Which scope level is best?

T

tpcollins

New member
I've been looking at scope levels and I see two basic configurations. One has the level sitting right above the scope tube and you would lift your head slightly to view it and then go back to looking thru the scope.

The other comes off to the side and I assume you could see it by opening your closed eye to pick it up and not lose sight of the target. I assume the one off to the side is more preferable? Thanks.
 
Pick one, both are very fragile.

I suggested decades ago to several top scope makers to put a small spirit level inside the scope at the bottom of and behind the reticle cell so it could be seen and centered on the vertical reticle at its bottom. Even submitted a simple drawing showing its design.

Search the 'net for "internal scope level" and see what's out there.
 
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Interesting idea, I guess, but based on results at the bench or in the field I've seen no particular need.

I took a carpenter's level and drew a long black line across the backing of the target. Never really solved any apparent problem, though. Call it "insurance", maybe.
 
Not a problem in the future…

I believe there’s already a ‘leveling’ app for the current iPhone.

Your iPhone 17 will mount on the picatinny rails of your rifle and provide you with a heads-up sight picture in your Google Glasses that will not only do leveling but will also range your target, compute bullet drop, consider ambient temperature, dope the wind direction and for the really long shot, figure in the Coriolis effect of the earth’s rotation.

For wanna be hit-persons facial recognition will insure you get the right person and for hunters it will insure what your shooting is in season and that your hunting license is up to date to take it.

If there’s been a lapse in your hunting license the app will of course contact the local DNR, update your license and bill your credit card before it takes the shot.

It will also compute the size and weight of your prey and notify Boone and Crockett if appropriate.
 
A 1 mph crosswind and 10 yard range guessing error makes bullets miss distant targets much more than coriolis or spin drift does.
 
BWM, In WWII the US Navy did have both spin and coriolis drift cams in their battleship's main battery mechanical computers (called rangekeepers) that corrected gun orders for that. Read about such things in:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armament_of_the_Iowa-class_battleship

in the section that reads:

Also, before the surface action started, the fire control technicians made manual inputs for the average initial velocity of the projectiles fired out of the battery's gun barrels, and air density. With all this information, the Rangekeeper calculated the relative motion between the ship and the target. It then could calculate an offset angle and change of range between the target's present position (LOS) and future position at the end of the projectile's time of flight. To this bearing and range offset, it added corrections for gravity, wind, Magnus Effect of the spinning projectile, earth's curvature, and coriolis effect. The result was the turret's bearing and elevation orders.
Click to expand...

I had to know about that stuff on the main battery computers I operated and maintained while in the USN.
 
I have one and like it. US Optics will put one in a scope for you. So, I'm thinking it is not a gimmic. Now, I wouldn't put one on a 600 yd rifle.

Mine seems quite durable. It is pretty well covered by aluminum. A direct hit would break it easily.
 
Not a problem in the future…

I believe there’s already a ‘leveling’ app for the current iPhone.

Your iPhone 17 will mount on the picatinny rails of your rifle and provide you with a heads-up sight picture in your Google Glasses that will not only do leveling but will also range your target, compute bullet drop, consider ambient temperature, dope the wind direction and for the really long shot, figure in the Coriolis effect of the earth’s rotation.

For wanna be hit-persons facial recognition will insure you get the right person and for hunters it will insure what your shooting is in season and that your hunting license is up to date to take it.

If there’s been a lapse in your hunting license the app will of course contact the local DNR, update your license and bill your credit card before it takes the shot.

It will also compute the size and weight of your prey and notify Boone and Crockett if appropriate.
Click to expand...

That's classic!

I have a Vortex and a Wheeler anti cant's and they work as advertised, no complaints about either. I went with them (both come off the left side of the scope) because to me it is easier to open my off eye to ensure the rifle is level rather than picking my head up off the stock.
 
It,s a fact that rifle cant can change POI at long distances. Both my 338Lapua's have the level ring on the scope which is easy to glance at to take that variable out of the shot.
 
A one degree cant of a .308 Win shooting 180-gr. SBT's will move bullet impact sideways from point of aim about:

.04 inch at 100 yards.

.5 inch at 300 yards.

1.5 inches at 500 yards.

7.9 inches at 1000 yards.

Vertical drop difference is insignificant; at 1000, it's about .07" low.

Formula's sine of the cant angle multiplied by bullet drop in inches at target range.
 
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I can concure what Bart just said. Last year I remounted my scope after Putting a new barrel on my rifle. My issue was I did not have the scope perfect with the bore. It was just a smidgen to the left. I would zero at 300 and then when I went out to 1000 yards I found my bullet pulling way to the side. As it turns out a scope level will only help you if your scope is mounted perfect to the bore. All things must work together. After remounting the scope and making sure it was level, everything was good to go. The margin of error grows as the distance increases.
 
4runnerman, if the scope's mounted 1/10th inch off the vertical axis of the barrel, as long as its reticle is plum and parallel with that axis, your miss error will be 1/10th inch from the muzzle to infinity.

The scope doesn't have to be straight up from the bore axis. Some right hand people with left dominant eye have mounted scopes 2 to 3 inches to the left with offset bases. Their windage zero changes from 2 or 3 MOA to the left at 100 yards down to .25 or .30 MOA to the left at 1000 yards. I've watched match winners at Perry and other places use them. Others offset the front and rear sight the same way for metallic sight matches. Al long as the sight's elevation adjustment axis is parallel with the bullet's trajectory vertical axis, all's well.
 
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Bart not sure what you mean. I know if the scope is not mounted square with the rifle, bore,what ever. If you dial up, you are actually dialing up and to the side at the same time. I have had the furtune of sighting in Peoples Deer rifles ever year now for the last 3 years ( getting to be more every year as my name gets out there). Roughly 23 of them last year alone. My first job before I even Fire a round is to make sure scope is mounted correct. I have ran into a few people that do intenionallly cant their rifles when the hunt. I can not help those people. As a Joke here- I had one guy ask me- What if I don't look through the scope the same way you do. Joke here- I told him- Then your not looking through the scope correct. For the most part these people don''t really care to waste the time at the range, and for me it is nothing short of a blast- I get to shoot all kinds of rifles,calibers and such for free. I do not charge to do it, since I just love shooting. But back to the issue at hand- If your rifle is straight up and down and your scope is not, Making adjustments on the turret is useless. Hold over is all they have.
 
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BWM, In WWII the US Navy did have both spin and coriolis drift cams in their battleship's main battery mechanical computers (called rangekeepers) that corrected gun orders for that. Read about such things in:
Click to expand...

I find the old mechanical computers fascinating. Pretty cool old Navy training video on the subject, for those who want to learn more.

https://youtu.be/s1i-dnAH9Y4
 
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