Boresighting a Rifle Scope the Old Fashion Way

MidwayUSA asked:


Larry Potterfield, CEO and Founder of MidwayUSA, shows how to bore sight a scope on a bolt action rifle without the use of a boresighter or other expensive tools. In a process that takes only minutes, you can easily adjust your scope so your first shots at the range are on target. The process is quick, easy, and it saves ammo as well! This process begins by taping a Caldwell target on the wall approximately 20 feet away from the muzzle. With the rifle in a Tipton Best Gun vise and the bolt ...

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No Responses to “Boresighting a Rifle Scope the Old Fashion Way”

  1. rifle scopes

    where do you get that gun holder to do this?

  2. conspiracy777 Says:

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    Great video and great info !!
    THANKS!

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    It works very well. The only things to consider are that the rifle scopes are not as rugged as a spotting scope. You also may want to use a scope with lower power or one that adjusts to lower power so that you can acquire the target quickly.

  4. Kansieo.com

    Yes, right cap is for left and right windage. Top is for elevation.

  5. Kansieo.com

    larry you are the fuckin man!!!!

  6. Kansieo.com

    would seem good to me, be like using a telescope and if worst comes to worst you have a second scope for your gun

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    I was thinking it would be good to use a rifle scope as a portable handheld spotting scope as spotting scopes are usually huge. Obviously anything is possible and just because it says rifle scope doesn’t mean you cannot use it in you’re hand also. WOuld this work ok? is it well known? I saw scorpio in the dirty harry movie use it in that way, not that i liked the charcther he played

  8. rifle scopes

    I’ve done this same method works great.

  9. Caffeinated Content

    for scopes without clicks that are friction types you need to take a shoe box and cut out 2 “V” notches to make a scope cradle. then spin the scope slowlt while looking through it in the cradle and adjust crosshairs until they are spinning centered like a pinwheel and not spinning eliptically like an egg outline…when the crosshairs spin evenly like a pinwheel, you are mechanically zeroed.

  10. Kansieo.com

    i personally prefer solid ring bases like rugers and leupold dual dovetails or badgers…however if these windage screw bases are your choice you need to mechanically zero your scope before using them in order for the system to have meaning and save you windage for internal scope useage. Count the total clicks from far left to far right and set halfway then do the same for elevation…count the total clicks from top to bottom and come back half…now your scope is mechanically zeroed.

  11. bigbangAT Says:

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    for wich adjustment is the side cap?

    for left and right?

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    really cant, but tasco sells a cheap bore sight kit that will work well enough to get on paper.

  13. Kansieo.com

    wow cool ill try that, thanks!

  14. Kansieo.com

    most likely… if you have a local dicks sporting goods, they will do it for you for free.. thats what i did

  15. rifle scopes

    im still confused about this. can my local gun shop mount my scope and help sight my scope in for me?

  16. Kansieo.com

    Bore sighting is a great way of getting great accuracy. The most important step they left out is to equal out your scope crosshairs first. Then follow the steps Midway mentioned. 30 feet is too close though. Do it at 50 yards. Try to find a target that will almost fill up what you see through the bore.

  17. rifle scopes

    Personally, if boresighting a centrefire rifle in a room from only about ten yards as Larry was, I’d get the reticle some way above the middle of the target. If you’re at the range you can zero at 100 yards then check your boresight on a graduated target at whatever range you normally boresight, then write down how far off the bull you were for reference. Then you can use those settings to boresight to check scope alignment each time before you go out.

  18. Website content

    lol i cant hold me 308. in the same spot i always jerk just a lil

  19. Caffeinated Content

    i cant even sight in my air rifle

  20. Website content

    anybody have any tips on how to do this with an autoloader?

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    you can also use an empty shell without the primer, this makes it easier to get the target in the centre of the bore

  22. Caffeinated Content

    ok thanks. it’s just that i was worried that my little brother had released all the nitrogen when he screwed off the eye bell. so it doesnt work like that then?

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    I believe they simply purge the interior of the scope before final assembly to remove any moisture and air which over time could cause corrosion, etc to the inside of your scope.

  24. taofledermaus Says:

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    But, you can use a laser bore sighting tool. That would be the new-fashioned way of bore sighting. I have a video on it if you want to see what I am talking about.

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