Pistol vise & laser bore sighter

[m41]

I am looking for a good pistol vise at a good price and a laser bore sighter. I have a bore sighter but it isn't giving good results when I go to the range. I figure a lot of you use these and will have some valuable information on which would be the best to buy.

 

[m41]

I am looking for a good pistol vise at a good price and a laser bore sighter. I have a bore sighter but it isn't giving good results when I go to the range. I figure a lot of you use these and will have some valuable information on which would be the best to buy.

 

[bountyhunter]

Originally posted by m41:
I am looking for a good pistol vise at a good price .

I use a Panavise with plastic jaws.

Originally posted by m41:
I have a bore sighter but it isn't giving good results when I go to the range.

There's a reason for that: you can't accurately sight in a pistol with a laser, you can only get it close. The pistol has recoil and the muzzle rotates upward in an arc when you fire. That means if you sight the bore in onto intended point of impact, you will hit high on the target. BTW, revolvers have much more of a "POI shift" than autos since the moving slide of an auto absorbs some recoil.

For a ballpark, I have used a laser and with a typical .357 shooting 158 grain .38 sp ammo, the bore should be aligned about 3" below sight line @ 25 yards to hit POA. This will vary by shooter and ammo since it is affected by the gun's muzzle flip.

For the record, most of my 9mm autos will hit POA with the bore aligned about 1 - 2" below sight line.

 

[m41]

I was shooting a 617 4" and had used a laser with a Red Dot and I shot at about 10 o'clock at 25 yards so I should sight it in at about 4 o clock?

 

[sar4937]

Are you talking about a red dot sight, or a crimson trace laser grip. Perhaps I don't understand your question, but I put the sights on the target for enough shots to establish where the point of impact is relative to point of aim. Then I would adjust the sights accordingly. My guns normally shoot point of aim out of the box for me, but quite often if I loan them to another shooter they will complain the sights are off. I've always been amazed when someone gets a rifle sighted in by a guy in a sporting goods store, and claims it's spot on. As the distance changes and wind comes into play you will have to learn to reset your sight to compensate or lead a bit.

 

[m41]

I have a laser bore sighter and I zeroed the dot from the Red Dot to the dot of the laser bore sight from a rest and I thought this would put me close on and I was shooting at an indoor range at 25 yds off hand and was hitting high left and I tried to adjust at the range without the instructions and it started going wrong so I just quit and I am going to resight before I go back to the range.

 

[sar4937]

Take your instructions, tools and reading glasses (if required). And shoot from a beanbag to take flinching, jerking, etc out of the equation. Then simply adjust the sight until your bullets impact where you're aiming. But then recheck your adjustments shooting the revolver the way you normally shoot it. The hardest thing to admit is that you could be causing the problem, and shooting from a rest will normally cancel that out. Buy the largest target the range sells if you need to so you can get it on paper.

 

[bountyhunter]

Originally posted by m41:
I have a laser bore sighter and I zeroed the dot from the Red Dot to the dot of the laser bore sight from a rest and I thought this would put me close on and I was shooting at an indoor range at 25 yds off hand and was hitting high left

Hitting high is from muzzle flip (upward arc) at ignition. The muzzle does move upward, but how much depends on how strong your grip is. If it is actually lifting up and left, your grip is not "neutral" which means the gun is not pivoting straight up and down.

 

[m41]

Thanks I will take instructions next time and zero it in it was the first time I had used a red dot and since my eyes have gotten old with the rest of me I was just glad to be able to shoot at 25 yards and see the target

 

[River Walleye Guy]

I use a Panavise with plastic jaws.

There's a reason for that: you can't accurately sight in a pistol with a laser, you can only get it close. The pistol has recoil and the muzzle rotates upward in an arc when you fire. That means if you sight the bore in onto intended point of impact, you will hit high on the target. BTW, revolvers have much more of a "POI shift" than autos since the moving slide of an auto absorbs some recoil.

For a ballpark, I have used a laser and with a typical .357 shooting 158 grain .38 sp ammo, the bore should be aligned about 3" below sight line @ 25 yards to hit POA. This will vary by shooter and ammo since it is affected by the gun's muzzle flip.

For the record, most of my 9mm autos will hit POA with the bore aligned about 1 - 2" below sight line.

Thank God for your post. I was lifting my back sight so high it looked fragile. Time to adjust to what you said. Seriously, THANK YOU for taking your time to post this.

 

[chief38]

I use my old Wilton 5 1/2" vise in conjunction with special jaw sets I've made up out of wood, soft plastic, rubber and leather for gun work. So far it has never let me down! Remember..... it's the jaws that contact the firearm, not the vise so IMHO the jaws are really the important part. A few good pieces of thick leather are always crucial for making great jaw sets.

Can't help you regarding the laser bore sighter because I never had one. I just do it the old fashion way

 

[BruceM]

Keep in mind that a laser or any other type of bore sighter is intended to get you fairly close to zero so that a minimum of shooting is required to adjust to final zero. There are things in play which extend beyond the theoretical convergence of the laser and your sights.

Bruce

 

[armorer951]

If you only need a small vise, Wilton also makes a "clamp on" style cast iron vise. Not expensive and very good quality.

"Non-marring" brass or plastic jaw covers can be made or purchased.

Wilton 33153 153, Bench Vise - Clamp-On Base, 3 in. Jaw Width, 2-1-2 in. Maximum Jaw Opening