Non-Firing scope sighting tips

[MilsurpShooter]

Well heres the deal. Tax return is coming soon, The way I have it planned out is most will be going towards the completion of my home built PC, $125 of it will be going towards my gun safe, and the last bit will go for an Iron Elite scope mount and a nice, not cheap, not too expensive scope.

Now, the problem is, I'd like to sight it a little bit, and then fine adjust at the range (it's only open Saturdays and Sundays by the hour) so I'll have about that long to fine tune and zero it in completely.

I can't fire around my house, my neighborhoods mostly Democrat and anti gun so i've gotten some dirty glares just aking the big carrying case from my house to the trunk of my car I'd like to know your recommendations, i'm figuring I could get one of the laser bore sighters. Go outside, aim at my fence, zero it in (a little) and then fine tune later.

Do any of you recommend one type of bore sighter over the other? Has to be in a realistic price range, $40, as I doubt I'll use it more then occasionally. Has to be 8mm too, i've got a Yugo M48A.

Help and suggestions are appreciated

Thanks

 

[redneck2]

Well, actually

now forgive my ignorance, as I am NOT a military rifle guy. I believe that the m48 is a bolt rifle. If so, mount the scope and remove the bolt. Look down the bore from the back end and center something about 100 yards out or farther.....rock, stop sign, etc. Look thru the scope and the crosshairs should be centered on the same item

Now, when you go to the range, take a large target. I generally use a sheet of cardboard. Use a magic marker, target dot, whatever and make a specific aiming point and set it up at 25 yards. Remove the scope caps.

Make sure you have a super steady rest and the crosshairs are centered on the dot and fire a round. Lets say you're 1" high and 2 inches to the right. Center the crosshair in the aiming point and WITHOUT MOVING THE RIFLE turn the knobs until the crosshairs are now over the bullet hole. You've just sighted in with one shot. The crosshairs and the bullet are in the same spot.

The bullet will be moving upward to meet the line of sight. You'll probably be back on at about 125 yards depending on the height of the scope above the bore. HTH

 

[Drakejake]

I think you might consider getting a Universal Laser Shooting System, about $40 at Wal-Mart. It goes in the muzzle instead of the breech and can therefore be used in autos as well as bolt action rifles. It comes with adapters which allow you to use it on most of the major calibres.

Drakejake

 

[yesterdaysyouth]

here's how i've done it with great success...

take a target dot and stick it on the wall of the largest room, or hallway in the house...

setup a table with whatever kinda rest you can come up with, towels work good if you don't have anything else...

take bolt out and sight target dot in the center of the bore...

now adjust crosshairs to the same point...

hard part is keeping the rifle from moving while adjusting the scope, just check back and forth between the bore and scope while you're moving it...

take it to the range, i start at 50 yds and go from there...

total cost... depends on how resourceful you are, pricing stickers on chip bags work well

 

[BillL223]

Trying Redneck's way at 100 yards will work a lot better then looking at a wall in your house. The important thing is that the rifle doesn't move between looking down the bore and adjusting the crosshairs. The main thing is to be able to get on paper when you go to the range. Most scopes have 1/4 moa per click adjustment. This is about a 1/4" at 100 yards, so if your trial shot is 3" low, move up 12 clicks. At 50 yards, you would need 24 clicks to make a 3" change. This is a very simplified analysis, ignoring the height of the scope over the barrel and bullet drop.

 

[wally]

Yes for a bolt gun, no need to spend money.

For autos where you can't look thru the bore I've had good luck with the cheap New Century laser bore sighter from CDNN. http://www.cdnnsports.com/ part CENNCLBS1 $39.99. I think I got mine at a gun show for $25.

It has different inserts you adjust to be snug with the bore and then screw on the laser. Its not high precision, but if you look thru the crosshairs and rotate the laser, when the circle is rotating around your centered crosshairs you are pretty close.

Saved me lots of time and ammo. Works better with longer distances to adjust to, I've about 25 yrds across the patio to the back fence at a angle staying indoors so as to not spooke the neighbors.

--wally.

 

[Art Eatman]

For bolt guns, been doing it Redneck2's way for a long time. Always works.

Cheap, too.

, Art

 

[MilsurpShooter]

Good advice, and I thank you all for it. The one major problem i'll have is simply that it's a 100 yard range. State park owned. Now it opens at 10:30, closes at 4:30, no one's allowed near the targets until 4:30. So i'm pretty much going to be setting it up at 100 yards, no chance to move the target further or closer.

The M48 is a bolt action for everyones information, and it will be easy to do this (was made solider proof and is not difficult to take apart) Only problem I forsee is that i'll have to improvise on the rest, probably grab an extra sandbag or two from the Range Officer lol.

Thanks again

 

[JNewell]

I do what Redneck does. Elevation may/may not be right, but I get the windage usually within a couple of inches at 100 yds if I use a "target" that's several hundred yards away when boresighting.

 

[cracked butt]

I've been doing what Yesterdaysyouth described for years.
Only thing that I would add is-

To make a cheap rifle cradle, take a large cardboard box, fold the flaps to the inside, and make a semicircle cut on two opposing ends to cradle your rifle. You can set this up on a table or the floor to sight in on a dot on the wall.

This will get you very close to where you need to be. Takwe your first shot at 25 yards and adjust to zero by moving the aimpoint 4x the normal distance that you would at 100 yards.

Example:
If the bullet hits 1" low and 2" left, and your scope has 1/4 minute click adjustments, click your scope 16 up and 32 to the right. A rifle of typical high powered rifle velocity ~2400-3000 fps will usually have very similar zeros at 25 and 100 yards, you shouldn't be off by more than an inch in any direction at 100.

Most good scopes will have elevation/windage adjustments that are very positive- the adjsustment will fall into place as you adjust, but it doesn't hurt a bit to adjust +1 click then back off a click to get the adjustment to settle. On cheaper scopes you may sometimes run into the problem where the adjustment will not settle in, the recoil of the next shot will settle the adjustment, then you readjust and end up chasing your tail.