Anyone have any thoughts or experience with the Leupold Magnetic Boresighter?
http://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item.asp?sku=0015459012

Thanks

I never have figuered out how to use it. If someone understands how to use it please let us know.

I have one and I love it.

Couldn’t be simpler to use. Place it on the muzzle and adjust your cross hairs to the cross hairs on the grid.

Go to the range fire one shot. Place boresighter back on the muzzle and place the boresighters cross hair on your POA and adjust your scopes cross hairs to your POI.

You are now zeroed.

The Leupold magnetic boresighter depends on the crown of the muzzle being perfectly perpendicular to the bore, which hopefully it is. But not always, unfortunately.

For bolt action rifles, or any action which allows you to see through the barrel, ACTUAL bore sighting is far superior to any boresighting device. Set your rifle on sandbags or other firm base. Simultaneously look down the bore and match the crosshairs to the same point. It's as simple as that.

The Leupold boresighter does have one theoretical use: Take it with you when transporting a rifle on a trip. This allows you to do a quick check to see if there has been a shift in the scope's alignment. However, there is no substitute for actually shooting your gun to check the sights when you arrive.

quote:

Originally posted by Stonecreek:
The Leupold magnetic boresighter depends on the crown of the muzzle being perfectly perpendicular to the bore, which hopefully it is. But not always, unfortunately.

I believe you’re mistaken on this. That boresighter works on the principal of parallel light paths and the placement on the muzzle, or the squareness of the muzzle is irrelevant. Think of a constantly centered reticle in a scope and you will get the basic idea. To us mortals it makes very little sense, but an optical engineer can explain it to you.

I will agree with you that actual shooting is the only way to properly zero a rifle/scope, but bore sighting (by eye or by device) is only meant to get you a good starting point.

Steve

Got one. Love it. Wouldn't be without it.

WN

fyj and whelen nut are right. This borescope does not even require you to place it on the muzzle in the same manner. I don't understand it but I do know it works and works well. And it does not require you to put any metal object in your bore.

Stonecreek's bore sighting method works but not better than a bore scope. One thing he failed to mention is the range selection for the bore sighting. You have to choose an object that is distinctive at a distance of about 35 yards. Remember that the sightline of the scope and the bore of the rifle are not parallel to each other. The bore of the scope will intersect the sight line at about 35 yards and the drop of the bullet will again intersect the line of the scope at the sighting in distance and that of course depends on the adjustment. The original crossing will differ slightly with different zero's but not by much. If I am using that method I usually pace off 35 yards and place a bright colored object on the ground to sight at. If I use a bore scope I will have it done by the time you walk out to place the object. The bore scope is still easier and obviously quicker. Accuracy is not an issue, you are trying to get on the paper.

Thanks! I ordered one up last night. Hope this old brain will be able to figure it out.

I've been using one for about 5 months and have to concur with Stonecreek.
I used it to get on paper with 3 different rifles with well cut 11 degree target crowns.
Worked great.
Tried it on an AR15 with a flash supressor and it failed miserably.
first shot was approx. 2' high and three feet to the left.
Tried it on a much abused Rem742 with much the same results.

Common sense tells you the device must be indexed to the bore in some manner.

Also, I believe that little tiny piece of paper that serves as instructions mentions that it must be square to the bore.

It can be left or right , up or down from the bore center somewhat and still work, but must be square with the bore.

It's a handy gadget because of its size,but it ain't magic.

Just one guys opinion.


Covey16

Thanks for the observations, Covey. You are correct that a non-perpendicular muzzle will skew the Leupold device, just as a crooked bore will skew a bore spud device.

Customstox: As to the distance to boresight using the "manual" method of sighting through the bore, the further the better. I usually boresight at the range just before actually sighting in, using some bright, highly visible object at or near 100 yards. I rarely shoot anything other than bolt actions, so this is not only quick and efficient, but always works; as opposed to using bore sighting devices which sometimes work.

quote:

Originally posted by covey16:
I've been using one for about 5 months and have to concur with Stonecreek.
I used it to get on paper with 3 different rifles with well cut 11 degree target crowns.
Worked great.
Tried it on an AR15 with a flash supressor and it failed miserably.
first shot was approx. 2' high and three feet to the left.
Tried it on a much abused Rem742 with much the same results.

Common sense tells you the device must be indexed to the bore in some manner.

Also, I believe that little tiny piece of paper that serves as instructions mentions that it must be square to the bore.

It can be left or right , up or down from the bore center somewhat and still work, but must be square with the bore.

It's a handy gadget because of its size,but it ain't magic.

Just one guys opinion.


Covey16

I’m sitting here with the instructions that came with my Leupold Zero-Point bore sighter and I can find absolutely no mention of the device needing to be square to the muzzle.

“Common sense†has nothing to do with the placement or “indexing†of this device on the muzzle. It is governed by the physics of light waves and as Customstox stated, the position of the device on the muzzle is not critical at all beyond having it‘s grid screen plumb with the reticle of your scope.

No bore sighting method will ever take the place of firing the rifle to zero it, but this device is a very handy tool with lots of uses when setting up and sighting in your scope.

quote:

As to the distance to boresight using the "manual" method of sighting through the bore, the further the better. I usually boresight at the range just before actually sighting in, using some bright, highly visible object at or near 100 yards. I rarely shoot anything other than bolt actions, so this is not only quick and efficient, but always works; as opposed to using bore sighting devices which sometimes work.

It seems you do not understand the relationship between the line of sight of the scope and the bore of the rifle. They cross at approximately 35 yards when sighted in at 100 yards. That is the reason to bore sight at that distance. If you go further to set the scope your accuracy of your bore sighting will diminish as you will be shooting higher than the center of the bull. You will still be on paper but "the further the better" is the opposite of what happens. This will be easier to understand if you consider bore sighting with your method at 300 yards. The bullet hole will be about 20 inches below where you bore sight. The trajectory of the bullet (not the same as the bore of the rifle) will again cross the line of sight of the scope at the distance you sight the rifle in. The trajectory of the bullet is virtually on the same line to the crossing point at 35 yards and beyond that it of course drops due to gravity.

Bore sighting tools are only usefull to get on paper. I would never rely on one to check zero after a trip and before a hunt. You can always find a place to pace off 100 or 200 yards and take a shot.

quote:

Originally posted by fyj:

quote:

Originally posted by covey16:
I've been using one for about 5 months and have to concur with Stonecreek.
I used it to get on paper with 3 different rifles with well cut 11 degree target crowns.
Worked great.
Tried it on an AR15 with a flash supressor and it failed miserably.
first shot was approx. 2' high and three feet to the left.
Tried it on a much abused Rem742 with much the same results.

Common sense tells you the device must be indexed to the bore in some manner.

Also, I believe that little tiny piece of paper that serves as instructions mentions that it must be square to the bore.

It can be left or right , up or down from the bore center somewhat and still work, but must be square with the bore.

It's a handy gadget because of its size,but it ain't magic.

Just one guys opinion.


Covey16

I’m sitting here with the instructions that came with my Leupold Zero-Point bore sighter and I can find absolutely no mention of the device needing to be square to the muzzle.

“Common sense†has nothing to do with the placement or “indexing†of this device on the muzzle. It is governed by the physics of light waves and as Customstox stated, the position of the device on the muzzle is not critical at all beyond having it‘s grid screen plumb with the reticle of your scope.

No bore sighting method will ever take the place of firing the rifle to zero it, but this device is a very handy tool with lots of uses when setting up and sighting in your scope.

I don't have a background in optics, so I'm not going to argue about what it's supposed to do.

All I know is what it did for me the 5 times I used it.

it's got to be plumb and square with something.

Objective lens,bore something.
Otherwise you've gone from physics to magic.

Covey16

Covey16,

Pardner, I’m not trying to start an argument over this, only trying to point out that due to the laws of physics this device need only have its grid pattern plumb (level, not canted) with the scopes cross hairs in order to work. It’s position, vertically and horizontally on the muzzle is literally irrelevant.

It certainly isn’t a “have to have†piece of gear, but I do allot of scope mounting and sighting in and I have always found it to be an extremely handy tool.

Is it optical physics and design, or is it magic, when your reticle “appears†to always be centered no matter how much elevation and windage you crank on?

I went back and read Covey16’s post again and I believe that I understand the problem he might be having.

The new Leupold Zero-Point device does not work the same as other bore sighters. If you just stick the Zero-Point on your rifle and adjust your cross hairs to the zero point on its grid, you are leaving out the 2nd part of the zeroing process. All the first part does is give you a known reference point between the device and your cross hairs.

After you have centered your reticle on the devices zero point on the grid you then have to go to the range and fire a shot. Then you put the device back on the muzzle and center it’s zero point (where your cross hairs were set) on your aiming point, and then adjust your cross hairs to be centered on the bullet hole you just made in the target. Now, you are zeroed at that range.

You mark down where your cross hairs now appear on the grid (they give you a couple paper grids to do this) and anytime in the future you can check your zero by putting the device on and seeing if the cross hairs are still at the same point on the grid you marked earlier.

FYI

Not trying to be argumentative here either.
I understand the zero process, but when you fire your shot after initial zero and it hits somewhere on a dirt berm, it's tough to adjust to the point of impact.

Like I said, I'm not going to throw mine away as it has shown that it will work on rifles with a good crown.

There was a discussion of this device on BRCentral that I read when I was deciding whether to buy one.
Those guys had mixed results also.

Again, just one guy's experience.

Covey16