking at the type that fits in the chamber not the muzzle. Looking for 30-30, .357 and .44 mag all in lever guns.
Laser bore sighter
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illinoisburt
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Pretty much any of them will get you on paper at 25 yards. Beyond that it's questionable. I've had occasions where it put me within a couple inches at 50 yards, other times off by over a foot so there's that.
Poper
Member
Tried using one on my first Browning BAR. Would have saved me time and money if I had never bought it or went shopping for it.
Ethan Verity
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I agree with the general consensus... chamber bore sights aren't worth it... in order to fit in the chamber in the first place, they need to be a little loose... and that translates into a lot of inaccuracy with the laser beam down range. The muzzle ones are better for their intended purpose... but I avoid those simply because I'm worried of potentially damaging the barrel crown.
wiscoaster
Member
You won't damage the crown if you wrap the arbor with tape to fit the bore. But in any case, they're not particularly accurate either. If it's a rifle you can remove the bolt or block and sight directly down the bore that's probably the best method of pre-range sighting in. Then follow the advice posted by @ericuda
Old Dog
Member
Geez, guys -- they're cheap. I'll spend the 20 bucks for a laser bore-sighter (the Sightmark brand comes to mind) to use in my backyard if it saves me a few shots and a little time at the range (particularly with the high cost of good hunting ammo these days).
I've got a few in various calibers, typically whatever is on sale at Midway. None of them are great, but they do work somewhat for what they're intended for... Wheeler makes a good one that's universal that attaches to the barrel, but the OP was asking about the chamber ones.
Of course, some folks here just may be way better at mounting scopes than I am, that's always possible...
I've got a few in various calibers, typically whatever is on sale at Midway. None of them are great, but they do work somewhat for what they're intended for... Wheeler makes a good one that's universal that attaches to the barrel, but the OP was asking about the chamber ones.
Of course, some folks here just may be way better at mounting scopes than I am, that's always possible...
The Glockodile
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Anything with a short, wide bore (pistols) - pretty much useless.
Long - barreled rifles, on the other hand - they're useful for getting your first sighting rounds on paper ranging from 25 to 50 meters. The reason being, there's a much higher likelihood of the beam being more or less colinear with the bore if it exits the muzzle.
Long - barreled rifles, on the other hand - they're useful for getting your first sighting rounds on paper ranging from 25 to 50 meters. The reason being, there's a much higher likelihood of the beam being more or less colinear with the bore if it exits the muzzle.
Poper
Member
Hey, Old Dog, it has been my experience that if you can't hit a 24x24 sheet of paper at 25 yards, there probably isn't enough adjustment in your scope to get it zeroed. However, if you can strike somewhere in there with the first round, and can get it centered but 4"-6" low at 25 yards within 3 more, there's a good chance you can get it zeroed for 100 yards pretty quick - as in less than 10 total rounds fired.
Of course, YMMV.
Of course, YMMV.
Old Dog
Member
25 yards? Nope, don't sight in any rifles at 25 yards (my backyard is a good hundred yards before the trees)... But thanks for the tip; guess I've been doing it wrong for the last 50 years...
Poper
Member
My apologies if you felt my post was a critique, it was not so intended.
When the tools to sight in a scope is limited, that is a method I have used that works as long as the scope rings are true and the base is properly aligned - i.e., the tapped holes are aligned with the bore and the base hoes are correctly drilled.
For someone of limited tools and ammo, the technique works. This is especially true for those actions that preclude looking directly through the bore. And that was my point.
I am sorry if you were offended. There was no intent to do so.
BTW, if a rifle can get on paper at 25 yards immediately, sight adjustment to 100 is generally a cinch. YMMV, of course.
scallop
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To get a newly mounted scope on paper they work. Some much better than others. I have probably tried them all, the chamber type generally suck. Arbor type are OK, but by far the best one is this one by Wheeler. It comes in red or green, I prefer the green for better daytime visibility.
As always YMMV.
https://www.amazon.com/Professional-Magnetic-Connection-Gunsmithing-Maintenance/dp/B007WQJCWC?th=1
As always YMMV.
https://www.amazon.com/Professional-Magnetic-Connection-Gunsmithing-Maintenance/dp/B007WQJCWC?th=1
Ethan Verity
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Excellent advice, that's actually how I sighted in my AR-15 and lever action rifles... in both cases they were dead-nuts accurate on the first shot after doing it this way.... simply looking down the barrel at the target bullseye, and lining up the sights accordingly.
In my experience with ones in the chamber they wiggle just enough to be useless. I have heard they get you on paper at 10 yards but I could do that with my eyes closed lol. Also if you have any optic, once you shoot and are say 6 inches high and 3 low, most scopes allow you to do so many clicks to get within an inch of the bullseye.
Depends on how you mount an optic too, I mounted a red dot on my shotgun and it was only 1 inch off at 25yds with slugs.
Remember you will probably be on paper at 25yds just by mounting the scope properly. You can plug the sight height and look at ballistics calculators to see how low you want to be at 25yds and then you should be on paper at 100.
If you have a bolt action you can also look down the barrel to bore sight your gun. Good luck and have fun sighting in!
Depends on how you mount an optic too, I mounted a red dot on my shotgun and it was only 1 inch off at 25yds with slugs.
Remember you will probably be on paper at 25yds just by mounting the scope properly. You can plug the sight height and look at ballistics calculators to see how low you want to be at 25yds and then you should be on paper at 100.
If you have a bolt action you can also look down the barrel to bore sight your gun. Good luck and have fun sighting in!
Chamber laser bore sighters work. Where I live the shortest distance available at our only public rifle range is 50 yards.
Sight in the laser at night so you paint the target at about 100 yards. Superimpose the cross hairs onto the laser dot.
When you get to the range you should be on paper at 50 yards.
Sight in the laser at night so you paint the target at about 100 yards. Superimpose the cross hairs onto the laser dot.
When you get to the range you should be on paper at 50 yards.
herrwalther
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I like them. I use them to get an optic or scope close enough to work with. Usually they save me a few rounds at the range finding out where something is hitting. I bought the one I use for 15 bucks years ago and it works fine for what I need.
lysanderxiii
Member
This is pretty much my experience as well . . . .
OP
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Steve H
Member
these will not be used for scoped rifles. I have no problems with scopes. Open sights on lever actions are why I'm asking ..................and I'm not trying to use them to sight in or zero at 100 yards, paper plates at 50 yards with the laser is my goal... putting new sights on the lever guns and the lasers (I think) will get me close faster than driving out to the range.
DarkswordDX
Member
Laser boresights come in 2 varieties. The kind that cost two hundred dollars and work pretty good, and the kind that don't.
bassjam
Member
If you can bore sight for a scope without a laser bore sight, why does it matter if now you're doing it for irons? You should still easily be on your paper plate at 50 yards just by removing the bolt, putting the gun on a rest, and looking through the barrel and adjusting the irons accordingly.
That's an interesting project. The laser might help. I would do it the same with open sights, use laser at night and adjust sights to the laser dot at a distance of around 100 yards. And the 100 yards is not to zero at 100, it's to more finely tune the co-witness.
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