Rifle Scopes Box Testing with Laser Bore sight?

[swhiteh3]

I'd like to run a box test on my new scope, and I'm trying to determine the best way to do this.

Of course you can do it with live ammo, but that costs money, has lots of variables (wind), etc, etc.

Someone recommended to me this weekend that you run it with a laser bore sighter, and that seemed BRILLIANT! I was wondering if people have done it, if they've had issues doing it, etc.

My proposed procedure is something like this....

Insert a laser boresighter and close the bolt.

Set the scope to it's zero with the laser (this will probably be different than it's zero with your current load). Note this zero position. (This step is probably unnecessary....)

Move the gun, shake it, and make sure the laser is returning to the zero of the reticle even after the gun is moved. I'm adding this step to make sure the boresighter is not going to move in the chamber and cause issues.

Set a large (6 feet x 6 feet) target a perfectly measured 100 yards downrange. I'd measure this multiple ways. Set the rifle in a bench vise with the laser in the center of the target so it will NOT MOVE. Ensure you can adjust the turrets without moving the rifle. (Of course, it doesn't need to be exactly in the center of the target if you can go downrange and mark where the laser is pointed, essentially creating a new "origin" to work from.)

Move the turrets up 10 MIL (36"), and check the laser's position. Measure how far it moved from the original aiming point. Now move it various combinations of 10 MILS in each direction, marking where the laser lands, and coming back to zero occasionally.

Am I missing anything?

-Scott Whitehead

 

[phlegm]

It ought to work well enough for judging precision of clicks, POA shift with magnification and parallax adjustment. The only thing it lacks is recoil.

 

[Lowlight]

At Gunsite we did a test with a laser boresighter

Seemed like a lot more effort than necessary,

I think using a 4ft level to track the movement is easier and just as accurate but you can do any level of checking as needed or that makes you feel good

 

[DirtMerchant]

^^^ agreed, awful lota work,...
There is not going to be that much wind influence at a 100yd unless you shooting a 22 or in a 40mph crosswind.
You'll learn more about your ability concerning NPO by shooting.

"Of course you can do it with live ammo, but that costs money"

How do you get better at shooting?
Practice shooting.

 

[swhiteh3]

You'll learn more about your ability concerning NPO by shooting..

I do agree with you, but it's more than just the $$$ side of things that's pushing me to do it this way. I'm trying to find very small variations, and was worried that other factors might be just significant enough that it would hide the very small affects I'm looking for, but maybe that's not the case... Thanks for all the input!

 

[Irokcrawl]

Put optic on a solid mount or lock the gun down in a vice so it can not move at all. Put paper up at 100 with the mils measured and drawn correctly and level the target, put center of cross hair on the center (zero) dot making sure the optic is level and then dial up, down, left right etc in all combos. If it's hitting the center of your small dots is good to go. If it's off note the variance and is it repeatable or does it fluctuate. If it's not acceptable by your standards call CS and hope for the best.

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

 

[Odinforce]

I literally just used a laser bore sight to sight in a scope on my new Wilson Combat Super Sniper not 10 min ago, and it worked slick. It took about 2 min start to finish. Without question if I have a choice, I won't sight in a new gun and scope any other way again.

Quick, easy and accurate...

 

[Irokcrawl]

He's not talking about signing in the gun but rather testing if the mechanical portion/turrets and reticle adjustments lineup. As in I dial 15 mils did the scope actually dial 15 mils or 14.7mils which would make a big difference at that range for any gun.

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

 

[Odinforce]

Yeah, unfortunately I didn't see that until after I hit send.

 

[oneshot.onehit]

Rather then waste your the time and money, measure out 300' using a tape hang up a carpenters rule. And with your rifle and or scope mounted in a solid vise check to see if your scope travels the correct amount of travel in your turret adjustments, this is calibrating a scope. Done deal, then you know the value of your adjustments -- make the correction factor in your ballistics program and your done.

I don't care if it is a Smitty, Vortex or Night Force it is part of the program to calibrate your scope.


Cheers

 

[DirtMerchant]

Instead of making multiple 200yd round trips you could use a couple sight-in targets on your 6x6 backer.
Just lay everything out with a tape measure, with the grid from the sight-ins you should get good feed back without havin' to leave the bench,...

Unless you want to run laps.