Which scope level is best?

emcon5, thanks for the link to that old training film. I watched it when in the USN Fire Control School in San Diego, CA, back in 1956. And to see those fire controlmen around those computers operating it brought many memories of what I did in main battery plot on two old WWII destroyers from early 1957 to early 1960. I also operated the stable element that put ship roll and pitch values into the computer to correct gun orders as well as close their firing keys (Navy jargon for 'pull the trigger') that fired the 5" gun battery.

4runnerman, what I mean is the sight's elevation axis moves parallel to the barrel's elevation axis to compensate for bullet drop. From zero to some distant yardage, the bore has to elevate up to some angle to compensate for bullet drop. It's important that the sight's elevation axis is parallel to it. If the sight is 1/3 inch to the side from the bore's vertical up-down axix but parallel to it, there'll be no more than 1/3 inch parallax difference between them at any range.

If the sight was 1/3 inch to the left of the bore but zeroed to print groups 1/3 inch to the right of the aiming point, when a 1000 yard zero was put on the sight, that long range group would center 1/3 inch to the right of the aiming point.

If you have a 1000-yard long 1x8 standing on edge, it's right side (bore axis) would be 1 inch away from its left side all along its length. One side's the trajectory's vertical plane and the other side (sight axis) is the sight's vertical plane. They're both 1 inch apart at each end.
 
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Back to the OP’s question, I prefer the side mounts. The reason is I don’t need to change my cheek weld to see it, also I shot with both eyes open so I simply change focus to my non-dominate eye to verify level.
 
I attached my scope with a digital beeper level as I tightened it down I downed it even to keep it level it worked I'm level and plump into 100th of a degree now to find a scope auditory level indicator while I'm shooting !!!
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All possible measurements are reading 0.0 on my level except vertical read 90.0° in relation to everything else it is mounted perfectly took a few hours but the 20 MOA rail is also bedded to action for future removal and reinstall it's done!!!!
 
I have found a fix right under the pupil inlet lense on the picatily rail a simple bubble level on the last rail will hold it firm from rolling for and aft and a little adhesive will stop side to side
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just a template but the one eye is all that would need to move to check left side
 
I was going to mount onto this plate but it isn't universal
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and the plate is further away I've decided to mount Mt spotting scope on the plate instead of a bibod
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How did you level the barreled action before you leveled the scope on it?

How did you ensure the adjustment axes paralleled the reticle wires? Some scope's reticle mounts are a little crooked relative to the W & E adjustment flats. When checking how well the reticle tracks its actual movement plane, its center may be a bit off in one direction at one limit and the other direction at the other limit.
 
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I used my friendly common sense sand a digital level to the hundreds of a degree I leveled my rifle on a level surface using four points of reference but my one pie center 29 moa was a little twisted so I bedded it on my M24 to 0.0 degree on a Le Vel surface I also used ed my up en bottom metal as well as a level spot on my be h.s. persisicion stock witch had level allunimum pillars and bedding wrapped in finger glass Styrofoam and kevlar for strength 900$ from the company skimmed bedded it till it peeked evenly out each side .098 inch using vernier good for .0000 of an inch but I nailed it on the first try! Must be the practice I get working on the 7.5 million dollar trucks in Fort McMurray since I'm a senior Heavy Duty Technician with Catatapillar they trust me to train people on repairing the largest mechanical truck on earth 800 ton loaded big as a four Storie condo rebuilding a 5000 Hp quad turbo V 24 donot phase me I've been doing engines 20 years now!!! So .now my rail is level I install my scop in a general test eye relief I place my level on beep on on the top turret and twist scope till I hear it beep I move it to the side ti be sure it's 90°sure is it beeps double checked stock all beeps put capes on leupold pwr 30mm rings and start each screw carefully drawing cap down evenly listening for beep all the time once rear is down not snug I make sure front is not binding no sitting dead center in high end ring tighten from evenly loosening for beep
 
Recheck all aspects and because I I pushed scope ahead with top rings and rails on bedded top stocks it it dead on I doubled checked sided to side by standing rifle on rear bipod and checked bolt it was level checked eye pieces it's level checked exit reticle it beeped checked crown it beeped 90°checked stock it peeped barrel beeped scope beeped eye piece it beeped so I guess a person doesn't deed all thous fancy tool to put on a scope just c got to think about it eh maybe I can install scopes fore people for a living oh wait then I couldn't afford the scopes I repeated on the 300 win mag with the Bushnell elite 4.5-30X50 did you know 4 of the top twenty F class champs for 2014 used Bushnell 4.5 X 30x50 and I'm picking up a 357 magnum automatic next week and the week after I'm building my 27 gun it's going to be a 260 Remington 700 did you know that 60 % of the F Class winners were using 6 mm Remingtons can't wait!! I'm not even sure if I'm going to fire tge 357 magnum or not I can make 1200 dollars profit if I don't fir it from what I payed to what I can sell it for !!
 
I don't read anything mentioning the adjustments tracked each reticle wire using a visual check. Adjustment flats sometimes don't parallel reticle wires.
 
Oh my I forgot I used a pole a hundred yards away to track up an down and a roof line a hundred yards away to track horizontally did I do good sir?
 
I did I have a 8 32 sheet of plywood to do the tracking but I counted the bricks on the building it good besides would they use them in the F class if they were not?
 
Wow-Jason Thats a lot of work. Will you double check mine:D. Seriously- I just level my rifle using my level and then level my scope to that. Seems to work just fine for me. Never have a issue going from 100 to 1000 yards or more. I run the turret up and down lined up on a straight edge about 100 yards away to make sure and I'm done.
 
Lol I know I'm a but of a perfectionist I didn't want my digital level off by even one hundreds of a degree just in case I do go 2000 yard with it
 
I use only one point, a 1/4" black dot in the middle of a sheet of white letter paper taped to the wall at 40 to 50 feet away from the scope in my basement for both axes. Also have used a sheet of printed paper with a 1 diopter lens on the front of the scope then put the paper 1 meter away. A period on the paper is a good reference point.

Scope's clamped in my home made collimator to check repeatability of the adjustments and mechanically zero the adjustments to a scope's optical axis. Only requires setting up everything once. Then watch one edge of the reference track close to a reticle wire as the adjustment's moved. As long as it stays the same distance from the wire in the entire adjustment range, the adjustment flats are parallel to the reticle wires.
 
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