How to Bore Sight a Rifle
You can save time and money by bore-sighting your rifle before you actually fire any rounds. To bore-sight a rifle, you visually line up the barrel to the target by looking through the barrel or bore. Bore-sighting allows you to get your scope adjusted by visual estimation so that it will be easier to make fine-tune adjustments.
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Instructions
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1
Set up your target. According to the National Firearms Association, bore-sighting works best with targets set at 100 yards (see References 1).
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2
Remove the bolt of the rifle. You need to see down the barrel to bore-sight.
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3
Secure the rifle in a rifle rest. It's important that the rifle remains secure throughout the bore-sight process to achieve accurate results. If you don't have a rifle rest, then support the rifle with sandbags.
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4
Aim the rifle at the target. Look through the barrel and center the target. Secure the rifle so it does not move.
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5
Adjust the scope or sights to align with the center of the target.
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6
Replace the bolt and fire a round at the target. Make adjustments to the scope after each shot until the scope is fully aligned.
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Tips & Warnings
According to the National Firearms Association, you can make bore-sighting more accurate by using "a target with sharply contrasting colors and at least one large corner or angle. A large black square works best because the corner of the square can be easily centered in the bore and it is easy to see" (see References 1).
Always practice good gun safety principles when bore-sighting your firearms.
