Shocking new discovery about the color red

[2in2out]

I'm sure this is not shocking for some of you, but it surprised the heck out of me and now I don't know what to do about it.

I've been saving ammunition by using a cool red laser bore sighter for quite a few years. Considering how inept I am at initially sighting in a new firearm, this has made a huge impact on both my perceived accuracy and the amount of ammo expended on sighting in.

That is, until my latest toy... a cheap reflex sight. It uses a red reticle, and I think the glass must be coated with something that allows red to be reflected on the inside. This seems to be preventing the color red from passing from the muzzle end to my eye.

Here's how that thought occurred to me:

I waited until almost dark the other night, and sat on my deck with the sight mounted on one of my .22 rifles. My yard is about the same distance as the range where I shoot, and there's a tree at the end for me to aim at. I turn the laser on, turn the sight on, and all I can see is the sight reticle. I thought maybe my old-man bifocals were playing tricks on me, so I adjusted the sight up and down to see if I could get that telltale halo from seeing too dots at once.

No such luck, so I turned the sight off completely. STILL no laser dot on the tree. I lift my head up so I'm looking over the sight, and there it is. Look through the sight, and it's gone.

So, what's the secret? Can I take a sheet of colored paper and tape it to the tree, to change the color of the dot? Or, is there another way (aside from just taking the rifle to the range and sighting it in the old fashioned way)?

[Seismic Sam]

Uhhh..... Tape a sheet of another colored paper to the tree to change the color of a laser beam?? So if a RED laser beam hits green paper, it becomes a daylight visible GREEN laser beam?? Have you really thought this through??

Interesting fact about the reflex sight, and I think they and the laser are just mutually incompatible. Considering you only have to bore sight a rifle once, it souldn't be any big deal to take the reflex sight off of it to sight it in.

[Mn01r6]

The zero bullet method: compare with the naked eye where the laser is with where the red dot sight is, adjust accordingly. Once they are both pointing at the bullseye you have it sighted in.

The one bullet method:
#1 Use a bench or table with sandbags to shoot from.
#2 Aim at center of bullseye with red dot.
#3 pull trigger.
#4 after recoil, re-aim at center of bulls eye with red dot
#5 secure rifle with multiple sandbags so it does not move
#6 adjust red dot windage/elevation so that it points to the bullet hole you made in the target.

Your red dot now points where your bullet goes.

[yuppiejr]

The zero bullet method: compare with the naked eye where the laser is with where the red dot sight is, adjust accordingly. Once they are both pointing at the bullseye you have it sighted in.

The one bullet method:
#1 Use a bench or table with sandbags to shoot from.
#2 Aim at center of bullseye with red dot.
#3 pull trigger.
#4 after recoil, re-aim at center of bulls eye with red dot
#5 secure rifle with multiple sandbags so it does not move
#6 adjust red dot windage/elevation so that it points to the bullet hole you made in the target.

Your red dot now points where your bullet goes.

The trick of course is knowing exactly how many clicks at a given range to adjust your sight system so your second shot is exactly where you want it. It's usually a lot more than people expect particularly if they shoot a sighter at 25 yards with a newly mounted optic.

[Seismic Sam]

And I have YET to see a sight where 4 clicks produces an exact inch of change in the trajectory at 100 yards like it's supposed to, and that includes my $1,000+ Leupold 6 - 25 x 50mm long range target scope, and other Leupold scopes slightly less expensive (but not much!)... So dialing in the right correction without taking another 5 shots is really trusting the calibration of the scope without PROVING that it's actually shooting as you think it's supposed to. I've NEVER seen a single shooter actually dial in the correction and have it end up where it was supposed to, and I've never had it happen to me. It's been close in some situations, but never dead nuts on.

[igofast]

Why do the maths? You look down the sight and move the knobs until the dot/crosshairs/whatever are over the bullet hole(steps 4-6). That way you don't need to worry about how many clicks you need to move you 1/8th MOA turret at 30 yards(been there) - or if you're even turning it the right way(been there and done that too). Sometimes there's just to much thinking.

[rugersol]

Considering you only have to bore sight a rifle once, it souldn't be any big deal to take the reflex sight off of it to sight it in.

[2in2out]

Considering you only have to bore sight a rifle once, it souldn't be any big deal to take the reflex sight off of it to sight it in.

I wasn't sure what that meant, either. Maybe he meant to go back to what I was using before - which worked just fine, incidentally.

The colored paper idea was probably on the same spritual plane as the people who thought you could fly by attaching homemade wings to your arms and flapping. I know that, but was trying to illustrate that there are people a lot smarter than me who have probably already solved this issue and moved on.

I actually like Mn01r6's idea and may try that one of these nights when I have time.

[Seismic Sam]

Considering you only have to bore sight a rifle once, it souldn't be any big deal to take the reflex sight off of it to sight it in.

Rugersol is right:

I was thinking of using whatever sight system was on the gun before, but that still leaves the problem of the reflex sight getting aligned with the bore. As far as stupidity goes, this is probably one of my grander FUBARs.

As Rosanne Rosanadana used to say: NEVER mind......

[mvpete]

Why do the maths? You look down the sight and move the knobs until the dot/crosshairs/whatever are over the bullet hole(steps 4-6). That way you don't need to worry about how many clicks you need to move you 1/8th MOA turret at 30 yards(been there) - or if you're even turning it the right way(been there and done that too). Sometimes there's just to much thinking.

been using this method for years-it works everytime
Then shoot a group at your desired distance and fine tune

[ex-LT]

As Rosanne Rosanadana Emily Litella used to say: NEVER mind......

Fixed that for you.

[Seismic Sam]

As Rosanne Rosanadana Emily Litella used to say: NEVER mind......

Fixed that for you.

You are correct sir, but it appears that there are a legion of people who are under the same misconception that I am:

http://www.google.com/search?q=roseanne+roseannadanna+never+mind&hl=en&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=SlhsUKqZGeKMyQHKj4DACg&sqi=2&ved=0CDoQsAQ&biw=1920&bih=908

[OldmanFCSA]

Why do the maths? You look down the sight and move the knobs until the dot/crosshairs/whatever are over the bullet hole(steps 4-6). That way you don't need to worry about how many clicks you need to move you 1/8th MOA turret at 30 yards(been there) - or if you're even turning it the right way(been there and done that too). Sometimes there's just to much thinking.

YOU ARE CORRECT SIR !!!!!!!!

This is how we sight-in any rifle at any range where bullet impact can be seen.
I have repeatedly told people how to do it this way - sometimes the light behind their eyes turns on.

[ex-LT]

You are correct sir, but it appears that there are a legion of people who are under the same misconception that I am:

http://www.google.com/search?q=roseanne+roseannadanna+never+mind&hl=en&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=SlhsUKqZGeKMyQHKj4DACg&sqi=2&ved=0CDoQsAQ&biw=1920&bih=908

Yeah, I'm sure the alliteration behind Roseanne Roseannadanna has something to do with people attributing the quote to that persona. Emily Litella doesn't roll off the tongue quite as easily, so people tend to forget about her.