Night Vision Can I boresight a thermal scope with a laser boresighter?

[scudzuki]

Originally I was going to get a thermal clip-on but because of the unavailability of the unit I wanted, I settled on a thermal scope. It never occurred to me that I would not be able to zero the scope on my rifle. I tried different color palettes and different materials to aim at hoping I could get some heat signature from the laser dot but no go.

How are other shooters zeroing their thermal scopes? None of my ranges allow shooting after dusk.

 

[jeffl838]

It doesn't need to be dark for your thermal sensor to work. Glue or tape some aluminum foil on a piece of cardboard. The nicer your scope, the smaller you should make this aluminum paster. Zero it at the same distance you would a day optic.

Alternatively, zero a day optic with a good mount. Cowitness an aiming laser to it. Remove your day optic, and slap on your thermal. Cowitness your thermal to your laser. You can do this at dark on the tip of a telephone pole or something. You want to some distance for both times cowitnessing. Now you also have a day optic that's zeroed in case you ever want to use this as a day rifle.

 

[srt-4_uk]

The lasers you would use for boresighting doesn't give heat signatures.
Why do you have to zero after dusk?

 

[BullGear]

It doesn't need to be dark for your thermal sensor to work. Glue or tape some aluminum foil on a piece of cardboard. The nicer your scope, the smaller you should make this aluminum paster. Zero it at the same distance you would a day optic.

Alternatively, zero a day optic with a good mount. Cowitness an aiming laser to it. Remove your day optic, and slap on your thermal. Cowitness your thermal to your laser. You can do this at dark on the tip of a telephone pole or something. You want to some distance for both times cowitnessing. Now you also have a day optic that's zeroed in case you ever want to use this as a day rifle.

That's some good advise...

 

[spife7980]

Yep, I tear a little square of foil and staple it to a larger cardboard/paper target board. Angle it back a bit and it’ll reflect the sun and get hot and contrast well.
Takes shooting though, not really a “bore sight”

 

[Old Man with Gun]

I just use a black dot in the center of white copier paper- The more contrast the better.

At first I used a hand warmer, but even putting just a little of the active ingredient on some tape is too big of a hot spot to aim at.

 

[shoots100]

I always bore sight my thermal with a laser before going to the range to confirm.
I strap my rifle to the lead sled and place the bean to the center of a target with foil attached.
I use HVAC adhesive duct foil tape.
Dial scope to pc of foil tape and bore sight complete.

 

[Hobbes442]

Take plywood and use hole saw to cut circle and tape hand warmer to back. Then only hole is hot to thermal. I tried cardboard first and realized it bled through

 

[dcnyli]

this one should...

 

[Sogan]

All methods take shooting or at least should to confirm zero. You can also boresight by removing the bolt, looking down the barrel at your target and adjusting your scope to the same area - this method puts me on paper at 50-100 yards everytime and then it’s just fine tuning. I also use tin foil for my target during the day

 

[scudzuki]

Thanks.
You put me on the right track.