Honestly, we don’t see any reason why you shouldn’t be able to bore sight with your open sights. Because boresighting is nothing but a process that we do for a perfect aiming point before you run to the shooting fields. With this process, we align the bore (center of the barrel) of the gun with whatever sorts of sights we have mounted on our firearms.
Even though the open sights aka iron sights are a bit old-fashioned way of sight-in, many shooters still use them because they are inexpensive, lightweight, and easily sustained through all weather conditions. Most importantly, they have always got your back when the optic accidentally fails in the fields.
But for having pinpoint accuracy with the open sights, you should boresight first. Now, many people will suggest different options to do it. However, in this article, we will only discuss the two most easiest and effective ways of boresighting with the iron sights. So, let’s begin!
How To Boresight with Open Sights?
The easiest and most common way to boresight with open sight is to take out the bolt from the firearm. The process of boresighting goes like the following steps:
- Position the firearm on the solid rest. Use something like a vise or a product like Caldwell’s Lead Sled. it will prevent any unnecessary movements of the firearms when you sight in.
- Remove the bolt from the barrel.
- Set your target at 25 yards.
- Now look through the bore and aim the bore to the target.
- Next, use your dominant eye and aim through the iron sight.
- Shoot 3 times to see whether you have aimed right or not. In case you haven’t got it right at the first attempt, re-adjust the positioning of the firearm.
That’s it, this is how you can easily boresight with the open sights. However, this process will work perfectly till the 50 yards of shooting range. So, if you’re planning to shoot beyond this range, scroll down to the second procedure we have discussed here.
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What Is The Alternative Way To Boresight with Open Sights?
The second and alternative way to boresight is to use a laser bore sighter with the firearm. Now there are 3 types of laser bore sighters that we generally see in the market such as muzzle-mounted lasers, chambered lasers, and muzzle-mounted optic systems.
For firearms with open sights, we would recommend going for muzzle-mounted lasers, mainly because they come with universal fitment to mount on different firearms. Whereas the chambered lasers are designed to be used with specific types of cartridge guns or rifles. Hence, you won’t be able to use it in different firearms alternatively.
On the other hand, muzzle-mounted optical lasers are a bit costlier than the other types of lasers. Therefore, the muzzle-mounted lasers are the best option that you can consider for your open-sight firearms.
However, if you are willing to spend some extra money, you’re most welcome to purchase the muzzle-mounted optical lasers. Because the accuracy these lasers can provide, bet you won’t be disappointed!
How To Use Laser Bore Sighters with Open Sights?
The process of laser boresighting is similar to the above-mentioned procedure. So, you don’t have to worry about the steps since they are very easy to follow. The steps are:
- Position the firearm on the solid rest. Try to use vise in this step.
- You’ll need to remove the bolt from the barrel (if you’re using chambered lasers).
- Initially, set the target at 25 yards, and then you can gradually increase the shooting distance.
- Next, push the laser boresighter into the barrel.
- Aim the laser at the target point.
- Use the iron sight and aim with your dominant eye by following the beam. And done! You are ready to make the shots.
FAQs
How accurate are boresights?
The bore sights are a better and more precise method when you want to have perfect shots. You can start the bore sighting from 25 yards, especially if you have a deer rifle. However, with an optic mounted on the firearm, you can also finalize your zero at 100 yards in just a few shots.
Is a boresight worth it?
If you don’t want to waste your time and ammo while sight-in, it is worth it. The laser boresight not only saves your money and ammunition but also increases the chances of perfect ranging.
Should you have a laser on your gun?
Well, it mainly depends on you and your preferences. It is not mandatory to have a leaser on the gun but if you want to quickly zero your optics for an accurate shooting target, it may come in handy to you. However, in case of developing your marksmanship, we will suggest not to use them at the initial stages of practice shooting.
Can you boresight a red dot?
Of course, you can. It will help you to get your red dot closer to your aiming point. Many experienced and regular target shooters boresight their rifles first and then go to optics to ensure an accurate aiming point. This way they save their time and rounds while fixing the shooting range.
Conclusion
To sum up, you can use bore sight with the open sights. The process is really easy. Just go through the steps we have added here. This will help you to make accurate aims with the open sights.
You can also go for the laser bore sighters since they work great to ensure precise aims, not to mention save a lot of time and energy. The steps of using the laser bore sights are included in the article, follow the process and it will make sure you get your perfect shot.
Hi, I’m Brent Hansford. A writer turned hunter & now sharing my love for the sport through writing. As I practically breathe weapons, I firmly believe I’m capable of providing you with new knowledge about firearms and hunting. My mission is to help more people get better at hunting & master the weapons. Let me help with unleashing the beast within you!
