Laser bore sight recommendations?

[0to60]

I bought an AR-15 (my first rifle) and I'd like to zero it with a laser bore sight. Are these things any good, or does nothing beat the tried and true method of shoot 3 shots, adjust, repeat?

I'm reading reviews of some of the inexpensive ones on Amazon and it seems that they're not all that great. The laser doesn't point straight, and if you rotate the case around in your chamber, the dot will move around downrange.

 

[Demos]

Laser bore sighters aren't going to give you a perfect zero, but they should get you on paper at 50 yards. Other than getting you on paper a little easier, its the same process of three shot groups to get your zero for that load.

 

[rcmodel]

Since the sight line on an AR is 2 1/2" above the bore line, a laser dot is going to have to be 2 1/2" below where you want the sights to be at closer range where you can see the laser dot.

But you don't need one.
The AR-15 is one of the very easiest guns to bore sight there is.

Just take the upper off and set it in a cardboard box with V slots cut in it to cradle the upper without it moving.

Now, look through the bore at a target 100 yards or so away and adjust the sights so they are lined up where the bore is.

Or, here is a 10 meter bore sight target.
http://www.eotech-inc.com/documents/M16A4-M4MWS_EOTech_LBS_Target.pdf


Now shoot it and fine tune the scope.
Here is a sight-in target for 25 meters.
http://www.eotech-inc.com/documents/M16A4-M4MWS_EOTech_Live_Fire_Target.pdf


rc

 

[Dr. Sandman]

My advice is to find some poor soul who already bought one and borrow it. My gun shop will boresight any gun (or scope) that you bought from them for free. You really should not have to spend any money to get you gun boresighted. If you are boresighting only once in a while, it's not worth it, IMHO.

 

[gamestalker]

Bore sighting is barely good enough to get you on the paper. Even if used properly, they will not, and can not, give you an accurately sighted in rifle, unless by accident. 20 years ago when I worked in the gun business, my boss and others would always chuckle when a customer would bring his rifle in to be bore sighted, knowing this was about as effective as bending a barrel to adjust POI.

I usually take a shot at 50 yds. and if it's on the paper, I'll take a second well benched shot and make an adjustment. Then step out to 100 yds. and see if it's on the paper there. If it is, just continue the process until your sighted in to the distance you want.

I remember one deer season my brother in law bore sighted his rifle, and after missing several deer at relatively close range, 150 yds, or so, he finally took my advice and tried putting it on paper at 100 yds and discovered it was barely catching the bottom corner of the paper.

 

[NeuseRvrRat]

don't waste your money.

 

[taliv]

even if i owned teh best laser bore sighter out there, i would still just look down the bore. it's quick and easy and free. and it doesn't need batteries

 

[19&41]

I have them in .308 and .223. They work well for me. If you are looking to buy one, buy from a source that has reviews of the product. That way, you will have the reports of those who have actually used them and you can judge accordingly.

 

[dubbleA]

Dont believe any bore sighter will give you exact zero but generally will get you close.

I have used this $39 one for several years now. From .22's to the 50 BMG.... it's simple, fast and gets me on paper at 100yds. Most people blow them off as a waste but they can save time and money as they can be used with handguns, rifles, shotguns regardless of action type. Used to dial in lasers, open sights scopes too.

 

[19&41]

Those are good boresighters, I use them with my pistols, but beware when using them with barrels with muzzle devices, Most of the times I have tried them on rifles with flash hiders such as my AR-15, they throw them off. They are just fine on crowned barrels, though.

 

[CSestp]

Since the sight line on an AR is 2 1/2" above the bore line, a laser dot is going to have to be 2 1/2" below where you want the sights to be at closer range where you can see the laser dot.

But you don't need one.
The AR-15 is one of the very easiest guns to bore sight there is.

Just take the upper off and set it in a cardboard box with V slots cut in it to cradle the upper without it moving.

Now, look through the bore at a target 100 yards or so away and adjust the sights so they are lined up where the bore is.

Or, here is a 10 meter bore sight target.
http://www.eotech-inc.com/documents/M16A4-M4MWS_EOTech_LBS_Target.pdf


Now shoot it and fine tune the scope.
Here is a sight-in target for 25 meters.
http://www.eotech-inc.com/documents/M16A4-M4MWS_EOTech_Live_Fire_Target.pdf


rc

LOL I havnt seen those in forever. I remember seeing a Sgt dial in some PAC-15's using bore sights using those. It was hysterical seeing him try to figure out which was the PAC and which was the Bore sight for the first few.

 

[hardluk1]

I have not found a new mount and scope to be far off at 25 yards. Just put together and shoot . Spend the money for the lazer on ammo. Fire 3 controled rounds ,correct your scope and shoot for 100 yards. 3 more shoot ,adjust turrets and you should be very close. ready for fine tuneing.

cSestp Move that 100 yards to 25 so you can really see something and that works.

 

[jmr40]

You'd have to zero several hundred rifles for a bore sight tool to save you any money. With any gun that you can see through the bore they save you nothing. Even if it is difficult to see through the bore it takes exactly 1 more shot to get sighted than without one.

Just shoot at large enough target at close enough range. All you need is one shot. Measure the distance from zero and make the proper adjustments and the 2nd shot you fire will be closer than any tool could get you on the 1st shot.

 

[ZGunner]

I've bought a bore sighter. Waste, just like everyone is saying. You're better off to shoot towards an embankment with a spotter to call where the shots hit and direct from there.

 

[William Hawley]

I bough one 15 bucks on amazon put my 30-30 dead on at 100 yards used it to check my scope before each hunting trip until it got bent

 

[jmr40]

They are all a total waste of money.

 

[Arizona_Mike]

I own a couple laser bore sighters and find them useful for guns where you can't look down the bore to "bore-sight". For bolt actions and ARs, unless they are big bores or very short barrels, I get much closer to the bullseye bore sighting with my eye.

Mike

 

[DMK]

Wow, I can't believe so many people are saying these things are a waste of money.

I have the Aimshot kit with arbors for different calibers. I love it. I've never been able to look down the bore and adjust the sights without jostling things, and then of course it's not even possible to look down the bore with a lot of my guns.

Using the laser mostly helps to get the windage close. I never use it at the range. I set a paper target out at one end of my garage and align the sights, dot or crosshairs on the laser. You can use the laser to make your sight or scope adjustments while holding the rifle to your shoulder.

Once I get to the range and start shooting and I'm always within an 8x11 piece of paper (which is what I print my targets on). It sure makes things easier and saves me a lot of time at the range.

As others said, it's not a replacement for actually zeroing your rifle (by matching POI to POA with your ammo of choice). It's just a tool for convenience, to help you save some time.

 

[WayBeau]

I don't own one, and have never used one personally, though the gun shop that mounted the scope on my M77 said they laser bore sighted it for me. I was on paper, but I had to crank the adjustments more than I was expecting when it came time to fine tune it.

2 years ago, when walking out of the woods, I slipped and fell. My rifle hit the ground. . .HARD. I set it up on the bench, locked it in place and looked down the bore, adjusted the scope and went to work fine tuning. 5 shots later (three initial, 2 to confirm adjustments) I was right as rain. Set your rifle up on a steady rest that won't move and look down the bore. Spend your money on ammo. Just my $0.02.

 

[Llama Bob]

ARs don't need a laser bore sight. Pop off the upper, remove the bolt, and sandbag the upper. Look down the barrel. Point it so the target is centered. Then adjust your scope to point at the center of the target. You're bore sighted. Then zero by shooting like your normally would. Start at 25 or 50 yards and then move out to 100.

 

[jmorris]

Take the upper, remove the BCG mount optic and set on something and look down the bore and center some object in it. Now zero the optic to the same object.

That just saved you the cost of any bore sighter.

Now if you have an optic that is zeroed and want to mount another with the same zero, I built this device. It allows a windage and elevation adjustment of a projected laser dot, line up with existing optic, remove and replace optic and zero to the same point/range. Most accurate method I have that doesn't require a single shot.