Bushnell Laser Boresighter Review. Its bright, battery-powered laser makes rapid, ultra-precise work of boresighting. Created to meet the demands of gunsmiths and serious shooters, it includes arbors for .22- through .50-caliber firearms...
"Has some issues, but easy to correct" 2008-04-26
By Sheldon (Aspen, CO United States)
I gave this 5 stars because I figured out how to resolve the problems associated with it. First, the on/off switch is horrible. The sight uses small batteries that fit into a tube and are held in place by a pointed contact and a spring. When you turn the knob to off it pulls the batteries away from the contact (feels firm). When the unit is on the knob allows the contact to connect and the knob feels loose.
The whole unit easily pries out with a small screwdriver and one can clean the contacts and lengthen the spring a bit. This will take the vagueness out of the switch and stop the laser from being intermittent.
Also, don't use an adaptor that fits exactly. Use a size smaller and adjust it until it fits the bore properly. That means tight enough to center but not so tight it gets stuck in there. If you find the exact size without having to adjust it and you force it in the barrel it may get stuck. It also takes a bit of effort to put the adjusting screws in the adaptors (one screw for each adaptor). Once in they will stay put with the adaptor.
Finally, while this is a red laser you do not have to bore sight your gun or rifle indoors or at night. It will reflect back in broad daylight against anything that's reflective, like a traffic sign. The neighbors may think you're nuts but it works great.
Once you overcome the funky switch, it works great. Just remember you will have to go out to the range to do your final adjustments. No boresight is perfect. They just get you close.
"Great Product for the Price! All of you Negative People Please Read." 2010-05-29
By wheezer (New York)
Let's start out by reminding everyone that this is $25 and not $300. Try to remember this. I've read most of the negative reviews, which prompted me to write this one. Yes, I own and have used this product many times. Bushnell had to find a way to manufacture this product cheaply so that they could offer it to you at this price. Do you all still remember, it's $25. OK, don't look at the front and say it's misaligned because the laser lens isn't centered in the opening of the housing. Doesn't mean a thing. Don't say the arbors fit loosely in the bore because they are expandable. That means you take the one that most closely matches the diameter of the bore, screw it onto the end of the bore sighter until it makes contact with the taper, and then continue to turn it down with the Allen wrench so that it begins to expand. Keep checking the amount of expansion until it fits your bore. And for gods sake, don't spin it in your drill to check calibration. You can't do that. You are assuming the housing is PERFECTLY machined. It isn't. The stem is thin and not perfectly straight. The factory calibration takes place between the TWO tapers in the housing. This eliminates any misalignment in the thin shaft. Clamping on the stem doesn't compensate for this error, not to mention that if you accidentally spin it fast enough you will do irreparable damage to the housing. DON'T DO IT! These bore sighters are designed to get you on paper, not dead on. And that's exactly what they do. The fine tuning is up to you. Yes, the switch is cheap, so operate it gently. The laser isn't bright enough for daylight, so use it in dimmer conditions. The dot on some may not be a sharp red circle, hey, it's $25. Are all you complainers trying to get over on Bushnell? Lets try to apply a little common sense here. And let me not forget to say that I am aware that there is a small percentage of defective products that get out into the publics' hands, and that's with everything. But in this case it appears that most of the negative comments are from people that don't understand how to use the product or not qualified to evaluate it. A few do make some good points, very few. So, before commenting, you should sight your weapon in with the product, after being absolutely certain how to use it correctly. Oh, and let me remind you, it's not perfect, it's $25.
"Bore sighter on target" 2009-10-28
By George Anast (Tucson, AZ United States)
I purchased this device to bore sight a shotgun. The directions are concise and the gadget performs perfectly. It did the job on the 12Ga shotgun in a matter of minutes. I tried it our on a .270 and again, it was right on. This is well designed product which should give years of service, but the parts and attachments are small and have to be carefully handled and stored in the velcro case supplied.
"Nice sighter" 2009-10-15
By Anthony Montalvo (Florida panhandle)
Works great easy to use very accurate. Best of all does every caliber you may have plus it does shotguns. Worked with my 9mm, 40cal, 25cal, .308 and 20ga shotgun. Thumbs up!
"Great item for the price" 2009-10-23
By L. Flewelling (MN)
I didn't have any of the issues mentioned. Switch worked great and smooth and it was dead on right out of the box. Do recommend spinning it in your drill to make sure it is correct. For the $24 total price it is an awesome product.
By Sheldon (Aspen, CO United States)
I gave this 5 stars because I figured out how to resolve the problems associated with it. First, the on/off switch is horrible. The sight uses small batteries that fit into a tube and are held in place by a pointed contact and a spring. When you turn the knob to off it pulls the batteries away from the contact (feels firm). When the unit is on the knob allows the contact to connect and the knob feels loose.
The whole unit easily pries out with a small screwdriver and one can clean the contacts and lengthen the spring a bit. This will take the vagueness out of the switch and stop the laser from being intermittent.
Also, don't use an adaptor that fits exactly. Use a size smaller and adjust it until it fits the bore properly. That means tight enough to center but not so tight it gets stuck in there. If you find the exact size without having to adjust it and you force it in the barrel it may get stuck. It also takes a bit of effort to put the adjusting screws in the adaptors (one screw for each adaptor). Once in they will stay put with the adaptor.
Finally, while this is a red laser you do not have to bore sight your gun or rifle indoors or at night. It will reflect back in broad daylight against anything that's reflective, like a traffic sign. The neighbors may think you're nuts but it works great.
Once you overcome the funky switch, it works great. Just remember you will have to go out to the range to do your final adjustments. No boresight is perfect. They just get you close.
By wheezer (New York)
Let's start out by reminding everyone that this is $25 and not $300. Try to remember this. I've read most of the negative reviews, which prompted me to write this one. Yes, I own and have used this product many times. Bushnell had to find a way to manufacture this product cheaply so that they could offer it to you at this price. Do you all still remember, it's $25. OK, don't look at the front and say it's misaligned because the laser lens isn't centered in the opening of the housing. Doesn't mean a thing. Don't say the arbors fit loosely in the bore because they are expandable. That means you take the one that most closely matches the diameter of the bore, screw it onto the end of the bore sighter until it makes contact with the taper, and then continue to turn it down with the Allen wrench so that it begins to expand. Keep checking the amount of expansion until it fits your bore. And for gods sake, don't spin it in your drill to check calibration. You can't do that. You are assuming the housing is PERFECTLY machined. It isn't. The stem is thin and not perfectly straight. The factory calibration takes place between the TWO tapers in the housing. This eliminates any misalignment in the thin shaft. Clamping on the stem doesn't compensate for this error, not to mention that if you accidentally spin it fast enough you will do irreparable damage to the housing. DON'T DO IT! These bore sighters are designed to get you on paper, not dead on. And that's exactly what they do. The fine tuning is up to you. Yes, the switch is cheap, so operate it gently. The laser isn't bright enough for daylight, so use it in dimmer conditions. The dot on some may not be a sharp red circle, hey, it's $25. Are all you complainers trying to get over on Bushnell? Lets try to apply a little common sense here. And let me not forget to say that I am aware that there is a small percentage of defective products that get out into the publics' hands, and that's with everything. But in this case it appears that most of the negative comments are from people that don't understand how to use the product or not qualified to evaluate it. A few do make some good points, very few. So, before commenting, you should sight your weapon in with the product, after being absolutely certain how to use it correctly. Oh, and let me remind you, it's not perfect, it's $25.
By George Anast (Tucson, AZ United States)
I purchased this device to bore sight a shotgun. The directions are concise and the gadget performs perfectly. It did the job on the 12Ga shotgun in a matter of minutes. I tried it our on a .270 and again, it was right on. This is well designed product which should give years of service, but the parts and attachments are small and have to be carefully handled and stored in the velcro case supplied.
By Anthony Montalvo (Florida panhandle)
Works great easy to use very accurate. Best of all does every caliber you may have plus it does shotguns. Worked with my 9mm, 40cal, 25cal, .308 and 20ga shotgun. Thumbs up!
By L. Flewelling (MN)
I didn't have any of the issues mentioned. Switch worked great and smooth and it was dead on right out of the box. Do recommend spinning it in your drill to make sure it is correct. For the $24 total price it is an awesome product.
