How accurate is a bore sighted rifle? The short answer to this question – it won’t be 100% accurate. There are several factors that affect a rifle’s accuracy, like barometric pressure, humidity, wind, and temperature, and so on. These things affect how you and your rifle will perform in different ways.
Now going back, know that bore sighting won’t make your rifle shoot precisely to your point of impact (POI), but it’ll be close. You can be zeroed within a few shots with any rifle.
However, also keep in mind that boresighting is NOT the method to zero your rifle. Instead, it can only help you get on paper or put you on target.
Boresighting doesn’t also come close enough to real and actual firing because you’ll have to consider round type, recoil, and rifle type when shooting live ammunition.
But then, boresighting makes it easy to adjust once done shooting a few shots because your rifle is aligned, although you still have to consider the distance between the barrel and the new scope.
Boresighting doesn’t replace scope zeroing – but it’s an important part of the process to the adjustment of your scope.
What Is Boresighting?
Boresighting requires you looking through the barrel of your rifle and adjusting your rifle scope so that they could be aligned to be in the same focal point.
- It’s the method used to align your scope and rifle’s barrel. This is done to increase your accuracy in making iinitial shots.
- It’s also a part of the zeroing in process to avoid unnecessary ammo wasting when you’re already firing your shots.
So, again, bore sighting your rifle can get you hitting paper after mounting or installing your new scope and using this method could be beneficial to break out your firearm before hitting the range after it’s been stored during the off season, but it is in NO means the way to zero your scope.
So, is boresighting accurate?
Bore sighting, which is viewing through the bore sighting device and rifle scope, can be quite accurate and effective because you’ll be able to adjust easily for 100 yards once you’ve boresighted your rifle at 25 yards and after shooting a few rounds.
But then again, boresighting doesn’t replace actual firing, although it can make it easy to do adjustments after taking some shots because the rifle’s barrel and scope are now aligned.
What is the distance to boresight a rifle?
Common distances are 25 and 100 yards.
When you’re done setting up your rifle, put your target at 25 yards so that you can easily see your target especially if you have quite poor vision.
Fire your initial shot once done boresighting.
Remember the “1-inch low at 25 yards” in which you view a target at 25 yards through your scope, and you have a one-inch round below your aiming point.
This puts your target exactly right at a range of 100 yards.
But, how close is bore sighting a rifle?
You can boresight at a range of 25 yards and then impact at one inch low when you’re shooting at this distance especially when using a deer rifle.
Then, you must now have the ability of finalizing your zero on your target at 100 yards after taking a couple of initial shots.
Nevertheless, you’ll have a more productive and rewarding experience at the range once you have confirmed impact at 25 yards through bore sighting your rifle first.
[Distance between the barrel and scope: Measure from the barrel’s center to the riflescope’s center. Aim for one-inch low if the distance obtained is between 1.75 and 2 inches.]Is boresighting as effective as zeroing at the range?
No, bore sighting is only part of the rifle zeroing process.
It will NOT zero your rifle scope, but it will get your shots on paper.
Boresighting won’t indicate the real strike area.
Remember that bullets are moving in a trajectory, and the light beam in a straight line.
So, the primary purpose of bore sighting is getting your sights close to help get you on the target at a short distance.
Having that said, you still need to go to the RANGE and make adjustments based on the actual strikes of the bullet in order to zero your rifle.
Sighting will need you to make more adjustments based on how you shoot, how you hold your gun, and how you pull the trigger, and so on.
How to improve your shooting accuracy?
Use other sighting devices: If you don’t have a laser bore sighter, you can alternatively use an iron sighter or a holographic sighter.
Determine your firearm’s design: Your rifle’s design will have a direct impact on your shooting accuracy. For example, a short-range rifle will not match a long-range rifle even if you are a seasoned shooter.
Use night vision goggles: If you hunt at night, night vision goggles will be helpful, but for the best results, you must have them when you practice to get familiar with the feel of using it to improve your shots.
FAQs
Can you cover 100 yards with a laser bore sighting tool?
Yes, because its beam is strong enough to let you see a target located 100 yards away. But then, test it out to ensure that the laser sighter is attached properly to your rifle.
Can I bore sight a shotgun?
Yes, if you’re using a laser bore sighter, because not all sighting devices are suitable to work with shotguns for sighting.
How accurate is boresighting for a rifle?
It can only be precise to a certain extent, because its primary purpose is to aid you to get a rough zero.
This will avoid you from wasting ammo to try to get to the target during the initial rounds when you get to the range.
So once your rifle is boresighted, you can get it on target at short ranges, and you will be able to start making adjustments of your zero using live ammo.
Can a rifle be boresighted?
Yes, it can be. Use your naked eye or a bore sighting device to align your riflescope and your rifle’s barrel.
Can I use iron sights to bore sight?
Yes, you can use iron sights to bore sight a rifle in the same way that you bore sight using a scope in order to save money and time.
Final Thoughts
Boresighting won’t make your rifle 100% accurate to shoot to the POI, although it should be close.
And remember, it’s not the sole and only method to be able to zero your rifle, but again, it can put you on your target.
Both boresighting and zeroing are IMPORTANT before shooting accurately. So shooters who won’t bore sight their rifle might end up frustrated at the range because they’re more likely to waste expensive ammo while trying to get on paper – as the sights are improperly aligned.
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