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.

Instructions

    • 1

      Set up your target. According to the National Firearms Association, bore-sighting works best with targets set at 100 yards (see References 1).

    • 2

      Remove the bolt of the rifle. You need to see down the barrel to bore-sight.

    • 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.

    • 4

      Aim the rifle at the target. Look through the barrel and center the target. Secure the rifle so it does not move.

    • 5

      Adjust the scope or sights to align with the center of the target.

    • 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.