9 Best Bore Sights in 2023 [ Muzzle-Mounted & Laser Bore Sights]

What is Boresighting? 

Boresighting is a method used to line up the firearm barrel and sight by adjusting the optical firearm’s sight. It makes zeroing in much faster. So a bore sighter is very much necessary to complete the action. 

It makes the tedious process of sighting in firearms easy with laser bore sights. Simply attach the boresight onto your firearm and calibrate your rifle to a target at a set distance. So, you can adjust your firearm accordingly to make a single shot. 

It has an optical head and a bore-diameter arbor that is placed into the muzzle of the rifle. The optical head is attached to the end of the rod, while the grid pattern of it helps to line up the sight with the barrel. 

Different Methods of Bore sighting:

Bore sighting provides you with a reference point from which you have to start sighting in your gun. This saves your ammo, time, and also protects your shoulder from unwanted recoils. Bore sightings are of four types based on technological developments. They are;

1. Traditional bore sighting:

It is the oldest method where the bolt is removed on a rifle to sight down the bore of a gun at a specific point of the target beyond 50 yards. Here, the windage and elevation turret of the scope or iron sight is adjusted to aim the center of the distant target once the rifle is held in place. This method is mostly done in handguns. 

2. Collimator and Arbor Sighting:

This is another oldest but efficient method of boresighting. Here, the collimator and arbor are used for sighting. The collimator is a device with a paper-like grid in it and you can see it through your scope. It is secured in place by the arbors present inside your barrel from the muzzle end. A spring holds them in place and they are sized according to your caliber. Then you have to adjust the windage and elevation turrets by looking through the scope. Size the arbors precisely to make a single shot. Most of the collimating boresights feature many arbors.

3. Magnetic Boresighting:

This is the most convenient method of boresighting. You just have to attach the bore sighter to your muzzle with strong magnets. You don’t need other parts. It fits all calibers and gauges. Sight in your gun and notice where the crosshairs end up on the grid. Note down the placement to check zero. Magnetic bore sighters are also needed to check zero after moving your guns or dropping them.

4. Modern bore sighting

It is not done by visual inspection, it uses a laser bore sighter to aim the distant target. That is, it projects the laser beam from the arbor placed into the muzzle. Also, in this method, you don’t want to remove the bolt that allows more movement in the gun. Some laser bore sighters are sized for a specific cartridge case and you just have to insert them into the chamber of your gun for the action. 

When using a laser bore sighter you need a reflective target to reflect the laser beam. And this target should be placed at a certain distance and hold your gun steady to center the crosshairs of the scope at the point of the laser.

Why should you use a bore sighter?

Boresights will save you both time and money. It is mainly used to increase the zeroing speed. By aligning the sight of optical firearms with the barrel’s position, you can zero in much faster. 

Therefore, it reduces the number of rounds that you need to fire for zeroing the sights or optic properly. So you can aim and hit the target accurately without wasting even single ammo. This takes very little time to adjust and is used in shooting practice. 

Also, you can use the bore sights to practice trigger control while dry-firing. You can put your shots on paper from home before you go hunting. 

 Types of Bore sighters

Bore sights either use a physical reticle or a laser to show approximately where the round would hit. They are designed either to chamber like a real cartridge or to fit inside the muzzle. Both types have a flat trajectory and should be used at a particular distance to achieve good results. Let’s have a look at those types;

• Muzzle-mounted laser bore sighter

Most of the laser bore sights are designed to fit directly at the muzzle end of your weapon. To install the boresight, a short probe is inserted into the barrel and an adapter to secure it in place. 

So each laser bore sight kit comes with more adapters to fit different sized barrels. At the muzzle, the widened body creates a snug fit. As a result, the boresight projects a straight laser beam out from the barrel. 

The main advantage of muzzle-mounted laser bore sights are, it is compatible with most firearm calibers. 

• Chambered laser bore sighter

Chambered bore sights are shaped like an actual cartridge that sits perfectly into the barrel. So that it is easy for you to direct the laser beam to your target. It is powered by small replaceable batteries that are commonly used in small devices. 

This style is compact, affordable, and is preferred by most shooters. These are generally colored bright with brass to differentiate them from real rounds.

The downside is, this type of bore sighter cannot be used in firearms of different calibers. If you have small guns or only one firearm, then it is worth it for you. 

• Muzzle-mounted optical bore sights 

Optical bore sights are different from the above two laser bore sights. This system does not use a laser and batteries to function. They are mounted to the muzzle but use a lens with a reticle to indicate the position of your optic. 

This type of optical boresight kit comes with a lens (with a crosshair reticle) to line up the reticle on your optic. The boresight set includes adapters to fit with an array of barrel diameters and calibers. They basically do not require batteries but are costlier than the laser boresighter.