Sightmark .223, 5.56x45 NATO Boresight with Red Laser

I have four of the Sightmark laser boresights - the 12 gauge, 9mm, 7.62x39mm, and .223. I had used a Bushnell laser boresight before getting this set of chamber loaded laser boresights. The Bushnell is the kind that you stick into the muzzle end of the gun, fitted with an arbor matched to the barrel size. The problem with this device was that the arbors never fit quite right - they were always either too tight or too loose, plus you had to try to seat the body of the boresight in the center of the opening of the barrel (or muzzle brake) in order to properly align the center axis of the boresight with the center axis of the barrel. This rarely if ever happened just right as the slightest tilt in the seating of this boresight in the barrel would take it off the center axis so that rotating the laser would cause the laser light to mark out a small circle that was several MOA in diameter rather than being dead centered. Ugh. Of course with these chamber loaded laser boresights, there is also the potential for the lasers to be mis-aligned off the center axis. Plus there is the potential for the boresight to not fit the chamber properly. The key is to find a brand that has a measure of quality control so that you aren't stuck with these problems. I read through a lot of reviews before deciding on Sightmark. It is definitely not the cheapest out there. There are so many different brands and generic versions of these chamber loaded laser boresights now that almost look alike, with many much cheaper than the Sightmark. However, it was clear from reading the reviews that as the prices went down, so did the quality control. Several of these cheaper brands came with complaints that the lasers were not aligned to the center axis (resulting in the laser painting a circle as it rotates in the chamber) or that they did not fit properly in the chambers and so would either get stuck or wiggle. I have this theory that the really cheap laser boresights must be factory seconds or some such. I considered the Osprey line with the adjustable arbors, which saves money by allowing you to use one laser bore sight for different calibers. But, the reviews indicated that hassling with arbors would have an effect on accuracy and reliability. I almost got the Firefield, which seemed to have a similar number of decent reviews. Ultimately I decided against it because the entire line is made of an aluminum shell, and I think the brass shell of the Sightmark will hold up better. It should be noted, however, that the 12 gauge Sitemark is made out of aluminum, unlike the others, and is only painted a brass color. The biggest complaint against all of these laser boresighters are the frequent DOA batteries and poor battery life. The Sightmarks all come with alkaline button cell batteries. The small caliber ones (9mm, 7.62mm, .223) come with two AG5 batteries while the 12 gauge came with three AG13 (LR44) batteries. To get you all confused, the printed information on the back of the packaging for the 7.62mm and .223 says you can use 3 AG3 batteries in place of the 2 AG5 batteries (since the AG3 is a thinner battery with the same 7.9mm diameter), while the printed info for the 12 gauge says you can use 2 AG5 or 3 AG13 batteries. This is flat out incorrect since 2 AG5 batteries are too small to fit into the 12 gauge Sightmark battery chamber. Confused? Go to wikipedia and look up the article "List of battery sizes". Scroll down to the section titled "Silver oxide and alkaline cells". The table lists all the different names for each battery, their dimensions, and their mAh power rating. Note how the silver oxide batteries contain 1-1/2 to two times as much energy as the alkaline batteries. So the key is to go out and get some silver oxide button batteries, size SG5 for the AG5 powered Sightmarks and SG13 for the AG13 powered lasers. And don't go to your nearest retail store, since that will cost you an arm and a leg. Google shop for these batteries online. I found two Made in China "brands" one called Vinnic and another by Chung Pak Battery Works which were pretty cheap. The names aren't important, since I'm sure they will change rapidly. Just remember to get some silver oxide batteries online at the same time you are getting these Sightmark bore sights. How well did these Sightmarks work? The very first time I used one (the 7.62x39mm), I plugged in the included AG5 alkaline batteries and the resulting laser light was exceedingly weak. My initial reaction was that this was a bad laser. Then I remembered the silver oxide batteries I had gotten. When I switched out the batteries, the laser suddenly glowed brightly. Later, when this set of silver batteries finally wore down, the laser light faded again. That's a sign to change batteries. The larger AG13 alkaline batteries for the 12gauge shotgun boresight worked reasonably well and are still working as of this writing. Not surprising, since these batteries pack a lot more energy than the small AG5 batteries. As many have noted, the Sightmarks do not have an on-off switch. Once the batteries are screwed in the laser light is on! This is just as well, since the bore sights have to flush fit inside the chamber of the barrel and endure having the bolt and firing pin slammed into them. But you do have to have a plan of action ready so as to not run down your batteries. With one pair of SG5 silver oxide batteries, I was able to adjust the sights for about four guns, each taking about 5-10 minutes. So I am guesstimating a battery life of about 30 minutes with a fresh pair of SG5 silver batteries (the Sightmark packaging claims up to an hour of battery life - hah!). All of the Sightmarks have fit in well, none have gotten stuck (so far), and none have had off-center lasers. These chamber loaded Sightmark boresighters make it easy to dial in a scope, and for fixed sights, they help confirm the aim points. They are much better than the muzzle loaded bore sights, although the total cost is a lot more since they are ammo caliber specific.

I own several different laser bore sights by Sightmark, in a number of different calibers. I also have one of their universal laser bore sights. I've found all of their products to work quite well so far. I've found these in the chamber type of laser bore sights to work much better than the universal types which hang out from the muzzle. The machining on these in the chamber types by Sightmark is quite good. With the firearm firmly mounted in a heavy bench rest, I've rotated the sight to several positions in the chamber and seen very little change in the point of the dot even at 100 yards, which indcated to me not only a very good machining but also a very good adjustment of the laser within the brass body. One thing to bear in mind with these sights are that while they do feature a rim like a standard cartridge, the sight is not meant to be removed from the chamber by means of the extractor and bolt. While you will get best results by gently letting the bolt close and push the sight snugly into the chamber, the sight will not simply fall out upon opening the bolt and again, it is not meant to be extracted like a standard cartridge. to remove it is best to open the bolt and keep it open while using a cleaning rod from the muzzle end to gently push the sight out from the chamber. Another thing to bear in mind is that none of these types of sights are perfect. They will do a little better than just getting you on paper, but you will still have to go through the usual steps of zeroing your sights or scope. Consider the distance that you are looking to have as the zero. Even though it is a laser, the diameter of the dot will increase over distance as will any very slight variation from true bore line center. Getting on paper and close to target center at 100 yards with such a device is still doing quite well. At 25 to 50 yards though these devices are outstanding. Be aware too though that even with a powerful spotting scope, it will not be easy to see the red laser dot in full daylight at distances beyond 25 yards. It's best to use the sight in lower light conditions.Factory ammo will also give considerable variation in points of impact. The amount of time and ammunition saved by using one of these sights makes them well worth using. The only two things about these sights that I could see as an improvement, would be some sort of switch rather than having to remove the batteries, and having a green laser instead of red. Given the infrequent need to use the sight however, makes the lack of switch and the need to remove the batteries an extremely small complaint. With current technologies in batteries and lasers having a green laser in such a small package is very unlikely and the cost would be considerably higher.

I picked one up for my AR-15 and it worked flawlessly. I inserted the batteries, slid it into the chamber and was presented with a nice red laser dot. It certainly did make it easier to zero the weapon. Very cost effective as I can use it again should I change my red dot or decide to use a scope instead. Of course, you can loan it to your less intelligent buddy who didn't think to get one and it obviously can be used on any 5.56 gun. Sure, 5.56 rounds are currently going a little over 30 cents a round, but that adds up if you have trouble zeroing in. (I watched my son fire off 50 rounds with his AR-15 without using a bore sight and he wasn't even close to getting zeroed. It turned out to be an issue with his scope, but with a bore sight he would have figured that out a lot sooner. I had no issues with my bore sight. It aligned perfectly. Apparently, some people get lemons that weren't properly calibrated at the factory. I strongly suggest returning it for a replacement. It's not going to cost you anything since you bought it on Amazon. Odds are that you're replacement bore sight will work perfectly. I don't care for the fact that in order to turn the laser on you must open the bore sight, insert the batteries then tighten the cap. To turn it off you must remove the batteries. No on/off switch. For the money I guess that's expected, but wouldn't it be nice to slip the bore sight into your chamber and have it come on automatically when you close your bolt? This is just a minor irritant as I don't have to use the bore sight every time I go to the range. Other than no on/off switch I'm perfectly happy with this purchase which is why I got one for my AK-47 too.

I read at least one review that stated this item had a hard time being ejected/removed. This was not my experience. Overall this is a very well built, quality laser sight, especially for its size. I had no problem installing it or removing it from my .223. It worked very smoothly both in and out. I also found the laser to be plenty bright for my needs. I still need to go zero in, however my initial sighting for my optic was at 50+ yards on to a white backdrop during the day. I had no problem seeing the laser. It was still a very tight laser dot with no noticeable spread. I purchased some of the silver oxide batteries based on others' recommendations, however I have not yet needed them. The stock batteries have worked great for me so far, although I will bring the others with me to the range. It also comes with a very nice case to store the laser and batteries in. Overall this purchase exceeded my expectations and I would recommend it for any initial sighting needs. I will give further once I get to the range to see how tight the laser actually sights. However based on the iron sights and optics installed, it appears to be very very close. Just as information, when the batteries are installed it is on, and you have to remove the batteries to turn it off. This is expected based on its size however.

I sighted in a Nikon P-223 3x32 scope on my AR. I wanted to site in for 200 yards because by doing so you would never be more than + or - 1 inch to vertical, in theory,.at 50, 100, 150 or 200 yards. So I started at home by using the bore site on a target 25 yards away. I used a table to determine the vertical distance on the target below where the cross hairs were aimed that the laser should strike at 25 yards if I wanted a zero at 200 yards. That was pretty easy. When I got to the range, lo and behold, I was pretty close. A couple of clicks on the scope to make minor adjustments and I was as tight with my pattern around the center target circle as I'm ever likely to be. So, 1) the product is nothing fancy but it does exactly what it is supposed to, 2) following the instructions enclosed actually worked, 3) lasers eat energy - battery life is measured in minutes with this product not hours. You can't leave it on for 20 - 30 minutes continuously... get to it and site your scope with a few clicks to get on the target and then get to the range to test your pattern with rounds. Do yourself a favor and buy some name brand silver oxide replacement batteries. They will cast a beam with sufficient brightness longer, but that's all relative... we're talking twice as many minutes, not hours. Solid product.

When i got this laser it was not dead center and having it chambered in different directions throws the POI off up to a 10ft Diameter at 100 yards so it is useless. I emailed SighMark for a replacement and they wanted me to pay for the return shipping on their defective product. I still have it and it is basically useless to me. At night it works well but if it is not completely dark forget about it. Quality control missed the mark on this product and if you want a quality product you have to pay for it. You get what you pay for. A boresight with off center of axis is WORTHLESS. Save your money and do it the old fashion way. Update 8-15-12: I normally do not bother updating old reviews but felt compelled to do it since there is a amazon member on here who think wasting your money on this junk is a good idea. Save your money and spend the $30 on ammo which will be much better investment than this junk. You should easily be able to get on paper with a few shots and have ammo left over. This product was so defective the manufacturer agreed and was willing to refund the money but I'll be damned if i spend a penny more to ship this back on my dime so I basically threw it in my junk pile of parts. Save your money

While the main criticisms in other reviews are true, this product works exactly as it was designed to. There is no on/off capabilities but there really is no way to have that option without compromising the design, accuracy and potentially marking/jamming inside. It might be an extra step but putting batteries in prior to use and then removing them afterward is hardly a time consuming activity. We used the laser late afternoon outside and while it takes a couple of seconds to spot (or a bit longer after being in use for a while), it was not too difficult to see. I'm sure the red dot would've stood out more in a darker setting but we wanted good light to make the sight adjustments. The battery life is likely limited to 1 or 2 uses depending on the number of sights you want to adjust. Due to the recommendation of other reviewers, I purchased silver oxide batteries to use however have not had the need to use them yet as the regular batteries provided lasted long enough for our needs. I'm beyond happy with the end result as confirmed afterward at the range!

So as with all SightMark bore sights I've used, this one does its job well. It puts a laser beam right down the barrel so the dot is going to be your point of impact. Perfect for adjusting optics before going to the range for a final sighting in. However unlike the other bore sights, this one has an issue that gives you pause: It fits too tight in the chamber and won't come out. It must be slightly too large, and as such gets caught. My rifle (A SIG516) has a standard 5.56 NATO chamber, and all rounds, including snap caps, eject without an issue. However the bore sight stays in there snug. The first time I tried it, it actually managed to get the bolt stuck on it and I had to smack the stock on the ground to get it to extract. The second time I rode the charging handle in to keep the bolt from closing fully. The bolt opened after that, but the bore sight would not drop free. I had to get the cleaning rod and push it out from the barrel. Not a critical issue, but not something that should happen either. The other bore sights I own (also from SightMark) eject without issue. Had I known this before I bought it, I would have looked at a different product. I am going to keep it since it does work, but I'd advise anyone looking at it to consider other products first. If you do get it, close your bolt slowly as to not get it jammed in there and have a cleaning rod on hand.

In een woord: Perfect!

Verpackung war kunstvoll bereits geöffnet. Ware so alt das Knopfbatterien schon leer.

Schlechte Verarbeitung macht den sachgemäßen Einsatz leider unmöglich. Die Patrone ist zu klein und wackelt im Lauf. Der Laser kommt nicht gerade raus und die Einstellschrauben sind selbst mit spezial Feinschraubenwerkzeug nicht bedienbar.