How accurate is bore sighting?

[squarepeg]

So I bought a 10/22 from the local gun shop and they installed a scope on it at purchase and said it was boresighted. I took it to the range a few days later and it shot 3" to the right at 25 yards. So 48 clicks of the scope later and I was able to hit center. Each click on this scope is 1/4" at 100 yards. I was using Rem bulk pack, but by the end of the day was able to get 5 shots inside a quarter at 25 yards, so I know my problem wasn't ammo related. Is this typical of a bore sight error? I have never had a rifle with optics before.

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

Boresighting is just meant to get you "on paper" at a given distance...

Fine-tuning will take time and effort.

You'll probably also find that your rifle likes certain ammo better than others. And once your scope is set for a particular brand/weight/velocity projectile...stick with that or you'll not get as good of results (usually)

-J-

 

[LEaSH]

Hmm. Maybe they only said that they used a laser bore site. Elevation adjustments I could understand, but windage adjusments seem too far out at 25 yards.

Now keep in mind, after shooting a bucket load, the hot barrel might act inconsistant if it's not allowed to cool down after a succession of shots.

But your windage was off from the first shot. So they might of half-pelosi'ed the sight in, that is if they did it at all..

 

[Litlratt]

Boresighting is only meant to get you "on paper" at a given distance.

 

[Litlratt]

IndyGuy77:
That is scary....I hadn't seen your post.

 

[JByer323]

Boresighting is just meant to get you "on paper" at a given distance...

Boresighting is only meant to get you "on paper" at a given distance.

Hey, I've heard the boresighting is only meant to get you "on paper" at a given distance.

 

[42769vette]

this is a common misconception. i have heard folks say "i got my gun borsighted and ready to hunt" ive ever heard that a gun comes from the factory borsighted and ready to hunt and imo that makes for alot of wounded deer. i usually dont boresight my guns. i just take a shot at 25ish yards and adjust then move back. but i did have a gun borsighted that when i shot it was a foot low at 50 yards just last week

 

[IndyGunworks]

yep... boresighting is just to get your CLOSE... its so your rounds hit the paper so you can zero your rifle without having to figure out if you bullets are missing high left right or low... that said with a little experience boresighting can be done with some degree of accuracy... just ask vette what i did with the naked eye with his .243

 

[42769vette]

yep... boresighting is just to get your CLOSE... its so your rounds hit the paper so you can zero your rifle without having to figure out if you bullets are missing high left right or low... that said with a little experience boresighting can be done with some degree of accuracy... just ask vette what i did with the naked eye with his .243

ya i forgot he opened my prohunter looked down the bore and adjusted the scope and sid that should be close. i had heard of folks doing that but when i shot it at 100 yds it was just over 1 inch off. i have to say i was impressed

 

[Litlratt]

You may be surprised at how far it can be done.
The trick is to know where the bore points at a given distance with the sights on the target.
Then, if you change the barrel or sights, you merely duplicate where it was previously.

 

[Cannon]

I have a Bushnell boresighter and it always seems to put my POI about an 1/2 inch to the right at 25 yards. I've used it on about 5 guns with the same results. I can't say that I spent all afternoon getting it perfectly on the dot though. I was just looking at getting it on the paper. The height of rings and type of scope would make a big difference as well if you were bore sighting at 25 yards. Tall rings and a big scope could put your POI pretty low at 100 yards if boresighted at 25 yards.

 

[squarepeg]

Thanks guys, I assumed that bore sighted meant it was right on. Figured a laser only goes straight, so if it is laser bore sighted it must be right. Thanks for saving me some embarrassment complaining to the shop. Well now my rifle is sighted as well as I can do it with Rem bulk at this time. Thanks again.

 

[Cam]

So they might of half-pelosi'ed the sight in, that is if they did it at all..

Bwahahahaha! "Half-pelosi'ed"! Sorry for the thread jack, but I couldn't let that go unnoticed. Well played, sir!

To keep with the thread at least a little, I have bore-sighted a couple of scopes in by looking through the barrel and adjusting the scope to the same sight picture as well. It works, my bore-sight tool works well too. I have the Leupold magnetic type.

 

[42769vette]

Figured a laser only goes straight, so if it is laser bore sighted it must be right.

ya but a bullet does not go straight

 

[squarepeg]

ya but a bullet does not go straight

True....But theoretically, a bullet follows a parabollic path. My thing is that the bore sighted rifle was dead on in elevation , but way right in windage. Bullets don't curve like in the movie Wanted. Going with my laser theory (Assuming no wind), the laser would put the bullet dead on in windage adjustments. It might be off in elevation due to the parabollic path of the bullet. That's as far as my theory goes. Any further and I will be talking like Ace Ventura (out my tail end).

 

[Litlratt]

The device they used simply wasn't in straight.