Magpul collaborated with Ruger, Vortex, Hornady, CCI, and Fix It Sticks for a 250 Years of Freedom Giveaway totaling $4,500 in firearms, optics, ammunition, and gear. The prize package includes two Ruger firearms, Vortex optics, ammunition, and extensive Magpul accessories. The giveaway ends July 31.
AGM Global Vision announced the appointment of Leslie Vester as Head of Marketing. Vester brings over a decade of experience in brand strategy and marketing leadership to support AGM's expansion across hunting, shooting sports, law enforcement, and outdoor industries.
Warne, a premium scope mount and shooting accessories manufacturer based in Tualatin, Oregon, has expanded its partnership with Odle Sales to represent the brand across the western United States. Odle Sales will provide dealers with enhanced product expertise, faster communication, and personalized support throughout the region.
The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF) is hiring a Regional Director for western South Dakota and western Nebraska to manage volunteer chapters, organize fundraising events, and oversee grant programs. The remote position requires frequent travel and a bachelor's degree with five years of professional experience.
Kinsey Brands is hiring a Director of Brands to oversee its consumer brand portfolio, manage multi-channel sales strategies, guide product development, and lead supply chain operations. The role requires strong analytical skills and experience managing relationships with mass merchants, distributors, and international accounts.
Kinsey Brands is hiring a Procurement & Supply Chain Analyst to support its Consumer Brands Division. The role involves managing manufacturing procurement, supply chain planning, logistics coordination, and inventory management across Kinsey's portfolio of outdoor and hunting brands.
The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF) is hiring a Regional Director for western Montana to oversee volunteer chapters, organize fundraising events, and manage grant programs. The position requires a bachelor's degree, five years of professional experience, and frequent travel throughout the region.
Kinsey's Inc., a leading outdoor sporting goods distributor headquartered in Mount Joy, Pennsylvania, is hiring a Distribution Account Manager to manage 100-130 dealer accounts. The role combines sales, account management, and customer service with an emphasis on building dealer relationships and driving profitable growth.
Vortex Optics has released the Crossfire® II Red Dot lineup, available in red or green, featuring a 2 MOA dot, solar with auto D-TEC technology, and motion activation. The optic is designed for recreational shooters and compatible with AR-style rifles, rimfires, shotguns, and other firearms with Picatinny rails, with pricing starting at $149.99 MAP.
Zanders announced the addition of Infitac Thermal Pistol Sights to its optics lineup. The Infitac Fast Mini Series includes the FML 19 and FMP 13 models, featuring advanced thermal imaging technology optimized for handgun applications with multiple reticle options and 60 Hz refresh rates.
Firearms News celebrates its 80th anniversary with its July 2026 issue, featuring Oleg Volk's cover story review of the US Palm STORM CAT4 AR-15-Type Pistol. The issue includes reviews of firearms from Ruger, Sig Sauer, and Springfield Armory, plus articles on suppressors, reloading, and Second Amendment coverage by contributors including James Tarr, Rick Rambo, Patrick Sweeney, and David Codrea.
Bass Pro Shops will celebrate its new 130,000-square-foot Loveland, Colorado location with an Evening for Conservation on July 22, featuring legendary anglers Roland Martin, Jimmy Houston, Edwin Evers, Kevin VanDam, Jim and Eva Shockey, and Nate Zelinsky. The company will donate 15% of sales to local conservation organizations, with festivities including live entertainment, a ribbon-cutting ceremony, and a 12,000-gallon aquarium.
Leapers, Inc. continues its commitment to Service Rifle competition as a three-time Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) National Matches sponsor. The company's award-winning Integrix iXF 4.5X28 Service Rifle Scope celebrates its first anniversary at Camp Perry in July 2026, with Team Leapers members and shooters Brandon Green, Bob Gill, and Liam McKenna competing in the CMP National Matches.
Pursuit Media announced a renewed 5-year distribution agreement with DIRECTV, extending their 18-year partnership. The enhanced deal makes Pursuit Channel content available in full HD across DIRECTV Satellite, DIRECTV Stream, U-Verse, and MyFree by DIRECTV, reaching millions of subscribers.
GAME & FISH TV launches "Big Game Wednesday" programming blocks featuring shows like Everything Eichler, Addicted to the Outdoors, Driven with Pat & Nicole, Crush with Lee & Tiffany, Beyond the Hunt, and The Lindsey Way. The free streaming channel, powered by Outdoor Sportsman Group, airs hunting and fishing content every Wednesday in July across multiple platforms including Roku, Prime Video, and Samsung TV Plus.
Used correctly, they can help you get on paper faster and save a few rounds. But if you’re not thinking a few steps ahead, they can also lead you into problems that compromise the performance of your optics and cost you time, precision, and confidence.
Here’s how to use a laser bore sighter without undermining your gear or your results.
What a Laser Bore Sighter Actually Does
A laser bore sighter projects a visible laser beam from your barrel or chamber, to help align your optic’s reticle with the bore of the rifle. It’s meant as a time-saver, a way to get “close enough” before sending that first round.
That part works, but here’s the problem…too many shooters take the laser as gospel. They drop the sighter in, match their reticle to the beam, and start cranking on their turrets like they’re dialing in a long-range shot. That’s where the trouble begins.
The Risk: Moving Too Far From Optical Center
Where most folks go wrong is cranking on those windage and elevation turrets trying to match the reticle to the laser dot.
What’s the problem with that? Every click you make moves you away from optical center—the sweet spot of your scope’s internal lens system. The farther you move from that center, the more you risk degrading image quality, tracking reliability, and overall performance.
Dan Z. for SNW
Scopes are built to operate best at or near their optical center. That’s where light travels cleanly, where reticles stay true, and where adjustments are most consistent. Once you spin two or three full revolutions on a turret, you’re no longer in that optimal zone. You’re out on the fringe and performance goes downhill from there.
You also make it harder to go back to square one. If you want to move that scope to another rifle later, good luck getting back to factory zero. You’ll waste time and ammo just trying to undo the mess.
A Better Way to Sight In
There’s a smarter, cleaner process—and it doesn’t require chasing a laser dot across the wall.
Mount your scope properly. Take the time to level the optic, torque the rings correctly, and get everything squared away.
Start at 25 yards. Fire a group. If you’re not within four to six inches of center, stop. There’s likely a setup issue that needs correcting before you start adjusting turrets.
Dial windage first. At close range, your left-to-right impact is easier to confirm and correct. Get that lined up first.
Then move out to 50 or 100 yards. Use your final zeroing distance to fine-tune both elevation and windage. By that point, your adjustments should be minimal.
The goal through this entire process is to stay within one full revolution of your windage and elevation turrets—up, down, left, or right. That keeps your reticle close to its optical center, where your scope is designed to perform at its best.
When a Laser Bore Sighter Is Useful
Let’s be clear…a laser bore sighter isn’t worthless. If you want to use it as a rough reference point before your first shot, that’s fine. It’s a tool, and used responsibly, it can speed up the initial alignment process.
But don’t confuse close with zeroed. And don’t adjust your scope just to match where the laser lands. The laser only tells you where the bore is pointed—it doesn’t account for optic height, barrel harmonics, or trajectory.
Think of the bore sighter as a rough guide, not a final answer.
Dan Z. for SNW
The Bottom Line
A laser bore sighter can help you get your rifle closer to zero faster—but it’s not a replacement for good fundamentals or sound optical practices. Used carelessly, it can push your scope far outside its ideal range of operation, hurting performance and adding frustration down the road.
One thing I would recommend, using a bore sighter or not, is to keep an optics log notepad in your range bag. Every time you make adjustments, log them in the book so you know how many clicks away from optical center you are so you can get back no matter what.
If you’re going to use one, use it wisely. Know what it’s for, know what it isn’t, and don’t let a shortcut become a setback.
Keep it tight, keep it centered, and let your gear perform the way it was built to.
