Best Laser Bore Sighter in 2020/ - Tested & Reviewed

So you got your weapon and bought a new scope. However, when you take it out on the range, you immediately notice a glaring problem. Your shots, despite scoping your target properly, are all over the place. What this means is that you need to fix the zero of your weapon.

In simpler terms, where your scope is pointing and where the barrel of the gun is targeting are not in sync. To ensure proper scoping, you need to calibrate it and adjust the zero so that the two elements line up. Without zeroing your weapon, you cannot hope to hit the target.

Trying to sight your tool with your eye alone is almost an impossible task. Yes, it can be done; but the hours of frustration that come with it are not something that anyone should put themselves through. With the best laser bore sighter, however, this grueling task becomes way easier.

But what exactly is a laser bore sighter? In this article, we will give you the ins and outs of this tiny little contraption along with our review of some of the best products that are available on the market to ensure that you always hit your mark in the shooting range.

Top 5 Best Laser Bore Sight Reviews

Now that you have a clearer understanding of what a bore sighter does, we can head on to the review section. For our recommendation, we did extensive research in order to bring you the finest selection on the market. We have considered many different aspects of each unit to ensure the best performance, which we will discuss later.

For now, here are our recommendations for the best laser bore sighter that you can buy from the market to calibrate your zeroes.

1. Wheeler Professional Laser Bore Sighter

Kicking things off, we will be looking at a high-quality bore sighter by the brand Wheeler. The brand is quite well known, and their products are regularly used to zero in different weapons with excellent precision. And as an added benefit, the price is also quite reasonable.

The bore sighter comes with a class IIIR laser that has a power output 5mW or lower. Since it is a magnetic unit, it gives you the benefit of quickly attaching it to the muzzle of the gun. Furthermore, it is extremely versatile, and you can use it with practically any pistol or rifle regardless of the caliber.

To make your calibration reliable, each of these units is hand-tuned during the manufacturing process. You can expect your sighting to be reliable, and you can depend on it to ensure the perfect accuracy of your firearm. Once you are done zeroing in your weapon, you can simply turn it off and pull it out to store it away.

Speaking of storage, it comes with its own plastic carrying case with foam padding included with your purchase. Additionally, you get a 123A lithium-ion battery that you can use to power the bore sighter. The unit comes with a strong machined aluminum body and features a soft rubber molding, further enhancing its durability.

2. LASERLYTE universal laser BORE SIGHT kit

Next up, we have an in-barrel bore sight by the brand LASERLYTE. It is a great tool to have if you like using this type of sighting tool. You get fast zeros with your rifle or pistols without any risk of error. Whether you are a beginner at the task or an expert, this unit is extremely convenient.

The unit comes with a top-notch leather that can travel up to 100 yards. It has a wavelength of 630-670nm and is recognized as class IIIA. The peak power of the unit is less than 5mW. Although the color of the laser is red, you should have no trouble using it outside as it is quite bright.

This bore sighter is suitable for pistols and rifles ranging from .22 to .50 caliber sizes. This massive range means that the unit is quite versatile, and it will most likely work with any weapon you have in your arsenal. As long as the length of the barrel is above 3 inches, you should have no trouble using this tool.

Using the unit is also quite straightforward. All you have to do is place the long end inside the barrel and turn it on and adjust the scope by following the bright laser. Thanks to the tapered design, the laser centers itself automatically when you put it inside the barrel. It also features a simple on and off rolling switch to turn it on.

3. Sightmark Triple Duty Universal Boresight

If you want something quick, simple, and affordable, the universal sighter by the brand Sightmark might be right up your alley. It is a compact unit that comes at a super affordable price, making it the ideal choice for many budget users. Despite the lower price tag, the performance you get with it is surprisingly good.

The laser in the unit is Class IIIA and emits a powerful green dot. It has a power output of less than 5mW, and the intensity lies between 632 to 650nm. As a result, you will have no trouble sighting your scope, whether you are in a bright location or indoors. However, a controlled indoor environment does make it easier to use.

As you might have guessed from its name, the unit comes with a universal design. This means that you can use it with practically any handgun or rifle with zero issues. All you have to do is place the end of the sight tool inside the barrel. The unit will automatically center itself, and you can get to sight the scope easily.

This unit comes in a compact enough design that you can simply carry it inside your pocket. However, you do not want to damage your weapon, and for this reason, you get a small carry pouch to take it along with you. The battery life in this unit is quite decent, and to extend it further, it has a built-in strobe mode.

4. SiteLite Ultra Mag Green Laser Professional Boresighter

If you have a decent budget and want to make no compromise in terms of quality and reliability, the SiteLite Ultra Laser Bore Sighter might be your best bet. It comes at a hefty price, but the accuracy it offers with it is unmatched. In fact, both the US Navy and USMC use this tool to sight many of their weapons.

The unit features a green Class IIIA laser with a power output of less than 5mW. As you know, the green laser is much more visible in the daylight compared to the red laser. Furthermore, the laser in this unit is extremely powerful and can travel up to 100 yards without losing its intensity.

It is an extremely versatile tool that ensures complete precision after you are done working with it. You can use it with any rifle and pistol within .22 to .50 caliber sizes. For shotguns, you need to use 20 or 12-gauge ammunition for proper calibration.

This product also includes an SRL Scope Leveler to adjust your crosshair before you start with the sighting task. It is an extremely efficient unit featuring 15 hours of battery runtime. Furthermore, the strong aluminum construction ensures you get a durable and lasting performance out of it.

5. SiteLite Mag Laser Boresighter

Although the SiteLite Ultra is one of the finest boresighter, not everyone can afford it. However, if you liked that unit, maybe a cheaper alternative by the same brand would be a great option. The Sitlite Mag or SL-100 is a toned-down version of the previous one with many of its great features and build qualities.

The first striking difference between the two units is that this one comes with a red laser. However, this laser is still Class IIIA and offers excellent visibility. But when used in bright sunlight, understandably, it becomes a bit harder to detect the laser. It is better suited when you are sighting indoors.

Compatibility-wise, the two units are quite identical. With this unit, you can work with rifles and handguns ranging from .22 to .50 calibers and shotguns using 20 and 12 gauge ammo. You even get the SRL Scope Leveler, which adds even more value to this unit.

The battery life in the unit is around 2 hours, which is enough, considering you will not keep it turned on all the time. With this product, you will be able to adjust the zero of your firearm efficiently within a short time. The aluminum build quality of the unit is also extremely durable, giving you a lasting performance out of it.

What is a Laser Bore Sight and Why Do You Need It?

Any time you install an optics on your rifle or other firearms, there is a chance that you might have to fix the zero. What that means is that the point where you are targeting using the scope is not the same as where the muzzle of your gun is pointing. It can even happen on its own if you keep the gun unchecked for a while.

Sighting the weapon is often a painful process. You need to get a target and shoot bullets while trying to align the cope and muzzle. And bullets are not exactly cheap. Most people cannot afford to keep wasting bullets while calibrating their optics to the highest levels of precision.

That is where a laser bore sight comes in. It is essentially a contraption that goes on the muzzle of your weapon and helps you align the bore or center by mimicking a strong laser at the target mimicking the trajectory of the bullet. When you look through your scope, you can easily see where the bullet will land and can align the crosshair in the optics to match that point.

The best part about bore sighting is that even a beginner can do it without any troubles. All you need is an unloaded gun with the unaligned scope, a stable gun rest, and your laser bore sighting tool. It makes the entire process of calibrating the zero easy, economical, and straightforward.

The major advantages of bore sighting are given below:

• Laser bore sighting is highly precise. Using this tool, you can zero your rifle at an accuracy level that you cannot match simply using your eyes. Although experience shooter can get quite close to proper calibration at 100 yards, a laser bore sight will give you better precision.
• You also do not need to keep looking through the barrel of your rifle. Since the laser is emitted from the muzzle of the rifle, all you have to do is check through the install scope and you can calibrate from there. When you match the reticle of the scope with the laser from the bore sight, you are done with your alignment.
• Another major advantage of using a laser bore sight is they tend to be quite versatile. Typically, a single device can work with a lot of different weapons eliminating the need to buy multiple bore sighting tools. You can use one device across a lot of different weapons as long as it is compatible.
• Laser bore sighting is an efficient method of sighting your rifle. It ensures that you will have to spend minimal time fiddling around with your scope moving from the scope to the barrel to check for inconsistencies. A lot of frustration that people face while sighting can easily be eliminated by using a laser bore sight.
• The entire process is quite easy on your wallet. A laser bore sight can be extremely expensive, but you usually do not need to spend too much if you want good accuracy. Besides, you will be saving a lot of money in the long run since you will not have to waste bullets while sighting your weapon.
• Bore sighting is extremely easy. Even a beginner with minimal experience in sighting a weapon can get through this process in a decent amount of time. For a beginner, sighting can be quite difficult in most cases. With a bore sight, the task is quite simple, and there is not any steep learning curve involved in it.
• There is also some high end bore sights available in the market that is specially made for power users. This type of device comes with many additional features that an expert can utilize to ensure greater accuracy while sighting their weapon.

Things to Consider when Choosing the Best Laser Bore sighter

With the list of products out of the way, we can focus our attention to some of the best features that you should look for when buying one for yourself. A bore sight despite its simplicity, comes with many smaller aspects that you need to consider if you want a satisfactory result from your investment.

With that said, here are a list of things that you should look for when buying the best laser bore sighter.

Bore Sighter Design

The first thing that you want to consider when buying your product is the overall design and how you will mount it. There are three ways a bore sighter can be mounted, and the preferred design tends to vary from one person to another. What works for someone might not be the best choice for you.

For this reason, we will give you a brief overview of what each of these designs is, and you can decide for yourself which one suits your requirement.

Magnet-mounted bore sights

Magnet-mounted bore sights feature a highly convenient design, and you can mount it easily. As the name implies, it comes with magnets that attach to the muzzle of your gun from where you can simply turn it on. Some people prefer it solely for the comfort factor.

Arbor bore sights

Arbor bore sights come with a similar design to that of magnet-mounted units and can be equally as convenient. However, they are quite sensitive and should only be used by experts with a steady hand.

In-barrel bore sights

In-barrel bore sights are simple and straightforward tools that come with a longer end that goes inside the barrel of your gun. The best thing about this design is that it offers a high level of precision. However, you need to ensure that the tool is compatible with your specific weapon.

The Quality of Laser

For any laser bore sight, the most important component is the laser. If the laser itself is not up to the quality, the bore sight is of no use at all. So when settling on a product, always make sure the laser quality is decent. We have highlighted which elements you need to check in the laser so that you can get a better understanding.

Laser Class

The easiest way to understand the quality of the laser is to look at its class. There are different classes of lasers, and it means the overall balance of light intensity, brightness, and other elements of the unit. Typically, most lasers in a bore sight are of class III.

You can also find a higher class of laser in some expensive bore sights. But Class III is typically a good deal. It is safe for your vision, whereas higher class lasers can damage eyesight. Regardless of its class, make sure the laser never points to someone’s eyes as it might cause long term damage.

Laser Color

The color of the laser plays a crucial part in its visibility. Typically, there are two colors available when choosing a bore sight, red and green. Red lasers are usually less expensive models. But they can be difficult to detect in bright outdoor environments.

On the other hand, green lasers can be easily seen even under sunlight. If you are planning to mostly use the bore sight indoors, then you can get away with a red laser. However, if you want to take it outdoors, then investing in a green laser might be better for you.

Laser Intensity

The intensity of the laser is one other thing you need to check. This contributes directly to the brightness of the laser, and with greater brightness, you will have better visibility. It is usually measured in nm, and sometimes you can find it clearly specified in the product specs.

Human eyes are more sensitive to a range of 500 to 550 nm. The closer the intensity range of the laser is to this value, the better the brightness. If you go with a unit that has an intensity within 600 to 700 nm, you should be fine in most cases. However, with a better intensity range, the price also gets higher.

Weapon Compatibility

What good is a laser bore sight if it is not compatible with your weapon? So before you settle on a specific product, look at the manufacturer’s recommendation for compatible weapons. The design and size of the bore sight need to match your weapon if you want to use them together.

You can find both weapon specific and universally compatible units in the market. However, weapon specific models typically give you a better performance as it is designed to work perfectly with that weapon. On the other hand, universal models give you the option to use any weapons which directly translate to its versatility.

Build Quality

Would you ever invest in something that breaks down after a couple of uses? Of course not. Before you start spending your cash, it is always essential to look at the overall build quality of the unit. TO understand the build quality of a bore sight, consider its material of construction.

If you are sticking with a reputed brand, you have a better chance of ending up with a durable product. But they cost more, and not everyone has the budget for it. In that case, consider the structural quality of the unit critically, look for any flex in the product, and try to determine whether it can survive even after taking a beating.

Battery Life

A laser bore sighter depends on battery for power, and if the unit you buy cannot utilize battery power efficiently, you will not be happy with it. If you need to keep changing batteries every time you sight a weapon, before long, the cost of additional batteries will start putting a dent in your wallet.

You should invest in a unit that offers at least a few hours of consistent battery uptime. A long as you can use your bore sighter at a few sighting sessions, you should be okay with it. With good battery utilization, you will be able to get a better overall experience with the unit.

Price

Price is, of course, a deciding factor in any investment. Regardless of what you are buying, unless you have an unlimited budget, you should always look to get the most value. That means, not to go with the cheapest unit on your budget, but to go for something that offers you exactly what you need with a little more on the side.

Besides, without a preset spending limit, you will easily get overwhelmed, looking at all the different units available at different price points. But a fixed budget allows you to filter your requirements and only look at the units at a certain price range.

Frequently Asked Questions