Sighting in a rifle should not be a frustrating event. We got to try out the Wheeler Professional Green Laser Bore Sighter and it made getting onto paper a snap.
If you’re being tasked with sighting in a new optic, it can be a long and frustrating task. Having quality firearm accessories and the right tools to get the job done is paramount. We were lucky enough to snag a Wheeler Professional Green Laser Bore Sighter for our latest T and E on a rifle/scope combo and are thankful for it.
A lot has changed
The last time I had to sight in a centerfire rifle from scratch with a new rifle/scope combination was an embarrassingly long time ago. This latest build combination of the Aero SOLUS Competition along with Vortex Strike Eagle has been a revisitation of shooting high-pressure cartridge rifles for me.
Back when President Bill Clinton was in office, I popped my Remington 700 30-06 on the tailgate of a blue Chevy pickup truck and used it as a shooting bench. I went to town. The paper plate that was only 20 or so yards away did not stand a chance when matched against my superior marksmanship skills.
After blowing through about three boxes of even-at-that-time-vintage 1970s cartridges purchased by my father while on a Canadian big-game hunt, the rifle was sufficiently sighted in — busted up 16-year-old shoulder and all.
It was a very scientific process that snowy day in a quarry parking area in Vermont.
Welcome to the big leagues
When we got the SOLUS Competition and Vortex Strike Eagle scope together, we knew this was going to be a process of a lot of relearning. We also did not want to waste too much time or money as we worked our way through reviewing the hardware. That’s when the good folks at Wheeler sent over a care package with the laser bore sighter and a Wheeler Pro Trigger Gauge to help us out with our evaluation process.
We’ve already put the trigger gauge to use on a couple of other projects — most recently and notably a review on the Savage 560 semi-automatic shotgun. Once we have a full evaluation done on the SOLUS, we’ll be reporting back on what the gauge has to say about the trigger weight.
About the Wheeler Green Laser Bore Sighter
This is a cool unit; it’s a departure from some other laser bore sighters in a couple of ways. First, it utilizes a green laser — offering higher visibility. And second, it’s magnetic — not requiring any type of insertion into the actual firearm, muzzle or breech end.
The instructions were a little intimidating. Not really. They were very simple and easy to understand. The basic concept is that you’d place the bore sighter on the muzzle of your rifle and zero the scope to where the laser connects with the reticle while cast on a special target at a known distance.
The instructions even indicate to not worry too much about being centered either. You’d make up the difference by measuring from the middle of the scope axis to the plane the bore sighter is sitting at and take that into consideration when making your initial scope adjustments. The manual explains that if you’re off a quarter-inch on the bore sighter, you’ll be off a quarter-inch on paper.
There’s an included reflective target that you’d place at about 25 yards; the known distance you’ll want to use. Turn on the sighter, look through your scope, and match the dot with the reticle. Account for the offset by adjusting for half that distance. It’s all in the manual and actually very easy to follow and understand.
What’s in the box?
The bore sighter comes in a plastic box. The box has a closed cell foam where the sighter is set into its own spot. Included is a CR123A battery, which also has its own location to be stored in the box. Wheeler includes the reflective target for zeroing the optic with the laser, and the instructions.
Setting the stage
Using the Wheeler Professional Green Laser Bore Sighter made this process very simple. We took several variables, shook ’em up in a bag, and actually ended up with what I’d consider an acceptable result for what we were trying to accomplish that day.
It was the first time we were firing this particular SOLUS Competition, chambered in .308. The rifle was not broken in with any fouling shots yet. We were going to be starting the break-in procedure that Aero said to follow.
The Vortex Strike Eagle scope was just newly mounted on the rifle as was the bipod we got from CVLIFE.
When we put the bore sighter on the muzzle of the SOLUS, it’s apparent that the magnet was only strong enough to power through the non-ferrous muzzle thread protector cap when slightly off center. Some of this deviation showed its head in our initial shots.
New, never-before fired rifle; never used scope. New, everything.
How’d this all work out?
This actually worked out great. We set up the reflective target that Wheeler supplied at a 25-yard distance. We used our Target Meister — no longer in business — target stand. This allowed us to use the 100 yard range at the local gun club.
It did not take too much fumbling to get everything lined up nor to get the hang of all the controls on the scope. It only took a couple of minutes to dial in the scope once everything was set up.
The end result? We cycled the first five fouling shots through the rifle while shooting at a target at 100 yards. We used standard PMC ammunition, nothing over the top special. PMC has always been a solid ammo brand for range use and we’ve never had issues with it. We were on paper and we weren’t that far off the mark.
As seen in this first – I’d say grouping, but these shots were not all that close — five rounds of shots, we were handedly on paper. From there, the rest is on us.
The Wheeler Laser Bore Sighter got us where we needed to be in my opinion. Again, considering we were working through this while doing the initial break-in on the rifle, I say this first use was a rousing success. That and the slight deviations. Between the scope and sighter axes that maybe we did not account for in a very measured manner (we eyeballed the deviation), this was a giant “W.”
The quick and dirty
Pluses: Easy to use. Clear and crisp instructions. Effective and got on paper with the first shot. Green laser makes seeing it easy in a bright setting. One year limited warranty.
Minuses: Not for commercial use under the warranty. MSRPs for just under $200.00, which is a little steeper price than other options on the market. (However you can snag it for much less on Amazon.)
Overall, this unit made my life simple. We set out to get on paper and with the help of the Wheeler Professional Green Laser Bore Sighter, we landed on paper — the first shot. The unit was very easy to use, and again, the instructions were easy to follow. The longest part of the process was walking the target frame and target out to 25 yards for set up. There are plenty of options out there to choose from to aid in sighting in your firearm. Given how easy it was to use this product, we can recommend it.
