Mounting my scope evenly

[Holdinbanks]

I just changed the rings on my scope, im kind of new to mounting scopes. So How do I mount it evenly, meaning just that. I dont have any professional tools to mount it evenly, but is there an old fashioned way to do this. I hope you understand what I mean when I say evenly. I just want it to be perfetly level with the rifle. Its a Ruger 10/22 btw.

 

[scwhitetail]

The easiest way to do it, assuming that you are using level scope mounts, is to put the rifle in a vise, or other means of safely securing it, and use a standard level on your scope bases to level the rifle. Then attach your scope and tighten the rings. Then place the same level on top of the adjustment turret cap and tighten/loosen the screws on the rings until it is level. Now turn the rifle sideways so that the bolt knob is up, place the level on a flat part of the rifle, level it, and clamp it down. Place the level on the cap on the other adjustment turret and adjust screws until it is level. It is very time consuming, and you have to be careful not to scratch the rifle with whatever type of clamp or rest you intend to use. However, if you do it right it should get you in the ball park.

Now to bore sight the rifle, take the bolt out and rest it securely on a stand or some sand bags. Look down the bore, making sure to center your eye on the bore. It should be fairly easy to tell if you are looking at it dead straight. Line up the rifle so that a target is centered in the bore. Being careful not to move the rifle, look through the scope and adjust the cross hairs to the center of that target. It won't be perfect, but for me it works just as well as a professional bore sight. It will get you on paper. And it is free. Hope this helps.

 

[Mobuck]

While that is useable advice it does not apply to the 10/22 the OP is asking about.
OP,
You need to find the correct eye relief for your particular shooting forma dn scope(this is how far back or forward to set the scope). You can cut a notch in a cardboard box to support the rifle while dinking with it or use sandbags. You can get the crosshairs vertical/horizontally close enough by simply eyeballing the vertical compared to the vertical axis of the rifle. Just support it and back away from the butt so you see the shadow of the + compared to the buttplate. I've tried the alignment thingies and levels but find they don't do much better than the commonly issued Mark 1 eyeball. If using Weaver rings, you'll probably find they rotate the scope as they're tightened. this will require a slight offset to account for this tightening rotation. Trial and error will be needed.
I've even had to align the crosshairs slightly off kilter for certain shooters who demanded they be straight up when held for shooting offhand. These shooters used a hold which resulted in the rifle not being verticle but wanted the scope to be plumb(this results in a complex trajectory/bullet drop/offset condition).

 

[mapsjanhere]

The reason you buy scope bases designed for a specific gun is that the manufacturer has made sure it will be level to the barrel when installed. There's very little you can right or wrong, if the bases fit you'll be level.
If you really want to improve your scope mounting, get a torque screw driver to make sure you have the screws tight but not over-torqued. Especially on the 10/22 with its aluminum receiver it's easily possible to strip the screw hole with too much force. That and a couple drops loctite will give you years of good service from your mount.

 

[Picher]

I use a fairly short, but well-fitting gunsmith screwdriver for base and ring screws, put Loctite for non-removable screws on the threads and use High-Strength Locktite under the base(s).

Usually, with a 10-22 and Weaver Base, you won't need to level the base unless the barrel fits too loosely in the receiver and ends up pointing too low when the barrel mounting screws are tightened.

(NOTE: Even the strongest Loctite can be removed if heated to about 260*f. That's low enough to prevent damage to metal, but the action should be removed from the stock prior to using heat gun or torch. Paint on the receiver could be singed by using a torch.)

 

[desert.bunny]

Can I get some advice on mounting a scope on a Marlin 795

I bought a Marlin 795 (.22) on Black Friday and the scope is in the mail. The advice for the 10/22 was very useful and may just be the same for the marlin, but if anyone has specific experience on the Marlin...please tell what you've learned. Thanks.