Was asked if I could do a lil pictorial on this and just so happens I had pictures taken !
Anyhow I do the old school method. And this only works if you have a gun that allows you to look down the barrel with the bolt removed. So most bolt actions AR's falling blocks ect. Leaver gun guys ......they make Lazer cartridge bore sighter for like $10.

And just to be clear a bore site IS NOT a actual zero ..it's just getting your scope and you barrel roughly pointing at the same thing. Its a good way to avoid the deal where you shot at a target 10 times before you see some dust off to the said and you know you need to go over that way . Now a good bore site usually has you on paper first round and you can adjust right off of that. And some places offer this as a service for anywhere from $10-50 I've seen.....and yeah it's really easy to do and basically free so. And seriously with how a lot of folks are dropping $30-60 for a $20 rd box....yeah I tell add up .

Ok so first take a target that easy to see , I like a piece of copy paper with a target dot and stick it out 25-50yd.


Alright now set your fire arm up in a good rest of some kind that will allow you to keep it pretty still while you adjust the scope. Sand bags work just fine don't need a fancy rest or whatever.now remove you bolt and prop it up so you looking down your barrel . With AR's I just take the upper off the lower pop out the BCG and


Now just look down the bore and move it around till you have your Target dead center of you barrel. Kinda hard to show here but you can make out out white later target and see it's pretty well centered up. The orange center dot kinda helps you eye naturally center it up on the bore but almost I like to go off the principle of have all four corners of the paper touching the sides of my barrel.



Now without moving anything move your head up and look though the scope. It's probably gonna be off like mine is


Stop and move the range horse out the way... They always seem to think the best grazing is in the line of fire for some reason lol


Now just use your adjustments to move your cross hair to the center of the target..DONT move the gun , and check to make sure it's still centered. Just adjust the scope over .

And once your centered up look back down the bore to make sure you haven't moved

Cool still on so you and now toss your bolt back in properly and send one down. @25-50yd a good bore site should have you on paper. In this case I'm left with my first shot adjusted over and I'm centered. I'm OCD so I use more especially with a new gun and ammo ... Found out this one really don't like this particular brand so sent more as a confirmation.


Now move out to 100yd ( my preferred zero distance I don't really do the whole love here high there thing if you do and it works for you that awsome just not my deal ) Most of time I'm pretty close still ,and sometimes dead on but I always check because many many times I've been off a decent lil bit from whatever 25 or 50yd was . Regardless this should definitely save you some ammo , $$$ and frustration vs just shooting till you see some dirt kick up ...or paying somone to do it... Which I have to say most of the bore sighters I've messed with never seem to be as good as the old school method....but I can barely shoot straight half the time so

O also you CAN bore site at further distances you just have more room for error usually bore site plus a single shot at short range is usually a pretty good guarantee that you'll get get in paper in one shot and be able to be close @100yd... Doing the same @100yd .....egghhhhhh I haven't had the BEST luck
Anyhow hope this helps

Nice to know. Not sure it'll help me any time soon but I'll keep it filed somewhere in my brain.

I've learned to start sighting at 100, and have your crosshairs just below the bullseye.

That's with high powered rifles.

I zero AR's at 36 yards, bolt guns at 200. For nostalgic reasons I won't put an optic on a lever or pump gun

Nice informative write up Wolfie.

This Dewey tool to lock an AR open makes boresighting easier to me because I have the stock to help hold it. Makes cleaning easier as well.

Wolfdog,

This is a great post. I talk to quite a few people that think you have to have a laser bore sighter to bore sight your rifle. I do pretty much the same thing you described and it saves a lot of ammo.

I used to always zero at 200. The past few years I’ve started to upgrade my scopes to tactical style scopes with exposed turrets and now I zero at 100. If I have a 200 yd shot I just hold center of the body behind the shoulder, anything over 200 I adjust my turret or use the reticule MOA hash marks.

I zero at 100 cause most places here you don't need more, but I can always aim high for longer shots should the need occur. Haven't had to yet, though.

I sight in at 25. Then fine tune at 300 for most rifles. Muzzle loader, 30-30 at 100, 22 hornet at 150 and 5.56 at two hundred. 22 rifles at 50. That has worked for hunting for me for a long time. I get better results bore sighting like Wolfie described than any gizmos I have tried.

The trick to obtain an accurate sight picture while looking down the barrel is to focus your eye on the muzzle end of the barrel and allow your eye placement to settle in when you achieve a blurry, perfectly round halo at the breach end. Once you have the barrel lined up with the target, the bullseye needs to look blurry as well.
I recommend a round dot for a bullseye. It needs to be of the size which nearly fills the "tube" you are looking through.
It's easier for an eye to line 3 round shapes.

I have one of these, just turn it on and put it in the action, close it, then turn the adjustments on the scope to center on the laser dot.

The one I bought isnt even close at 25. My dad had one that went in the muzzle. Had a grid on it. It didnt work either.

I tried the laser attachments. Now I just set it up stable and look down the tube, from the action end. Pretty much how Wolfie showed.