Sighting in a rifle--without boresighting?

[moondawg]

How do you do it?

I had read that you could take out the bolt and look through the bolt, and match the scope up with what you see. I tried that, and either it doesn't work that way, or I'm doing something wrong.

Guess I will just have to get it boresighted.

 

[stik]

i always just remove the bolt, put the gun in a vise and find a point to look at through the barrel. move the crosshairs to what the bore is showing. should get you on paper.

 

[Kimberman]

Usually works for me

 

[moondawg]

What distance are you doing this--50 yds, 100 yds?

I didn't have a vise, I just had sandbags.

 

[mr.big]

on bags,,you must look through the bbl and get it centered at the target,,generally a 12-14 inch circle will fill the bore well enough at 100 yards to do pretty good,,when you get the rifle sitting in the bags aimed at the target without touching anything look through the scope and see where it is pointed,,if it is 1 foot high and 3 feet left move your scope 48 clix up 144 left and start over,,you have to turn the knobs backwards to move the target towards your crosshairs,,when you get the crosshairs on the 12 inch target fire one shot and go from there,,I can usually zero an accurate rifle with a good scope in 3-5 shots

 

[RUGER]

Just shoot the gun at a distance of 25 yards.
Measure the distance from point of impact to point of aim.
Figure out how far you need to move your scope for 100 yards, multiply by 4 and then shoot it at 100 yards.

Should be able to get it done with 3 shells.

 

[moondawg]

I was about 90 yds from the target. I looked through the bore and put it on the target. Then I looked through the scope...the crosshairs were way to right...maybe about a foot or two. Height-wise, it was fine. Maybe I didn't move it enough clicks to the left. I moved it 30 clicks, and the crosshairs didn't look like it even moved.

Gonna try it again at 25 yds.

 

[cdw338]

Move it to the right not left. If you were looking through the scope and hitting to the left, you would have to move them to the right.

Do what Mr Big said.

 

[mr.big]

if the crosshairs were to the right you need to turn the knobs to the right,,sounds like you moved it the wrong way,,the knobs actually move the sight picture towards the crosshairs not the crosshairs to the target,,

 

[TheLBLman]

Just shoot the gun at a distance of 25 yards.
Measure the distance from point of impact to point of aim.
Figure out how far you need to move your scope for 100 yards, multiply by 4 and then shoot it at 100 yards.

If you haven't sighted in many rifles from scratch, I'd actually recommend first taking a single shot at about 12 1/2 yards --- then figuring how far you need to move your scope for 100 yards, multiply by 8. THEN, do as Ruger stated above at 25 yards, then proceed to 100.

I say this because I've seen people totally miss the target at 25 yards on their 1st shot.

 

[FLTENNHUNTER1]

Did it today for my wife's AR and my 700.

Look through the barrel at a 1" dot 10 yards away. Center the dot in the bore and adjust the scope to the dot. Real easy to do.

Both rifles were hitting 2-3 inches high but dead center at 25 yards. I adjusted both in under 5 rounds each.

 

[Steve Eggers]

If you can keep the rifle ina fixed position you can sight it in with 1 shot
If you are on paper fix it steady with the cross hairs on your aiming spot and while not moving the rifle adjust your scope to where it intersects with the bullet hole
Sounds crazy but I do it all the time

 

[mr.big]

I read a story one time in F&S I think,,mule deer hunt out west,,dude fires at deer 250 yards,,guide saw bullet impact 8-10 feet off,,he took the rifle from client and bore sighted it off a rock and the hunter killed the mulie with the next shot,,

 

[moondawg]

if the crosshairs were to the right you need to turn the knobs to the right,,sounds like you moved it the wrong way,,the knobs actually move the sight picture towards the crosshairs not the crosshairs to the target,,

Oh. I thought just the opposite. :crazy: :blush:

 

[Rowdy]

Usually works for me

Ditto for me...I'll usually pick something about 100 yds. away.

 

[jakeway]

Technically., what most of these guys have been describing IS "boresighting". Sight through the bore and adjust the scope or sights accordingly. That's where the term comes from. The last few years companies have come out with "boresighters", but that's not really what it is. This is always just to get the point of impact close to point of aim.

Now, having been anal retentive, I'll add that I usually do my boresighting on the picnic table on the patio, aiming at the nose of a cement cat statue in my wife's garden about 10 yards away. I adjust the crosshairs to be slightly above the nose at the close range.

Aiming at a spot too far away is too imprecise.

 

[Locksley]

i always just remove the bolt, put the gun in a vise and find a point to look at through the barrel. move the crosshairs to what the bore is showing. should get you on paper.

YEA or lay it on the sandbags at the range with the bolt removed and move the scope crosshairs to the spot you are looking at threw the barrell / that should get you on paper.

There are no factory sighted in rifles . LOL

 

[.444 Marlin]

i always just remove the bolt, put the gun in a vise and find a point to look at through the barrel. move the crosshairs to what the bore is showing. should get you on paper.

X2. I do this with every bolt gun, muzzleloader and shotgun that will allow me to.