Ever thought of a laser bore sight as an essential piece of equipment on a hunt? I take one everywhere I hunt with a rifle and consider it cheap insurance. The lightweight piece of equipment is almost always in my pack, and for good reason. If we have to travel any distance at all, responsible hunters should always check their scopes to make sure something did not get knocked out of kilter in transport. Done in base camp and away from the hunting area, the noise and muzzle blast poses no danger of scaring off your intended quarry. Suppose you take a spill in the middle of your hunting area or just over the ridge from a trophy of a lifetime. You hit the ground hard enough to give you some doubt as to if your scope is still on target. Taking a test shot is out of the question as any animal within a mile or so will know exactly where you are and they will make plans to soon be elsewhere. A hike back to camp to test the rifle is out of the realm of possibility if you hope to have any chance of getting that trophy just over the ridge. Taking a shot that may only wound the animal is absolutely out of the question. What to do, what to do? If it were me, I would simply open my pack, take out the laser bore sight and check my scope’s point of impact (always, and I mean always, unload your rifle first). If the scope is still zeroed in, climb back up the hill and take your trophy. If not, you can quietly head back to camp and try to find him again tomorrow.
See you in the veld,
David Brown
