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BSA Bore Sighting Kit
7.62x39Lover
Member Posts: 3,939 ✭✭✭
Hi guys. I've been trying to get around to sighting in a couple of rifles. I bought a tasco 20-60x60 spotting scope (tested it out and seems to be servicable) and a BSA bore sighting kit. Did I do good or did I goof on the sighting kit?
http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/products_id/57277
http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/products_id/57277
Comments
I have never been a fan of sticking arbors or spuds into the crown of any of my rifles.
After sighting in hundreds of rifles, I find all the gadgets for sighting in a scoped rifle to be exactly that, gadgets. Sure they're a nice alternative but the process can be resolved quickly and easily without anything except a level, plumb bob and two rounds of ammunition.
Best.
ADDED:
The term 'getting on paper' is old-fashioned and a waste of what is rapidly becoming extremely expensive ammunition. I've watched too many shooters use 1/2 a box or more of ammunition and the better part of a morning trying to get that shot on paper to become one in the bullseye.
Follow some simple steps to save your money and time:
- Skip the gadgets, use a rifle vise to hold the rifle.
- Get it level in both directions
- Pull the bolt.
- Aim the rifle at a door frame, course of bricks or a plumb bob.
- Count the total number of clicks for windage and elevation.
- Divide by 2 to find the center of each correction.
- Move each knob to that number.
- Using a point or dot on a wall or object in the distance, adjust the scope to agree with what you see in the bore.
- Go to the range and sandbag the rifle, firing one shot at the bullseye.
- Without moving the rifle from the first shot sight picture, adjust the crosshairs to be on the bullet hole.
- Re-sight on the bullseye and fire the second shot.
- You're done!
Using these simple steps gets me within 2" of the bullseye for the first shot every time. Bore sighting takes all of about 2-3 minutes and gets you started in the center of the scope range instead of wasting that range centering the scope.
Best.
http://tinyurl.com/yvllmu
Looking at something ~30+ yards away usually got me on the paper.
I'd secure the gun-barrel as well as possible.
I'd look down the bore to get an idea of the point of impact.
I adjust the sight to match. ( Then repeat it just in case I made some blunder, knocked it, whatever.)
After that 'SWAG bore sighting', with adjustments from firing a few rounds did fairly well for me.
My limitation was having gun where you could not see down the bore by removing the bolt, or partial dis-assembly. It is low tech, and I may have been doing it wrong for 50 years, but it has worked for me.
I have no idea how Nononsense does it with a plum bob and level, though I certainly don't doubt him.
He used to go by Bert McGuyver.[:)]
I use a Laser-Lyte to bore sight all long guns before the intitial trip to the range. Have a room where I can get about 40' line of sight, and dial the scope at just below the centerline height above the laser spot. If the scope is 2.5" above the bore, it is sighted at about 2" above the laser.
With one exception this puts me on paper at 100 yards, which is all it will ever be good for anyway.
Brad Steele
I have no idea how Nononsense does it with a plum bob and level, though I certainly don't doubt him. I have been most pleased with the Zero Point magnetic bore sighter from Leupold. The best thing they make in my estimation, and they make some pretty good things.
http://tinyurl.com/yvllmu
That looks like a mighty cool gadget.
i have that bore sight kit i have used it for 8 years and no problem.my dad used tio use a shoesstring and level guess i should have paid attention
It just came in. The instructions are very vague. It just says to put it on and match the reticle with the cross hairs on the adjustment tool. If I do this, I am more or less "zeroed" at what distance? They neglected to mention that. Might they have done that because it may vary on each different set up? If so I get it, but they could at least throw a guy a bone and say more or less at what distance you are "zeroed" at if you follow the directions.
The proper method of bore sighting can only be done with firearms that one can view down the bore from the breech end. You view and center a distant(usually around 25 yards, but can be done indoors in 25 feet if compensated for correctly) target, while the rifle is locked in a rest. Then you adjust the scope to the target.
The two bullets work by shooting one on the target, making sure your cross hairs are centered on the target. Then, after the shot, with the rifle locked in the rest so it can not move, make sure the crosshairs are centered on the target. Adjust the scope to where the bullet struck. This works well, but be forwarned, it only works well with decent quality scopes, that do not tend to have sticky crosshairs.
Can't believe some of you older experts, didn't recognize the geometry behind the plumb bob and level. I don't use a plumb bob, but I use a machinist protractor level to make sure the rifle is perfectly vertical. However, I suspect the plum bob works as well or better.
To answer the questions of the original poster, the Tasco spotting scope will liteerraly give you more headaches from eye strain than what you saved on it. The bore sighter, is not a bore sighter(as mentioned, bore sighting is done by looking thru the bore...directly). It is an inexpensive columnator. The barrels I have are mostly too valuable to be sticking something into the area of the crown like that. It can cost you more in the long run, than you could imagine, with one wrong move.
Best
I have a couple of collimators similar to what you have on your link and use it along with a Wheeler level-level-level. It works very well for me and get me on paper all the time.
IMHO,I think you did very well. I normally see them at least $30.
Ed