Scope Alignment Tools

[PackingDDS]

Are scope alignment tools useful? I need to scope several rifles and have seen these gadgets several places. If they help, I'm all for it, but I'm afraid it all just a gimmich. Anyone use these things to make sure their rings are correctly aligned? Thanks for the input. Also, what type of loctite is best. Thanks so much.

[cntryboy1289]

I always use mine to help make sure the rings are in alignment. My eyes are pretty good, but they are never exactly right when it comes to the dovetail scope bases.

As far as Loctite goes, on guns I suggest that you only use the blue to keep from having to use heat to break screws loose.

[ConRich]

If you are refering to the alignment rods that are 1" metal rods that come to a point, they are very usefull when mounting a scope in rings that are on two piece mounts. If the mounts and rings aren't aligned properly you could put a kink in the scope tube.

Rich

[stephen426]

Those bore lasers look like they would make sighting in a cinch. I've seen one type that take goes where the cartridge goes and the other type that goes in the muzzle. All you have to do is set your cross hairs on the laser dot and that is where the bullet goes (theoretically at least). You will have to adjust for elevation of course since the laser is not affected by gravity. When you are trying to sight in the old fashioned way, you need to fire multiple shots and adjust with each shot. There are other factors such as wind that adds variance to your sighting in. It is also hard to sight in unless you have a bench rest.

[Harry Bonar]

Dear Shooters:
I do not use lasers, alignment rods, or bore-sighters and I won't put a "spud" in any bore I have and I don't use bore-scopes.
Harry B.

[DnPRK]

If you can pull the bolt and look down the bore, then use the tried-and-true boresight method at a distant object (100 yd). Its cheap and effective.

But new technology has its place, even in the realm of small arms. The issue is separating the wheat from the chaff with respect to what works and what does not. Laser boresighters can work reasonably well if executed properly. Laser boresighters are a product-improvement over the optical collimators that have been in military use for a hundred years. A good laser boresighter produces a sharp circular dot with little beam dispersion over distance (50-75 ft).

Recticle levelers can help too. I had a buddy who couldn't hit anything at distance with his Rem700. He had the scope canted 7 degrees. When he would crank in clicks of elevation, the crosshairs would pull to the right. After leveling the recticle (putting the vertical crosshair in the same plane as the bore) he had no more problem hitting out to 600 yds.

[Hunter Customs]

I had an older gentleman that just happened to be one of the best custom rifle smiths that I ever met tell me to always use alignment rods when mounting scope rings and bases. He told me you may have to shim with brass stock inside the rings or lap the rings to get the points of the rods inline. He also said there's been more scopes that the guts were shot loose because the scope did not lay true in the rings.
I use the rods every time I mount a base and rings.
Regards
Bob Hunter
www.huntercustoms.com

[JoeHatley]

Here's an article from Real Guns that may help.

www.realguns.com/Commentary/comar73.htm

Good Luck...

Joe