Scope Mounting:Wheeler Level

[Sea Buck]

After years of frustrating scope mounting. I never seemed to get the crosshairs plumb. Someone suggested a Wheeler Engineering level. Actually it's two. Works slick. Being an engineer I just put it on and damned if my X hairs were out. Soooo, basic engineering101: read the instructions. Tough to find a level spot on my Ruger MkII so I removed the bolt and used the small flat across the safety. Try it, you'll wonder why you didn't use something like it before.

 

[g.willikers]

Before realizing there were commercial products like that, I epoxied a couple of bubbles from an old carpenter's level to small magnets, to serve the same purpose.
Very handy, indeed.
Another way to align a scope is with a vertical plumb line.
Put the center of the muzzle up against the plumb line and then by looking through the scope, adjust the scope and cross hairs according to the plumb line.
It will also tell if the scope and mounts are on straight.
Low tech, but it works.

 

[cw308]

I have the Wheeler levels, they work fine , but my problem was my scope has a slightly canted retical. I leveled the rifle, used a plumb line to level the cross haires. 50% of the time using the level system it's a scope problem. Long distance a canted retical is a problem. If it doesn't track properly by running a line target top to bottom 36" shoot at the center adjust the scope to the higher & lower settings and see if your POI shifts left to right, if it does send the scope back to correct the canted retical problem. Hope I helped Chris