Boresighting and Zeroing in a rifle at the range is one of those necessary evils you have to do every year before hunting. It’s not particularly fun, it can be tedious work, and often requires you to shoot a decent amount of expensive rounds. Many times I have had trouble confirming my zero and end up going through a whole box of ammo. Often, getting on paper in the first place can be the most challenging part. To start the procedure properly, one needs to boresight a scope which involves getting the center of the muzzle and the crosshairs of the scope aligned at the same point on a target at 25 yards. The old school way is to remove the bolt and look down the barrel of the rifle (from the back). While this works, it can be difficult to do properly, especially when shooting smaller calibers. A much quicker way to boresight is to use a laser sighting system.
This is where the Sitelite SL 150 comes in. It is a small device that features a narrow end that goes down the barrel and a laser emitting device at the other end. The barrel end can accept a number of attachments and rubber O rings which render the unit suitable for just about any caliber rifle from .22 LR to .50 caliber muzzleloaders and even 12 gauge shotguns. The Sitelite has a built-in magnet that ensures it is always centered in the barrel. Included with your purchase is a hard case, a laser target, and an access code to download and install their ballistic targeting software on a computer. The program works on either Mac or Windows and is fairly straightforward. You input your caliber, round, fps, and desired zero distance. The ballistic program then tells you what distance to match the laser to your crosshairs at. If everything goes well, you will then back up to the distance you want the rifle zeroed at, shoot a three-shot group and make any fine-tune adjustments that are needed.
Overall, I have been very happy with the Sitelite. It has definitely saved time getting a rifle on paper at the range and saves money by not having to pay a gunsmith to boresight it for you. The device is easy to use and feels well built. I have tested some of the cheap bullet-shaped caliber-specific laser devices in the past and not been happy with the results. One issue with the Sitelite 150 is that it does use a red laser which can be difficult to see on bright days. It is best to use it on an overcast day. The laser is just not bright enough to see past about 30 yards. Sitelite does make an SL 500 boresighter which features a green laser that may be easier to see on bright days. At $150, however, the Sitelite SL 150 is a good value. It is a well-made product that will save time and money. A professional boresighting usually costs about $25-$50, and to have a rifle zeroed is normally around $80. The Sitelite can quickly pay for itself if you use multiple rifles each year.
