Using laser sights to zero scope?

[Redleg]

Short answer = yes
contact me for the long answer.

 

[Jambo]

1. OP is not using a zeroed sight to get a rough zero on another sight. OP is using a laser, probably a plastic housing nothing special, to try to zero another electronic sight that is not zeroed
2. It is not difficult to knock a questionable laser mounted questionably off of it's own zero. Let's say that the laser gets knocked out of whack by ONLY 1 degree any direction. 1 degree is 60 moa. 60 moa at 100 yards is? That's right, about 63 inches. Over 5 feet. Know any hogs or yotes with a 5 foot kill area?

I would ask you to reread my post. I believe I stated a properly mounted and zeroed sight. You make the assumption that he's using a 'plastic housing nothing special' laser. I choose to believe he is using a quality sight, properly mounted and zeroed.

You may choose to assume the worst about people if you'd like, but that will make every answer pretty negative: "Can I use a 4x scope to hunt hogs at 100 yards?"
"No, because you'll probably buy a crappy one and mount it with duct tape."

I've done the inverse of what he wants to do, mounting an IR laser and zeroing it by moving its beam to match the point if aim of an electronic sight. It was good enough for consistent hits on an IDPA silhouette at 100 yards, pretty close to my point of aim. I believe it would be good enough for hogs and yotes. Normal ones, not those with a 5 foot kill area.

Also, I am well aware of what 1 MOA subtends at 100 yards, thank you.

 

[Timber Cruiser]

I'm after a pack of coyotes and looking to possibly hog hunt with it.

Getting close enough to a yote for a shotgun kill isn’t likely unless you’re calling. Hogs with a shotgun is going to be even tougher. Those shields are thick.

 

[Timber Cruiser]

I wanna do a helicopter hog hunt in TX, LA, ok so damn bad. Need to just get one planned.

Cool stuff. It’s amazing that buckshot will roll a hog from above but they’ll tote it off 8 out of 10 times from a broadside shot.

 

[ReservoirDawg10]

I would ask you to reread my post. I believe I stated a properly mounted and zeroed sight. You make the assumption that he's using a 'plastic housing nothing special' laser. I choose to believe he is using a quality sight, properly mounted and zeroed.

You may choose to assume the worst about people if you'd like, but that will make every answer pretty negative: "Can I use a 4x scope to hunt hogs at 100 yards?"
"No, because you'll probably buy a crappy one and mount it with duct tape."

I've done the inverse of what he wants to do, mounting an IR laser and zeroing it by moving its beam to match the point if aim of an electronic sight. It was good enough for consistent hits on an IDPA silhouette at 100 yards, pretty close to my point of aim. I believe it would be good enough for hogs and yotes. Normal ones, not those with a 5 foot kill area.

Also, I am well aware of what 1 MOA subtends at 100 yards, thank you.

We have a 10/22. So likely the lil plastic thing on the end of the stock. An AR12. None of those are high dollar, so doubt that there is a mall or peq15 sitting on there. Given gun 1, gun 2, and an an, I figured the AR and it's laser would be in line.

Even if the laser is solid and the firearms are solid, there is a lot of history to show that lasers drift and get knocked out of whack. Way sooner than a decent optic. So using a laser as your one means to confirm zero is not a great way to do things.

Like I said earlier, the laser is ancillary. If you pick your rifle up and the laser and primary optic no longer align properly, you know that you have an issue with one of the 2. Typically the laser, but nonetheless, you know that you need to confirm. If you are patting an un-zeroed optic onto a rifle and using the laser, you have no clue if that is still a viable zero without shooting.

OP, if you are going hunting, zero the optic on the rifle that you will be using first. If you remove the optic to put on something else, re-zero when you pull it back to the original rifle. That's the only way to know that you are zero.

Using a zero as your reference is much like communism. Sounds great on paper and theoretically it could work, but in practice, it doesn't work.

 

[ReservoirDawg10]

Op, sorry that I didn't assume that you have a multi-thousand dollar laser on each of your rifles. If I was wrong in this assumption, please let know.

 

[Jambo]

We have a 10/22. So likely the lil plastic thing on the end of the stock. An AR12. None of those are high dollar, so doubt that there is a mall or peq15 sitting on there. Given gun 1, gun 2, and an an, I figured the AR and it's laser would be in line.

Even if the laser is solid and the firearms are solid, there is a lot of history to show that lasers drift and get knocked out of whack. Way sooner than a decent optic. So using a laser as your one means to confirm zero is not a great way to do things.

Like I said earlier, the laser is ancillary. If you pick your rifle up and the laser and primary optic no longer align properly, you know that you have an issue with one of the 2. Typically the laser, but nonetheless, you know that you need to confirm. If you are patting an un-zeroed optic onto a rifle and using the laser, you have no clue if that is still a viable zero without shooting.

OP, if you are going hunting, zero the optic on the rifle that you will be using first. If you remove the optic to put on something else, re-zero when you pull it back to the original rifle. That's the only way to know that you are zero.

Using a zero as your reference is much like communism. Sounds great on paper and theoretically it could work, but in practice, it doesn't work.

I agree its not optimum, but far from impossible. He may lose an MOA or three, but unlikely the 60 MOA referenced. I still say it will probably be good enough.

He could always use irons as a backup/check to the laser.

And one can get pretty solid lasers for under multi-thousand dollars.

 

[ricoshay]

thank you all for the input. good info.
recoil might be an issue on the 12ga as mentioned although I currently have been fine on my 308.

I will probably limit the use to the 22lr and ar15. I'll use the lasers as an experiment and just to sight in the night vision scope. the 1shot zero function helps. I will just have to zero the normal scopes when not using the atn.

fyi the coyotes are definitely close. they've taken dogs from a friend of mine.