All I know is I got a Bushnell laser bore sighter on sale for 30 bucks and it has easily paid for itself in reduced ammo usage while sighting my rifles, and as a reloader my ammo costs are already pretty damned low compared to factory ammo. I'm always on paper at 100 yards right from the start. It takes 3 or 4 rounds to get it "bang on", and then a few more "just cuz" it is much fun to make cloverleaf patterns.
Scope Sight-in
- Thread starter islander76
- Start date
All I know is I got a Bushnell laser bore sighter on sale for 30 bucks and it has easily paid for itself in reduced ammo usage while sighting my rifles, and as a reloader my ammo costs are already pretty damned low compared to factory ammo. I'm always on paper at 100 yards right from the start. It takes 3 or 4 rounds to get it "bang on", and then a few more "just cuz" it is much fun to make cloverleaf patterns.
There is absolutely no arguing that!
Finally, someone who gets the point I've been trying to make.
I try not to think of wounded animals. I hear every week of hunters that fired at five moose and "missed"
Many pass away due to lead poisoning ...
On my way across a field to retrieve my moose four years ago, I passed by one that was shot about a week before and two skeletons.
Some hunters do not even make an attempts to track and retrieve unless it drops on the spot...
I might try one out and give them a second chance.... The one I tried was a cheap Tasco.... there was so much play in the arbour that there was no possible way to tell if it was pointed straight or not.... And, to make matters worse, when we tried to pull it out of the barrel a bunch of the rubber shredded and I had to clean the barrel out before we could even fire it.....
If you want to go the boresighter route the Wheeler one will get you very close.
Of course it must be sighted in after by shooting.
No arbors to mess with, works on any rifle, any caliber. Magnet mounts to end of barrel.
Costly but very good.
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If it's a bolt gun.
I learned when I was a kid and didn't have my own range and very little access to one, that a successful sight in could easily be accomplished @ 25 yds. One is seldom so far off at mounting a scope that it misses a standard target at 25 yds. Adjust the scope so it is hitting absolute dead center at 25 yds and go hunting. This sight in will give a good set up for most CF rifles in the 2700-3000 fps range, out to about 250-300 yds and can be done over a back pack or hood of the truck. It's not perfect but is a hell of a lot better than a bore sighter. Bolt guns, I always do the look through the bore thing and bring scope to match the bore picture. I have sighted in literally thousands of rifles over the years, the same one sometimes 4 or 5 times trying different scopes, and this has always worked good for me.
I found dicking around with the bore sighter thingys, trying to make sure they are straight and tight, etc.....took more time than actually sighting in the damn rifle.
I understand where the OP is coming from, maybe he has to work (God forbid I ever do again) and/or he is miles and miles from a range. With darkness coming now before most folks finish work and get home, he's between a rock and a hard place. To go out and fully and properly sight in his rifle on a range at 100 mtrs is going to blow his Sat, which may be as much as 20% of his available hunt time. So OP, if your rifle is a bolt gun, set up a target out in your yard 25 yds from a good solid set up for your rifle. Sand bag your rifle or use your lead sled or what ever and get it solid. Shine a flashlight on your target (if it's dark by the time you get home) and look through the bore and get your target perfectly centered in your bore picture. Now adjust your scope until your reticle is also dead center, check it 10 or 12 times, walk away come back and look again. Have your buddy look at it, if you are satisfied that the reticle is now matching your bore picture, go hunting. While you're out hunting take an opportunity to check it, pick out a rock on a hillside a couple hundred mtrs away, with a good backstop of course, and try to hit it with your buddy spotting for you.
If you follow this procedure very carefully your rifle will be able to put a bullet into the kill zone of a deer out to a couple hundred meters...........however you still need to shoot it for final tuning at the earliest opportunity. God forbid you live in an apartment, or you're really screwed.........unless there is another apartment building about 25 mtrs from your deck, or living room window............keep your lights off though, so no one can see what you're doing..........
I found dicking around with the bore sighter thingys, trying to make sure they are straight and tight, etc.....took more time than actually sighting in the damn rifle.
I understand where the OP is coming from, maybe he has to work (God forbid I ever do again) and/or he is miles and miles from a range. With darkness coming now before most folks finish work and get home, he's between a rock and a hard place. To go out and fully and properly sight in his rifle on a range at 100 mtrs is going to blow his Sat, which may be as much as 20% of his available hunt time. So OP, if your rifle is a bolt gun, set up a target out in your yard 25 yds from a good solid set up for your rifle. Sand bag your rifle or use your lead sled or what ever and get it solid. Shine a flashlight on your target (if it's dark by the time you get home) and look through the bore and get your target perfectly centered in your bore picture. Now adjust your scope until your reticle is also dead center, check it 10 or 12 times, walk away come back and look again. Have your buddy look at it, if you are satisfied that the reticle is now matching your bore picture, go hunting. While you're out hunting take an opportunity to check it, pick out a rock on a hillside a couple hundred mtrs away, with a good backstop of course, and try to hit it with your buddy spotting for you.
If you follow this procedure very carefully your rifle will be able to put a bullet into the kill zone of a deer out to a couple hundred meters...........however you still need to shoot it for final tuning at the earliest opportunity. God forbid you live in an apartment, or you're really screwed.........unless there is another apartment building about 25 mtrs from your deck, or living room window............keep your lights off though, so no one can see what you're doing..........
Law Abiding
Regular
Following that logic, nobody who drives should have to know how to change a tire.....
Sighting in a scope isn't exactly rocket surgery...... what would OP do out hunting if he fell and jarred his scope in the field?... abandon his hunt and go back to a "smith"....
Never hunted with a semi, or a levergun..........so no crunched time frame..........I just shoot them in at a range when ever it is convenient. The same 25 yd set still works as good though.
- Location
- Rockland, ON
Some good comments here, especially do it yourself and any trigger time is good.
Over the years I mounted scopes and then sighted in rifles without using boresighters or scope levellers. Two things always came up on that first trip to the range that became pet peeves: canted reticles and using more than 3 rounds to hit paper.
So, I purchased a Bushnell Professional bore sighter with 5 arbours (.17 cal to 12ga) and a Wheeler Professional reticle leveller. They are two of the best "firearms" investments that I have made. No more canted reticles and the first 3 shots at 50 yards are always on paper.
Mounting a levelled scope that I know will hit paper at 50 yards takes me about an hour, and most of that hour is spent waiting for the blue lock tite on the bases to set up before I attach the rings and scope. The bore sighter is so consistent that I know, regardless of rifle, caliber or cartridge, the first 3 shot group will hit low and right anywhere from 1-4" from center.
Over the years I mounted scopes and then sighted in rifles without using boresighters or scope levellers. Two things always came up on that first trip to the range that became pet peeves: canted reticles and using more than 3 rounds to hit paper.
So, I purchased a Bushnell Professional bore sighter with 5 arbours (.17 cal to 12ga) and a Wheeler Professional reticle leveller. They are two of the best "firearms" investments that I have made. No more canted reticles and the first 3 shots at 50 yards are always on paper.
Mounting a levelled scope that I know will hit paper at 50 yards takes me about an hour, and most of that hour is spent waiting for the blue lock tite on the bases to set up before I attach the rings and scope. The bore sighter is so consistent that I know, regardless of rifle, caliber or cartridge, the first 3 shot group will hit low and right anywhere from 1-4" from center.
- Location
- The Conservative part of Ontario
I sight my lever guns in at 25 yards and move out from there. If you are dead on at 25 yards you are usually just needing minor corrections for elevation further out depending on cartridge, and what you want.
I've never invested in a collimator of any type, I like to shoot.
This may have been covered, but I am reading this on my phone so I just skimmed it. I have to agree with those that suggest the do it yourself route. I will add one thing though. If sighting in off of a sandbag or rest, your point of impact will be different than when shooting off your hand, whether supported or unsupported. Once sighted in, confirm your efforts by shooting on paper from positions you would use during your hunt.
-J
-J
bearkilr
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Nowhere, ......just past the middle
Point of impact can vary greatly with different bullets and weights, each gun is different. Just the other day, I sighted in my Ruger #1 in 257 Roberts with 75 gr Vmax handloads to shoot 1" high @ 100. A 3 shot group was under 1". I then fired a 110 gr Accubond factory Nosler load, and it was about 8" higher than the 75gr. Even at 100 yds, that could've resulted in a miss or worse yet, a wound.
This is not necessarily correct, I have shot from bags and sighted in from bags and then made shots in the field at some extended ranges, without any changes to scope setting what so ever. It all depends on your bench technique.
I do not doubt your statement, but for a lot of people, there is a difference, even if it is slight. The confirmation shots are simply a sanity check to ensure that your bench technique during sighting in is as effective as you describe. Better to have the confidence that you did the job right than to assume you did, when you may not have.
-J
