Purchasing a new optic for your rifle can be one of the most satisfying feelings you can have if you are a hunter or sportsman. However, trying to properly sight in that same optic can quickly become one of the most frustrating experiences you will ever have. What if there was an affordable and easy to use tool that can be used to quickly put you on paper and allow you to save time and ammunition? That’s where the Sightmark Laser Bore Sight Tool comes in handy, the tool which uses no special tools to install allows users to harness the power of a low powered laser to enhance shave time off any range session.
Sightmark made its debut to the firearms community at SHOT Show 2007 and since then the Mansfield, Texas-based company has seen a steady growth. They have been making steady and deliberate progress into the optics market across all price points, from the budget conscious to the outdoorsman that is willing to pay top dollar for top-notch equipment. Utilizing their 30,000+ square foot facility that was completed in 2011 the Sightmark team has seen their product line being sold at many of the nation’s top outdoor retailers like Cabelas, Bass Pro Shop, Academy Sports & Dick’s Sporting Goods.
Battery compartment shown
Laser boresight tools aren’t new to the firearms industry, but in 2017 they are smaller, easier to use and more affordable than ever. Take the Sightmark version that we are spotlighting in this article, it has no moving parts, buttons and is powered by two small batteries. There is however a catch with this particular style and brand of boresight tool. The catch is that this style is an universal type of kit, meaning that they are designed to only work with specific calibers of rifles. The company claims that by making a kit to a specific caliber it will allow for a higher degree of accuracy. It does this by shaping the Laser Boresight Tool to the dimensions of a specific case. In the instance of our test sample that is the .223/5.56mm cartridge. Lets look at the specifications of the Sightmark Laser Boresight and if it is available for your favorite calibers, partial list is located below.
Specifications
Product: Sightmark Laser Boresight
Calibers Available: (More than 30 different including these most popular calibers)
- .17 HMR
- .22LR
- .223 / 5.56 NATO (Tested Model)
- .243, .308, 7.62x54R
- .270 WSM
- .30-06, .270, .25-06
- .300 WSM
- .300 AAC Blackout
- .50 Caliber
- .30-.30
- 6.5mm,.22-250
- And several varieties of 7mm Mauser
Material: Brass
Batteries: AG3 (3X) or AG5 (2X) Depending on caliber
LED Type: Visible red laser
Range for Sighting: 15-100 Yards
Battery Life: 1 hour
Dot Size: 2″ @ 100 Yards
Operation: On/Off End Cap
Operating Range Temperature: +14*F to 122*F
MSRP: Varies from $35.95 (Most calibers) to $99.95 for .50 Cal
Does it Work ?
Does it work? It really is the bottom line question for any piece of gear or firearm component. In a single word, YES the Sightmark Laser Boresight tool works as advertised, but there is one thing that I found out the hard way. Before we dig into that let me just say that there are no surprises with this boresight tool, the bottom unscrews, you insert the batteries and it almost instantly turns on. Once I installed the two supplied batteries I took a few minutes to shine the light around and see how far it would cast its red LED light. I didn’t expect the clarity that the Sightmark had, nor the distance it projected. After a few minutes of examining the .223 shaped brass case and looking for any deformities or defects in the case I went about the business of trying to drop the boresight tool into my rifle. I loaded it like you would any snap cap or live round of ammunition and tried to release the bolt and chamber the tool, this is where the only spot of trouble raised its ugly little head.
The Sightmark Boresight Tool quickly failed to chamber properly and jammed into the locking lug recesses on my test AR-15. The small miscalculation caught me off guard and I quickly cleared the rifle and manually dropped the foresight tool into the chamber and released the bolt, problem rectified. When I shouldered my rifle I could see the clean and bright red laser easily at the 25 yard target and within a few clicks of my optic corrected the zero on my rifle to within tolerable accuracy. I pulled the charging handle and spit the Sightmark out of my rifle and inserted a magazine with live rounds. The boresight got my groups to within a few inches of where I wanted them to be and a few rounds later I was 100% satisfied with my shot placement.
It’s hard to ask for a small simple tool to do anything more than the Sightmark Laser Boresight Tool does. Sure there might be bigger, more expensive tools that do the same thing or can be used on multiple calibers, but those didn’t fit my budget or my needs. I chose to give an American based company a chance and used my own money to purchase and test this tool, so I can’t be accused of being a shill for the company. This was my first product review of a Sightmark product and I can say for right now, I’m impressed. Our intention is to use this tool to zero all of our AR-15 based rifles in the future as they go through several different optics configurations. This will let it spend time in the chambers of a few rifles bearing the names of Noveske, Smith & Wesson and Spikes Tactical so if have plans to give it a proper work out.
We want to know what everyone is using out there for bore sighting tools. Are you paying someone to mount and sight in your new optics or do you have a way that has always worked for you? I know we have readers out there that would love to hear your sure fire, fool proof way of sighting and zeroing your AR’s.
Above image and feature image courtesy:Sightmark.Com
