Author Topic: Boresighter problems???  (Read 1329 times)

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Offline Coalminer7

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Boresighter problems???
« on: November 02, 2009, 01:33:38 PM »
Got a lazer boresighter from Cabela's, followed directions to the T, can't hit a 4 x 4 ft pcs. of cardboard.  Rechecked sighter with a know sighted in rifle, and was right on the spot. Any idea's as what is wrong??  Anyone else have troble with these??

Offline drdougrx

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Re: Boresighter problems???
« Reply #1 on: November 02, 2009, 02:37:28 PM »
I don't have that one, I have a bushnell optical bore sighter that has mandrels that go into the barrel.  You look thru the scope and see a grid that you are supposed to line the crosshairs up with.  Never even close to being true, but it does get me somewhere on the paper at 100yards....more or less...wouldn't buy another...I feel your pain.
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Offline Siskiyou

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Re: Boresighter problems???
« Reply #2 on: November 03, 2009, 06:52:22 AM »
I purchased a LASERLYTE which fits in the bore at Wal Mart a year ago.

It claims to put rounds within four inches of the point of aim at one hundred yards.  It has met or exceeded the claim.

Step 1 was to make sure the firearms held no ammunition and no ammunition was present.

The first rifle I tried it on was a Marlin 336 which I had installed a new scope.  When nobody else was home, I put a target with a small dot on the bull down the hallway of my home.  Following the directions I brought the crosshairs in alignment with the dot and lined it up with the target dot.

The second rifle was a Savage 110CL.  I had fallen while out hunting shearing the screws on the rear base of the scope.  The Savage had caused me fits at a range session because I had not discovered the broken screws.  The rifle had been very accurate and suddenly I was chasing bullet holes all over the target.  A gunsmith removed the broken screw and remounted the rear mount.  This is a favorite rifle and I did not use it in the 2008 season because I was not satisfied with a pre-hunt range session a hunting partner and I had with it.  I should note that I had put a new scope on it.  A Remington 700 I had with me got the duty.

Before heading out on our hunting trip we stopped at a Wal Mart for some last minute supplies and I spotted the LASERLYTE and purchased it. 

On the same day I did the 336 I did the Savage.  I took special care with both rifles to get the crosshairs and the laser dot to match up.

On the range the Marlin was right where I wanted it and did not require any adjustment.  The Savage was about three inches high and about two inches to the right.  I made adjustments knowing I was going to back on the range with some hunting loads.  The test rounds on this day were some 130-grain handloads from thirty years ago.  The plan was to continue developing 140-grain Silvertip (old style) hunting loads.

Before returning to the range with the Silvertips I did checked the scope with the laser.  The range day was not ideal because of wind gust up to 27 MPH.  But the results were satisfactory. 



In 1957 I my Dad gave me a Remington 760.  Bore sighting a 760 or like rifle is a challenge.  Ammunition was pricy on our limited budget and I resorted to cutting a mirror down and sliding it up in the magazine well to bore sight the rifle.  Over the years my family, myself, and friends have burn a lot of ammunition sighting in different rifles.  A lot of ammunition was expended that could have been used for general practice if we had a laser bore sighter.  Over the years my methods have refined, but I feel the LASERLYTE was a good investment.
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Offline Dave in WV

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Re: Boresighter problems???
« Reply #3 on: November 03, 2009, 03:02:16 PM »
Coalminer, it seems like something is wrong with your rig. I bought a cheap laser bore sighter to bore sight my 7600 pump. I used Burris Signature zee rings and bought the offset insert kit. I got my zero to within 1" at 50 yards without using any corrections with the elevation or windage adjustments. I bought the unit for that one particular job. If I thought I would be using it more I would have bought a better laser unit as they are much brighter. I had to wait until dusk to set the zero at 100 yards. My son has one also and we both have found setting the zero with the bore sighter at 50 yards or more is better.
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Offline sgtt

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Re: Boresighter problems???
« Reply #4 on: November 04, 2009, 02:31:35 AM »
If you have a bolt or break open single shot the best bore sighting is done using the bore of the rifle.  I have both an old Bushnell and an external laser similar to what you described.  With a little luck I am on the paper at 25 yards.  I don't expect anything more.  There are just too many variables.  I find them the most usefull when I switch out or take a scope off for some reason.  Record where the crosshairs are prior to removal and put them back when reinstalling the scope.
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Offline Brithunter

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Re: Boresighter problems???
« Reply #5 on: November 04, 2009, 10:56:09 PM »
I don't have that one, I have a bushnell optical bore sighter that has mandrels that go into the barrel.  You look thru the scope and see a grid that you are supposed to line the crosshairs up with.  Never even close to being true, but it does get me somewhere on the paper at 100yards....more or less...wouldn't buy another...I feel your pain.

Hmmm sorry Doug but I do feel that it's operator error and not the Optical Bore sighter. Yep I have one with the different bore studs and yes there is always some play in the studs but by careful setting up it has never put me more than 5" away from POA mostly much closer. In fact I am about to go a try a rifle that I just switched scopes on and of course used the Collimeter to do so.

Offline drdougrx

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Re: Boresighter problems???
« Reply #6 on: November 05, 2009, 02:21:03 PM »
Maybe so Brit...though...I worked in a gunshop for 8 years and bought the same model that we used and I bore sighted hundreds of rifles.  Most of the fellows who asked that I do this said it was close but never gight on.  I guess mine will get me on paper at 100 and within 8 inches of the bull.  I suppose this is alright.
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Offline Brithunter

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Re: Boresighter problems???
« Reply #7 on: November 05, 2009, 11:12:30 PM »
Hmmm I would expect it to do better than that  :( however on mine I have noticed that the Spuds even with their brass spring clip don't fit most bores well. There is too much play for my liking to I intend to make up some brass spuds that fit my rifles better which should make it more accurate still. I have resorted to using paper shims to tighten them up which does help. Just thoughts mind you.

Offline drdougrx

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Re: Boresighter problems???
« Reply #8 on: November 06, 2009, 06:19:30 AM »
Y'know...and staying on topic...over the last few months, and on rifles with bores 22 and above (I have a .17 and my 50yo eyes can't cope with yet one more thing), i've set them up solid on the bench, aligned the bore with a bull at 25yards and then made scope adjustments so that the cross hairs are dead-on at the 25 bull.  This has actually worked as well as the boresighter. This Sunday I'll take a rifle to the range and boresite it in this way because the scope has a 50mm obj lens and it seems that the boresighter grid isn't high enough to work correctly.

Just anothe take.....
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Offline Brithunter

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Re: Boresighter problems???
« Reply #9 on: November 06, 2009, 07:56:17 AM »
Hmmmm unless the mounts are really high I doubt it would make a difference as I ahve used my collimeter on the sporterised Swedish Mauser that I have and that's fitted with a 7x50A Meopta scope. Without examinign the bore sighter and comparing it to one that is known to work it's just guess work on my part.

I used to use the sight down bore method until I brought the collimeter.

Offline drdougrx

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Re: Boresighter problems???
« Reply #10 on: November 06, 2009, 09:28:07 AM »
Hi Brit,

the rings may very well be higher than normal.  I put a Leupold 4x12x50 on a ruger MkII with a new ER Shaw barrel that is a magnum taper.  The medium ruger rings the gun came with were too low and the bell of the scope bottomed out against the barrel.  I had these rings in my parts box, brand new and can't remember where or why I bought them.  We'll see how everything works this weekend.
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