Some weeks ago I purchased one of the newest Leupold magnetic type "boresighters".
It's full name is - Leupold Zero Point Magnetic Illuminated Boresighter"!
The main reason I spent the bucks for this "new fangled" tool was because I am doing so much scope mounting work on both 17 caliber and 20 caliber Rifles. My decades old, tried and true Bushnell spud type boresighter was not able to boresight either 17 or 20 caliber Rifles! I had no spud for those calibers! I could not find spuds either.
The new style magnetic boresighter by Leupold of course does not use spuds! It just magnetically clamps itself to the muzzle (crown) of a Rifle and it somehow comes up with a condition that allows boresighting to be accomplished?
I don't know how.
I don't care.
I do now know that it does work!
I have now "boresighted" 17, 20, 22 and 24 caliber Rifles with this Leupold product. 6 Rifles in all!
I have been VERY happy (and surprised!) with the quality of performance the Leupold has given me! On paper in each case!
I have even tested my tried and true old Bushnell boresighting "readings" with the Leupolds "readings" (in the 22 and 24 caliber Rifles I have done to date!).
The readings were also surprisingly "close" to each others!
In other words when the Bushnell said dead center the Leupold was also very close to dead center! The Leupold was used both first and then secondly on each 22 and 24 caliber Rifle! When I would set up the spud system Bushnell boresighter the scope would be within one "grid" square distance both horizontally and vertically of the Leupold obtained "boresighting" scope setting.
The only test I can think of to further compare the Leupold and the Bushnell would have been to boresight and then shoot for comparison, with the broesighting results each showed. Then see which boresighting method was closer to dead on at 100 yards.
I just did not have time and the results were so close (on the respective optical grids of the boresighting units) I don't think it would be neccessary or show significant difference.
I am not going to throw away my Bushnell unit just yet but this amount of testing and my happiness with the results with the Leupold I thought would be worth reporting.
Any questions I can answer for you I would be glad to do so.
I would also like to hear any of your experiences with this type boresighter.
Also this, the retail price at the place I bought my Leupold was $73.95. It was, I found out later, made in China!
I tend to try to buy Made In America products when possible. But I am so happy with this product I am glad I bought it.
I will continue to monitor the "results" from this new product and it just takes a couple of minutes to compare it with the Bushnell's performance (when possible!) and will report back in a few months.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

And here I purchased one brand new from Cabelas last fall and I can't figure the damn thing out!!!!

The laws/theories of parallel light rays are a mystery to most of our mortal brains!

I own one of the Leupold’s also and the only complaint I have with it is that the magnate is so strong it can (and will) scratch the shit out of your muzzle if you don’t use tape or a piece of paper between the two.

Rick 0311: Thank you for the tip. I agree a less "strong" magnet I am sure would work just as well!
I have noted your tip and very much appreciate it.
Are we talking Scotch tape or duct tape?
Thanks again
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

22 WRF: Please relay the trouble you are having and maybe I or Rick can help you to get "on line" with it!
I went back and read the instructions to alleviate some concerns I had but I had no real troubles getting it to work immediately for me.
Looking forward to helping you!
Be sure to check your model name as I understand they made a couple different versions of this.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

quote:

Originally posted by VarmintGuy:
Rick 0311: Thank you for the tip. I agree a less "strong" magnet I am sure would work just as well!
I have noted your tip and very much appreciate it.
Are we talking Scotch tape or duct tape?
Thanks again
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

I mentioned this to the Leupold guys at the ACGG show in Reno and they told me that the reason they used such a strong magnate was because of the metals used in most of the newer muzzle breaks/flash supressors???????? I have no real idea what that means, but that was their answer.

I swear you could probably erase a video tape with these suckers!

I just use a small piece of the Scotch brand blue painters tape over the muzzle.

quote:

I swear you could probably erase a video tape with these suckers!

The ad says keep away from any media storage device. Curious. Does it help getting the crosshairs square to the bore? Or does it assume you can do that yourself?

The alloy for supressors has a lower iron content more other metals so it is less magnetic. Thus "MORE POWER" is needed.

They must be selling. Just about everywhere has them on backorder.

Varmint Guy

Well, I don't see any model number on mine. it just says Zero Point and under that Illuminated Boresighter.

I don't think there is any hope for me on this thing though.

Okay, my rifle is already sighted in to be 1 inch high at 100 yards. What is this thing supposed to do for me, and what do I do with it to make it do that. (obvioiusly I put it on the end of the barrel. But How do you know how high to put it and whether its tilted or not, adn all that good stuff).

I don't believe in putting anything in a bore, near the crown, that isn't absolutely necessary, and too me, bore sighting spuds aren't necessary. I too use the new Leupold bore sighter but don't find the power of the magnet too objectionable. I likewise place a small piece of paper between the magnet and muzzle. Since I am constantly having to R&R scopes for one thing or another, I made up a chart which resembles the bore sighter's scale so I can mark the position of the crosshairs prior to pulling the scope, so that when I am finished, I can put it back where it belongs. So far the Leupold has exceeded my expectations and now I never leave home without at least one in the truck. Excellent product!

Ramrod340, You need to square the cross hairs separately.

22WRF, square the cross hairs first. Then, measure the approximate distance from the center of the bore, to the center of the scope, and use the scale on the bore sighter to set it at that height from the approximate center of the muzzle.

I’ll start with the obvious...do you have the instructions that came with it? If not, then call Leupold and ask them to send you the instructions.

In the meantime, since your rifle is already zeroed about all you can do with it is to make yourself up a reference card so you can re-verify that zero whenever you think you need to.

Assuming that your reticle is already level and squared up...Place the device on the muzzle and use the inch scale on the side to approximate the height above the bore to the center of your scope. Believe it or not, this does not have to be dead on the money in either vertical or horizontal alignment. Don’t ask me to explain this, just take my word for it. Square/level the grid on the device to your cross hairs.

Now, note where your cross hairs are on the grid and mark that on a drawing of the grid on a piece of paper. If you bought yours new it should have come with some little printed cards to do this.

To use the device to “one-shot†zero a scope you do the following. Keep in mind that ALL bore sighters are only good for getting you “close“ when zeroing.

1. Center you scopes reticle on a target at your desired zero range and fire one shot. The rifle should be on a rest to do this.

2. Next, without moving the rifle around, place the device on the muzzle and center its center cross hair on the center of the target (your original aiming point) and adjust your scopes cross hairs to the bullet hole you just put in the target.

The little optical gnomes have just zeroed your rifle for that range.

I was actually joking when I made the comment about these things erasing a video tape...then I pulled out the instruction card that came with mine and low-and-behold down at the bottom it states; “Neodymium magnets may interfere with some electronic data storage.â€

22 WRF: Perhaps you are having trouble getting a "sight picture" with your bore sighter?
Just this afternoon I had occassion to work on a Varmint Rifle (223 Ruger 77 V/T) and I experienced my first "difficulty" in obtaining a "sight picture" of the bore sighters grid pattern through the straight 15 power KT-15 Weaver scope I mounted on it!
I fiddled around for 5 minutes, at least, before my alignment became workable! The 26" barrel on this Rifle kept me from looking through the scope and just sliding the device up and down til picture was workable. I had to move my whole body to the front of the Rifle and guess where to align the device. Finally I got the ruler out and made some crude measurements and got it set up right.
Boresighting was then quickly accomplished.
And "they" say you can take your new Leupold device along on Hunting or shooting forays and after travelling you can pull out your tiny tool and attach it to the muzzle and "ascertain" if the scope is still aligned correctly. To do this one must actually go to the range and sight in ones Rifle then re-attach the Leupold tool and make note of the alignment quadrant for any future sight in checking needs.
I have not tried this as yet.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

If you level the rifle and the bore sighter as a unit you can then use the bore sighter to square and level your scope reticle as well. Use a small machinist ‘L-shaped’ cross level (Starrett makes a nice one) to indicate off of the side of the bore sighter once you have the rifle level.

That super-duper magnet is so strong that the sides of the bore sighter are also magnetic and will hold the cross level in place quite nicely.

The side-to-side position of the bore sighter is pretty much irrelevant since the design has no parallax present. If you observe the bore sighters grid/reticle while moving the unit side to side you will see that the position of the grid/reticle doesn’t really change in relationship to your target or your scopes reticle. It’s sort of like the holograph reticle in the EOTECH sights, in reverse.

This device was really well thought out and is, in my opinion, one of the handiest tools to have in your pocket or bag.

I have used the Bushnell ( have spuds down to .17 cal.), a spud type Lazer and the Leupold. Side by side the lazer and Bushnell will give you the same scope adjustment, while the Leupold will consistently show 4" left and 16" low (per the grid in the Leupold). I have tried this on about a dozen rifles in the past month (I mount and bore sight about a dozen scopes a week). Long story short, though I dislike sticking a steel spud down a customers barrel, the Bushnell and lazer spuds put the scope much closer to point of aim at 25 yards. I did call Leupold about this and they said they get good results in their test tunnel, and I should send the Leupold product back to them. By the way, use a layer of waxed paper (or any paper for that matter) between the magnet and barrel to avoid scratching the muzzle.

Bore sighters (any of them) are designed to get you in the ball park of POA/POI. They are not designed, nor are they capable of, replacing actual firing as a means of zeroing the rifle.

They help speed up the process and they can be effectively used as a future reference point after the rifle has been zeroed by firing groups.

Results of the latest boresighting!
The Ruger 77 V/T in 223 that I mentioned in my above post was taken to the range and the first shot from the Rifle after boresighting struck paper 6 1/2" (total distance from the point of aim!) low and to the right at 100 yards.
This is excellent performance in my book.
This is the 7th Rifle its been used succesfully on.

AZ Pete: I would for sure take the Leupold folks up on their offer. And try another unit.
Thanks for the tip on the wax paper. That will keep tape goo from starting a buildup on the crowns (muzzles) of my Rifles.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

quote:

Originally posted by VarmintGuy:
Results of the latest boresighting!
The Ruger 77 V/T in 223 that I mentioned in my above post was taken to the range and the first shot from the Rifle after boresighting struck paper 6 1/2" (total distance from the point of aim!) low and to the right at 100 yards.
This is excellent performance in my book.
This is the 7th Rifle its been used succesfully on.

AZ Pete: I would for sure take the Leupold folks up on their offer. And try another unit.
Thanks for the tip on the wax paper. That will keep tape goo from starting a buildup on the crowns (muzzles) of my Rifles.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

VarmintGuy,

If you use that blue Scotch brand painters tape there is no glue residue at all when you take it off. Or, if you are all that worried about it turn the tape around and put the sticky side to the magnet. Those friggin magnets are so strong you could probably rubber coat the damned things and they would still work.

Rick0311: Thank you very much for the blue tape tip!
I will get some on the morrow! As today is Sunday and my little town (4,200 people) closes up quite tightly on Sundays!
Thanks again
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

how do they work on a stainless bbl

quote:

Originally posted by CRUSHER:
how do they work on a stainless bbl

Since the stainless used in firearms contains carbon, it works just fine.

I installed a JPoint on a 1911 that I had previously cut for a plush low-mount BoMar.
I have done this before with other customers that wanted to switch to a red dot without going the big mount route.

This one I had trouble as the JP mount was angled and the shote were hitting dirt at 10 meters. The JP has very limited adjustability but offer shims to correct elevation changes. Not wanting to go that route I D&T'd two set screws fore and aft in the mount to adjust for elevation. But I still didn't have a way to see how much correction I needed.

I got a SL100 to see if this would work.
Just seting the pistol in a vise and projecting the laser on the wall, I could then adjust the JP mount bringing the dot up.

Shooting it on paper it hit right on which surprised me since it's 6" gun with a comp. and the spud is centered with "O"rings.

The spud is supposed to be non-maring but i used a but of thin packing tape on it even though it was centered on the comp. A little ISO removes any gummy residue.

I haven't tried it on a rifle yet but so far I like the results but wish it had a brighter light that could be seen further out in daylight. Maybe a SL150 would work better there.

Don

Don,

The muzzle mounted laser bore sighters are nowhere near as accurate as the chamber mounted ones. Since the laser beam doesn’t have to project down a bore there is no way of truly knowing if the damned thing is pointing straight, and any amount of slop in the spud can also kick the beam off line.

I did look at those and they were tempting. At the time I didn't look too further because of the amount of sleeve adapters necessary. If we are on the same page.

When I got the SL100 to my credit I was curious and did check some things. The real variable is the consistance of the "O" rings as they will have a far greater effect on laser to bore alignment than the laser to spud alignment which you can't do anything about.
I mounted the pistol in the vice, mounted the laser in the pistol and marked a dot on the wall where the laser was. Actually I made 4 marks. 12,06,09 and 03 Oclock positions at the edge of the dot. Then I removed the laser and rotated the "O" ring, remounted and it was shining on the virtually the same spot. I did this a couple of times.

Right now, with that .45 comp. gun it helped me out. I have a 9X23, 6.5-06, 2X.308 and .243 to do and I'll see how those work out.

If it's a bit funky, I'll just return it and try what you sugested.

Thanks,

Don

What I was referring to was the actual concentricity of the beam to the housing as well as the calibration/alignment.

It’s just been my experience that the cartridge types are idiot proof in that they either project a truly centered dot, in line with the bore, or they don’t...and you know that at a glance. If you see a clean dot it means that the laser is projecting straight down and out of the centerline of the bore. With the muzzle type all you know for sure when you see the dot is that you have a good battery and the laser itself is still working. Is that dot in line with the bore??? Who knows?

Pass your wife's crdit cards over the neodymium magnet. the device has just payed for itself.

LD

quote:

Originally posted by lawndart:
Pass your wife's crdit cards over the neodymium magnet. the device has just payed for itself.

LD

Are we back on the Leupold again?

I use a cleaning patch or two between the magnet and the metal. Works like a charm everytime.

Further, I have never spent the money on a boresighter whose results weren't improved some quality time at the range. The Leupold put the last two scopes I tried it on close enough, but I still needed some tuning.

Great idea for the credit cards though!