leveling your scope ?
- Thread starter rebs
- Start date
You will always have that friend who says "Your scope is crooked"
Its your rifle,your scope.
How do you shoot? Rifle cant does matter.You want your vertical crosshair to represent the fall line of gravity.
But how do you shoot? A bipod with scope level bubble? If so,clockyour scope accordingly.
Or is it about how the stock and buttplate fit you in your natural shooting position.
Its in the same idea as finding your "natural point of aim"
If you and your rifle naturally fit together with five degrees of cant,every time,you can change the rifle,or be consistent.
If you choose "be consistent" your scope needs to be canted from what level in a vice is.You don't want to have to twist your rifle from what is natural to match what a vice and level do.
Find your natural hold. Put a weight on a string like a plumb bob.Calibrate your vertical crosshair to the vertical string (gravity) in your natural position.
Its your rifle,your scope.
How do you shoot? Rifle cant does matter.You want your vertical crosshair to represent the fall line of gravity.
But how do you shoot? A bipod with scope level bubble? If so,clockyour scope accordingly.
Or is it about how the stock and buttplate fit you in your natural shooting position.
Its in the same idea as finding your "natural point of aim"
If you and your rifle naturally fit together with five degrees of cant,every time,you can change the rifle,or be consistent.
If you choose "be consistent" your scope needs to be canted from what level in a vice is.You don't want to have to twist your rifle from what is natural to match what a vice and level do.
Find your natural hold. Put a weight on a string like a plumb bob.Calibrate your vertical crosshair to the vertical string (gravity) in your natural position.
I use my sitelite.
"Ultra-Bright XP daylight green laser,long life lithium battery, scope reticle leveler & ballistic targeting software! Accurately boresights ALL rifles, pistols and shotguns. Fits all calibers from .22 cal. to .50 cal. Plus 20 ga. and 12 ga. shotguns. No optional arbors required! Now includes ballistic targeting system software which calculates and prints a calibrated laser boresighting target to your specific requirements! Plus a laser line generator lens adaptor to project a laser line for precise scope leveling."
https://www.natchezss.com/sitelite-ultra-mag-green-laser-boresighter.html
The green laser is so effective that I can see it on a 100 yd target.
"Ultra-Bright XP daylight green laser,long life lithium battery, scope reticle leveler & ballistic targeting software! Accurately boresights ALL rifles, pistols and shotguns. Fits all calibers from .22 cal. to .50 cal. Plus 20 ga. and 12 ga. shotguns. No optional arbors required! Now includes ballistic targeting system software which calculates and prints a calibrated laser boresighting target to your specific requirements! Plus a laser line generator lens adaptor to project a laser line for precise scope leveling."
https://www.natchezss.com/sitelite-ultra-mag-green-laser-boresighter.html
The green laser is so effective that I can see it on a 100 yd target.
You really need a bore sighter to get it right. Doesn't need to be a $214 thing though. Lots of 'em a lot less expensive at Midway, et al.
"...level on the top elevation cap..." Most of 'em are slightly convex. Take it off and level on the elevation turret.
"...You will always have that friend who says..." Yep. Especially when they shoot backwards. snicker.
"...level on the top elevation cap..." Most of 'em are slightly convex. Take it off and level on the elevation turret.
"...You will always have that friend who says..." Yep. Especially when they shoot backwards. snicker.
If you have a scope where the cap wont provide an adequate surface for a level, I've done the following in a pinch...
Scope resting in slightly loose rings, have your eye relief marked in advance.
Set the rifle in a solid rest outdoors or by a window where you can take "aim" at a tall house or multi-story building a decent distance away (I like at least 50 yards or so).
Get point of aim right on the corner of said building, level the rifle in the rest, then align the vertical crosshair with the edge of the building.
Sometimes it's better to hold just off the edge, leaving a sliver of light to establish parallelism.
IMO, this is probably more accurate than a very short level across a cap. Unless that building was constructed by a cross-eyed monkey, it will be within a fraction of an inch of true vertical over several stories.
Now...to avoid undue "alarm", I do this making it REALLY obvious that I'm adjusting the rifle and nothing nefariously so as not to worry the neighbors lol...
Scope resting in slightly loose rings, have your eye relief marked in advance.
Set the rifle in a solid rest outdoors or by a window where you can take "aim" at a tall house or multi-story building a decent distance away (I like at least 50 yards or so).
Get point of aim right on the corner of said building, level the rifle in the rest, then align the vertical crosshair with the edge of the building.
Sometimes it's better to hold just off the edge, leaving a sliver of light to establish parallelism.
IMO, this is probably more accurate than a very short level across a cap. Unless that building was constructed by a cross-eyed monkey, it will be within a fraction of an inch of true vertical over several stories.
Now...to avoid undue "alarm", I do this making it REALLY obvious that I'm adjusting the rifle and nothing nefariously so as not to worry the neighbors lol...
I used pin gages under my most recent installs. The bottom side of the scope opposite the elevation turret had flats on it. I would then just set a corresponding pin gage that nested in the rail and just touched the scope. That would give me as square to the rifle as I'm capable of doing. Snug the rings, pull the pin and then torque them down.
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leveling your scope
n some rifles, I've spent hours getting it right and readjustment.
Rings that tighten on one side only, to hold the scope in,commonly rotate the scope when tightening.
They didn't have scope levels etc, or not of knowledge to me back then.
I used a level to insure the kitchen counter was level and the bottom, portion of the stock was square with bore axis. Then mde sure edge of wll ws perfectly verticle. Put the verticle cross hair right on the wall edge, lighted very well, and moved and checked until I was satisfied.
Not not very professional but with little funds worked with wht I could contrive.
n some rifles, I've spent hours getting it right and readjustment.
Rings that tighten on one side only, to hold the scope in,commonly rotate the scope when tightening.
They didn't have scope levels etc, or not of knowledge to me back then.
I used a level to insure the kitchen counter was level and the bottom, portion of the stock was square with bore axis. Then mde sure edge of wll ws perfectly verticle. Put the verticle cross hair right on the wall edge, lighted very well, and moved and checked until I was satisfied.
Not not very professional but with little funds worked with wht I could contrive.
I hang a plumb line on a wall some 20 feet away. Mount the rifle on shoulder carefully so that the butt stock looks as plumb and natural as possible, same way as I would take my best shot. Look through the scope to check the vertical cross hair against the plumb line on the wall. Rotate the scope tube to make them align.
I still have the few gadgets I bought for this purpose. Never have used them since I started using this method.
-TL
I still have the few gadgets I bought for this purpose. Never have used them since I started using this method.
-TL
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Level the rifle first.
Then check that the scope bases are level.
Then install scope and scope rings.
Hand a string with a washer from the ceiling (or wall). Something called gravity will make it perpendicular to the ground. Line up the crosshair with the string.
That'll be three-fiddy please.
Then check that the scope bases are level.
Then install scope and scope rings.
Hand a string with a washer from the ceiling (or wall). Something called gravity will make it perpendicular to the ground. Line up the crosshair with the string.
That'll be three-fiddy please.