Boresighting New Barrels?

DenisA · Post by **DenisA** » Mon Jul 14, 2014 10:34 pm

Hi All,

I'm just curious to hear how you guys are boresighting your custom barrels?

I guess nobody actually trusts those scope alignment devices that you stick up your muzzle....!?

I've just learnt a lesson the hard way and now need to have 2" lobbed off my 150 round old 32" straight profile 6BR barrel. :oops:

jasmay · Post by **jasmay** » Mon Jul 14, 2014 10:47 pm

Dude, that sux, what the hell happened?

I always just boresight a 300, have never failed to get a shot on target.

If your worried, do the same at 100.

Remember its a 6x8 foot target...

DenisA · Post by **DenisA** » Mon Jul 14, 2014 11:02 pm

When I set the rifle up at home, I used a "Nikko Stirling Scope Alignment Device". The kind that you choose the rod size to poke into the barrel and align the cross hair against a grid in an optics tube.

The rod has a small spring wire at 12:00 thats suppossed to be light enough to just stop the rod from sliding out.

I've had great load testing groups with this barrel and in 3 fullbore shoots, I've dropped 3 points so I hadn't questioned it. After the last shoot I noticed that the star on the crown was missing a leg at 12:00. I borescoped the muzzle tonight and found a 2" long HEAVY gouge at 12:00 running straight up the barrel despite the lands and grooves. It looks aweful. :cry:

I can't believe it was shooting so well.

I pulled out that Nikko Stirling P.O.S and set it up to find that the spring wire on the shaft married up exactly with where the gouge stops. :twisted:

I've used this device to setup a few rifles before and never seen this. It may be a tight bore??? I know for certain that I didn't use the incorrect rod.

Razer · Post by **Razer** » Mon Jul 14, 2014 11:07 pm

Get a Leupold bore sighter. No arbore to insert in barrel.
It is magnetic so attaches to the end of the barrel without touching a recessed crown.
They have an orange lit section with grids which you can see quite easily through a scope that you can wind the power down to about 15X.
Higher fixed power scopes are a bit harder to see the grid.(I do these in a dark area of the garage, back of wagon, etc.)
You can note just where your particular barrel is on zero and just re-adjust it to that point on the grid any time you have a need to remove the scope.
My 308W's, zeroed at 300yds, invariably sit on the 8 inch line for elevation, and, may be a point at the most either side of centre, depending on the barrel/scope combination.

jcinsa · Post by **jcinsa** » Tue Jul 15, 2014 6:46 am

I was looking for one of those magnetic boresighters 12 months ago,

and couldn't find one any where.

I think they've stopped making them.

John

Steve N · Post by **Steve N** » Tue Jul 15, 2014 7:05 am

Ouch. Denis that is bad news. I just bore sight then adjust elevation at 50m or so that I know i will be on paper at longer ranges. I would use the Nikko bore sighter as the aiming mark next time!

Brad Y · Post by **Brad Y** » Tue Jul 15, 2014 9:41 am

Set your gear up on the mound as you usually would then leave the bolt out. Get down so you can look through your barrel at 300 and get the scope lined up right to match. I find if the cross hairs are on the x, then get the bore lined up smack on horitzontally and then just below the top of the black is about right. Usually gets me a hit on target at 300, then go from there.

DaveMc · Post by **DaveMc** » Tue Jul 15, 2014 10:09 am

JC - I have one somewhere in the back of the cupboard - if I can find it I will sell it...... pm if interested.

Post by **AlanF** » Tue Jul 15, 2014 11:24 am

Brad Y wrote:Set your gear up on the mound as you usually would then leave the bolt out. Get down so you can look through your barrel at 300 and get the scope lined up right to match. I find if the cross hairs are on the x, then get the bore lined up smack on horitzontally and then just below the top of the black is about right. Usually gets me a hit on target at 300, then go from there.

I find it easier to centre the bore on the black circle, and hold it there perfectly still while adjusting the scope to point in line with, and a few inches BELOW the black (at 300 depending on ballistics). I usually redo the process couple of times to "fine tune" it.

If you ever are forced to bore sight at longer ranges, best to get someone with similar ballistics to let you look through theirs (after they have shot of course

) and see where their scope points when the bore is centred on the black. Then set up your rifle on the same rest, centre the bore, then adjust the scope to point at the same place (usually some identifiable point on the intervening ground surface).

Alan

Tim L · Post by **Tim L** » Tue Jul 15, 2014 12:31 pm

I feel bore sights are the solution to a problem that doesn't exist.

As Allan says, look down the bore at 300m and you can centre quite accurately on the target centre.
When I was changing from 6.5 to 308, one of the club members brought the newly fitted barrelled action in with them. I fitted it to the stock and fitted the scope. We were shooting from 800m!
I aligned on the target number that sits above the target on Mt Vince, set my scope to the X and shot a 2 at 8 O'clock. Second sighter was a 5 and off I went.
I wouldn't recommend you turn up for a competition shoot like that, but it shouldn't be too much of a problem.

Brad Y · Post by **Brad Y** » Tue Jul 15, 2014 2:30 pm

Alan- yes its a good method. Obviously my barrels are bent different to yours! I know my 7mm and 6mm kriegers are close on the same. But the 6.5mm maddco is a long way off!

plumbs7 · Post by **plumbs7** » Tue Jul 15, 2014 6:48 pm

Hi Dennis , sorry to hear that . I just bore sight at 100m's.
Best wishes Graham.

Cameron Mc · Post by **Cameron Mc** » Tue Jul 15, 2014 7:48 pm

Simply get a piece of white coreflute, cardboard etc. 1mtr x 1mtr approx.
Draw a circle in the middle about 60-75mm diameter and colur in with black nikko.
Put board on backyard fence. Rest rifle on somethiing secure 25yds away. Bore sight to black dot. Now wind centre of reticle to centre of black dot.
Go to the 300 yard range and you will be on target. It is surprising how close you can get the windage setting. Elevation will depend on calibre etc.
I have been doing this for years.

Cam

DenisA · Post by **DenisA** » Tue Jul 15, 2014 9:08 pm

Thanks for all the replys guys. It just goes to show that some jobs are just better kept simple. Tried to use a tool specifically designed for the purpose and its caused me grief.

I'll be sending Nikko Stirling an email though I expect nothing from it other than a good vent.

Thanks again for the replies.

Lesson 3649 learnt the hard way for DenisA.

I hope one day I stop learning crap the hard way.

Just for the sake of another pic, incase any ones interested, this is why I went looking.

ecomeat · Post by **ecomeat** » Tue Jul 15, 2014 10:13 pm

Denis,
Am I reading this correctly ? This damage was from just a single use of the bore sighting tool ? And it was basically from a little "spring" loaded piece that keeps the tool aligned ?
If that's right it must be the hardest bloody metal on the planet. :shock:

I am gob smacked that a single, sensible use could do that damage . Any chance you could get a photo of the "gouge" through your Hawkeye ?
Tony