We all know that pristine precision doesn’t just come with the best rifle scope and rifle. Of course, these FINE TOOLS need to be FINE-TUNED for accuracy and always hit the target!
Maybe you’ve considered using a collimator bore sight to fix the barrel alignment on your rifle scope?
Well then, if you’ve been looking for ways to EFFICIENTLY calibrate your rifle sights, make that perfect shot, and help save you some time…
You came to the right place!
Contents
What Is Bore Sighting?
Essentially, bore sighting is the process of aligning your rifle scope optic, making micro-adjustments to fix alignment errors with your scope reticle, and eventually hitting a distant target.
Think of it like this: of course you need to compensate for bullet drop because of the earth’s natural physics, right?
What this does is align the axis of the barrel and its bore to the rifle scope, by using a point of reference like a grid. Sometimes, you can even use lasers! But we’ll get more into that later.
Where Bore Sighting Comes In
This process is SIMPLIFIED by using a clever little device called a collimator or bore sighter.
The collimator is attached to an arbor that goes inside the bore, which makes it fastened to the barrel of a rifle. Basically, the arbors KEEP the collimator in place for you at the bore to perform your tuning!
The methods for bore sighting were A LOT MORE COMPLICATED way back!
Bore sighting was a chore that involved stripping down the rifle, the bore, and the attachments just to make sure everything is aligned.
Now, with the ever-evolving technology that the world has come to, fixing the sight of your rifle has become easier with a bore sighting device that will make the method of reticle alignment a BREEZE!
Through the use of a laser bore sighter device, people and their aim have drastically improved. They optimized their rifle scope sights to lessen shooting errors just to make that perfect shot!
Doing this process will make sure you get that first shot as close as possible to the target, by using some clever little ways to adjust the scope and reticle’s alignment!
What Does a Collimator Do for Your Rifle?
You may be wondering: What’s a collimator? Why does it sound so complicated?
Don’t be intimidated! It’s actually a very simple method that gives a lot of benefits for your rifle, scope, and most importantly, your AIM!
How it works is very simple:
Essentially, a collimator device works by focusing light on the collimated beams, giving you a better view!
- With rifles, the collimators FIX the parallax error by helping you tweak the alignment of the scope reticle with a target in front of the scope and the rifle.
- What you see when you look at the scope is a paper-like grid. With this, you can better identify the same point of reference to adjust your turrets accordingly.
- Basically, you need to make the necessary adjustments to your rifle scope for elevation and windage. That way, the reticle is aligned properly to the target, and issues with bullet trajectory and alignment error are fixed!
Take note: It is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT that the center axis of the scope and collimator converge at the spot where the bullet trajectory will coincide.
Not doing this properly can give errors to the alignment of the scope, making your aim feel like it’s off tangent.
- It takes a bit of use to get it right every time, as with anything that involves rifles and shooting a target!
- You can always ask for help from local gun stores when you first purchase a collimator, have them take a point, and show you the ropes of bore sighting.
- These days, there is a newer form of bore sighter using a laser.
- It works the same way as classic collimators, but uses a laser instead of a grid to adjust the reticle alignment!
Bore Sighting: Step-by-Step Guide
Now that you decided to take the jump and get a collimator for your rifle, we’ll teach you how to properly go through the bore sighting process.
To properly bore sight a rifle, just follow these simple order of steps:
Step 1: Properly Install the Rifle Scope
Consider using the proper and compatible scope mounts for your rifle scope as you mount it, and make sure they’re secured.
What you want from this is the ability to rotate the scope after mounting it and slide it vertically for the right eye relief.
It’s best to make sure the horizontal line is ON THE RETICLE LEVEL, so take note!
Step 2: Establish Your Target
Whether you’re using a normal collimator or a laser bore sighter, establishing your target is essential to making the necessary adjustments!
One should always check that the rifle is unloaded, and the barrel is aligned.
PSA: GUN SAFETY IS ALWAYS ESSENTIAL!
Step 3: Stabilize Your Gun
Having some form of stabilization is key for the best bore sighting results, like using a rifle vise! But if you don’t have this available, any form of stabilization to keep it upright can work.
Bore sighting and making the adjustments needed is best done when you can see the grid or laser properly.
And, FINALLY…
Your barrel should face upright and ideally parallel to the ground.
Step 4: Line up Your Scope
Now that your rifle and scope’s eye relief is all set, align your crosshairs with the target, making sure everything is visible while keeping the proper eye relief distance.
For Collimators
- Select the right caliber arbor and attach it to the bore, and hand tighten it in place
- Look through the scope and rotate the sighter until the grid’s lines are visible and in line with the center of the scope’s crosshairs
- Adjust your scope’s windage and elevation turrets UNTIL the scope lines up with the center of the collimator grid
For Laser Bore Sighters
- Line up the laser beam to a target 25 yards away
- Look through the scope, and adjust the windage and elevation turrets until the scope’s crosshairs line up with the laser beam
- Now, move the target to 50 yards away and repeat the process.
Step 5: Hit the Range!
Congrats! Now you have now done your bore sighting.
Now you can test your newly calibrated scope and rifle at the range by trying to fire at a 50-yard target.
From here, you can make any necessary adjustments to your sights until you feel like the aim and sighting of the target feels right.
If you’d prefer a more visual guide, you can check out this video for reference, too!