How To Use A Laser Bore Sight – 5 Simple Steps To Zero A Scope

Using a laser bore sight to initially zero your rifle scope without leaving your house is a huge plus.

Have you ever struggled to zero your scope on the range and only realize your shots were way off target especially over 50 – 100 yards?

Either you get a bigger paper target to see your hits or you can get one of the best laser bore sights we have picked out here, to quickly dial your scope reticle without wasting any ammo.

I have put together a quick 4 step process for zeroing a scope without firing any shot or leave your home below:

Check Out:  5 Best Picks for Laser Bore Sights

5 Steps To Zero Your Optic With A Laser Bore Sight

1. Chamber Safety Check

Before you start zeroing your scope at home in your living room, it is absolutely important to make sure your rifle chamber is clear before proceeding.

Don't accidentally discharge your rifle inside your home or on the range. Safety comes first.

2. Setup The Bore Sight

There are two types of bore sight, one type fits in the chamber like a bullet, and the other you insert in front of your muzzle with an adapter and it works for various calibers. I personally like the chamber bore sight because it's made to precisely fit in the chamber, but it only works for one particular caliber.

• Chamber laser bore sight – Just load it like how you would with a bullet and you're done
• Arbor-based laser bore sight – Pick the right caliber adapter first, then take the right screw to secure it to the end of the laser sight. What this will do is creating 2 contact points, one fit flush inside the barrel while the outer diameter fits with the muzzle for alignment.

Turn on the laser and you're done with this step

3. Stabilize Your Rifle

This is the easy part. you can either use a gun vise or bipod with shooting bags to stabilize your rifle on the table or bench.

Don't handheld it while you're trying to zero the scope. A gun vise will give you the best stabilization but it isn't necessary, and I highly encourage you to however get some low-cost shooting bags.

4. Dial Your Scope To The Laser Pointer

Set up a target or use the reflective target provided in the package in the distance first.

Next, just dial your elevation and windage adjustments until the reticle is aligned with the laser dot. It's highly recommended to do this with enough distance such as 25 yards.

If you're zeroing this at home with only 20 feet to work with, this will only help you get an initial zero for a scope that is way off on your rifle, and you still need to verify the alignment at a longer distance.

This is also a perfect time to zero backup offset sights and red dot sights on your rifle.

5. Confirm Zero With Live Ammo

Once you're confident you have a good alignment, remove the laser bore and take it to the range and verify zero with live ammo.

Note: A laser will shoot straight to infinity, For long-distance shots, please keep in mind bullet drop when verifying zero.

If you're in the market for a laser boresight, please check out Best Laser Bore Sights Buying Guide here.

Use Bore Sight for a Red Dot Sight Zero

Zeroing a red dot sight is very easy with a laser bore sight. Most calibers shoot perfectly straight up to 25 – 50 yards including pistol calibers, and they're common zero distances for a red dot sight.

Therefore it's recommended to have your bore sight set up either at the range or at your backyard, and just dial your optic to the laser dot mention in step 4.

How to Calibrate a Laser Bore Sight

The laser shoots straight anyway so you don't have to worry about it. The only thing you need to pay attention to is to pick a product that is precisely made so it goes on the muzzle or in the chamber accurately.

The last thing to remember is that the laser bore sight only lets you initially zero your scope, it's no guaranteed that your bullet will hit exactly where the laser dot lands.

Don't be that guy who believes the bullet must hit where the laser bore sight was zeroed. Always confirm it with live ammo for accuracy.

What's The Effective Distance For A Laser Bore Sight

A visible laser can be seen up to 100 yards shooting straight with no problem, but it's very important to align the laser bore sight to the barrel before doing anything.

Lastly, be aware of bullet drop for your particular caliber. Where the laser can hit in the distance, your bullet might not have the same point of aim or point of impact.

25 yards up to 100 yards is a good reference distance for a boresight when zeroing a red dot sight or a magnified scope.

Decide on what range you intend to shoot and take into the account of the scope height when zeroing.

Boresighting VS Zeroing

Boresighting is a method of adjusting the optic to the firearm barrel.

Zeroing is adjusting optic to the point of aim and point of impact.

A laser bore sight's job is to get an initial zero for your scope so you don't waste time or ammo on the range trying to figure out which way to dial your elevation and windage turrets.

Another important thing to remember is that the scope is never at the same elevation as the barrel, so you need to measure the scope over the bore axis distance, and the higher the scope is from the barrel, the more out of whack aiming will be.

Zeroing is still required to 100% confirm your shot with live ammo.

Laser Bore Sight Wrap Up

Using a laser bore sight to zero your scope initially saves time and ammo. All you got to do is follow the 4 simple steps:

1. Safety check
2. Properly mount the laser bore sight
3. Stabilize your rifle
4. Align the scope reticle to the laser pointer
5. Confirm zero with live ammo

It saves time and ammo, and it's a great tool to have in your range bag.

I hope you find this helpful for zeroing your rifle scopes or red dot sights in the future.