Whether you are a DIYer or an experienced hunter, safely and reliably navigating your territory is vital. The same goes for those who enjoy the great outdoors but want to stay in touch with nature while being mindful of potential hazards.Let’s start with the specifics. Although many people frequently confuse the two, boresighting and zeroing in your firearm are not the same thing. You could lose money, ammo, and most importantly, time due to this confusion. We want to draw attention to a few of the accents because of this.
By using the “boresight” technique, you may align the barrel of the shotgun and the scope on the weapon. And zeroing, which connects the point of impact and the aiming point, is a technique for sight adjustment. Making notes on paper is the aim of boresighting. To hit your intended target is the aim of zeroing. While some people might prefer to use their own judgment when it comes to choosing a firearm, most would benefit from the experience of a professional firearms dealer. These specialists know what they’re talking about and can help consumers find the right gun for them to carry around their daily life. In addition to helping customers choose the best guns and accessories, many dealers also offer training classes that focus on safe handling and proper maintenance. The best firearms dealer will have a variety of guns available at any given time, ranging from long-range precision rifles to short-range assault weapons. Some may even have a few dozen guns in their basement just waiting to be sold.
What to Consider When Choosing the Best Boresight
Boresights aren’t complicated devices, but they do come with a few key features that can impact their functionality. The following section looks at these in more detail.
Laser Type and Power
There are two main types of lasers used for sights like this one: red and green laser diodes. Each has its own benefits and considerations.
- Red laser diodes (also called infrared) emit light in the near-infrared portion of the spectrum, which is why they’re often used in night vision goggles. This makes them highly visible, even in broad daylight. However, they don’t carry as much power as green lasers, so they need a stronger signal than most other lasers.
- Green laser diodes (also called visible) use the visible light portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, which means they’re not visible to the human eye under normal lighting conditions. They’re also less powerful than red lasers, though they have higher bandwidth, making them easier to transmit.
Power Source
The battery on a traditional firearm sight is usually pretty straightforward to replace; just remove the back plate and slide out the battery compartment. On a boresighter however, there’s an internal combustion engine powering it, so replacing the batteries requires opening up the device.
This generally involves removing four screws and disconnecting the leads from the wiring inside the gun barrel. While this process is easy enough, finding replacement batteries isn’t always so simple. Some brands don’t include any spare batteries with their kit, while others may only sell replacements for certain sizes or capacities.
Weight
A good rule of thumb is that if you wear your gun externally, then the weight should be comfortable. If you wear it internally, then the weight should matter. However, there’s no hard and fast rule here. It really depends on how well the particular setup fits your frame. For instance, someone who wears a large pistol holster daily would probably benefit from a lighter weapon, whereas a competitive shooter might prefer a heavier piece.
Adjustability
One feature many people appreciate about boresighters is the ability to adjust for windage and elevation. These adjustments allow the user to compensate for imperfections in the firing line or simply aim better by adjusting the angle or height of the sight.
Many sights offer adjustment via knobs located either on top or on the side of the rifle. Other sights utilize a slider system where the knob moves horizontally along the length of the barrel instead of vertically.
Durability
As mentioned above, boresighters are designed to withstand extreme temperatures, water, and rough handling. In fact, some models will work perfectly after being exposed to over 100 degrees Fahrenheit for several hours.
They’re made to handle recoil too. After all, if the gun doesn’t stop when the trigger is pulled, then the shooter could end up throwing the gun off target. And since we’re talking about a tool designed to help shooters hit targets accurately, stopping the gun safely is essential.
Ease of Use
Given that they’re mainly used for recreational purposes, ease of use is typically a popular consideration among buyers. However, unlike standard scopes, which simply point and shoot, boresighters require a bit more technique to get the best results. To zero the scope, users must first adjust the focus until the image becomes clear. Next, the user adjusts the magnification until the image fills the entire scope lens.
After both of those steps are done correctly, the user can fire multiple shots without having to manually re-adjust the focus or the zoom level. Instead, the boresighter does all the work for the user.
Types Of Bore Sights
Boresights come in a variety of different types, and it’s important to know what you’re getting into before making a purchase. Here are some common options.
Reticle boresights
A reticle is an instrument or tool that has markings for measuring things like distance and angle. A reticle can be used with the naked eye or with a magnifying glass. It is usually placed over something you want to measure such as a scope reticle or rifle reticle.
The most common type of boresight uses a reticle similar to the MIL (milliradian) scale. This allows shooters to gauge their shot placement without having to use a rangefinder. The downside of this system is that if your reticle gets covered up by dirt or smoke, then you will have inaccurate measurements.
Rangefinders
A rangefinder is another way to estimate distances. These devices connect to either a smart scope or a traditional scope and allow users to electronically “sight-in” a weapon at a specific target. Rangefinders typically give readings in meters or yards, although there are some models that can provide more detailed information.
Some rangefinders incorporate software that can offer a hunter various solutions to shooting problems based on environmental data collected by other sensors. For instance, if a hunter is tracking game through dense brush, the device may interpret certain sounds made by the animals moving through the underbrush as being caused by a muzzle flash from a nearby firearm. As a result, the device may recommend shifting one’s position to get a better view.
Global boresights
A global boresight is any boresight that can be adjusted along its entire length. Global bore sights are great when using multiple weapons because they allow you to switch out the barrel quickly without needing to worry about compensating for changes in temperature or pressure. They also make cleaning the barrels much easier because you don’t need to stop at each individual port. If you plan to use a global bore sight, keep in mind that these systems aren’t very accurate at long ranges. You’ll likely need to take several shots at targets beyond 200 meters with a global bore sight.
Muzzle boresights
A muzzle boresight attaches to the business end of a gun rather than the barrel itself. This makes them ideal for situations where you are not changing out the barrel, such as hunting big game.
How We Chose Our Top Picks
We began by looking for the models with the best reviews and the most customers on Amazon, trade websites, and other online merchants. We restricted our search to items created especially for use with a red dot sight.
The bulk of these sights are designed for either outdoor use or indoor range use at home, but not for both. Only sights that could be used with a red dot or a magnified optic were taken into consideration for this review guide.
Frequently Asked Questions About Boresights
What is the purpose of a boresight?
The laser bore sight illuminates the target with a laser beam from a specific distance in order to align the gun’s barrel and sight before firing. It is a technique for boresighting that permits more movement in the barrel without removing the bolt, which speeds up the process of optically zeroing a rifle.
How accurate is a bore sight?
They are, to start with, a method that is far more exact than using your eye. Laser bore sighting will place you considerably closer to center and consume less ammo in the long run when zeroing the weapon, whereas visually bore sighting a firearm may get you on paper at 100 yards.
Is boresighting necessary?
Prior to shooting seriously, boresighting and zeroing are both necessary tasks. People who don’t boresight their weapons will waste rounds in the field trying to hit the target because their sights aren’t lined up.