Leveling a Scope

[TimP]

When I originally mounted my scope I leveled my rifle with a picatinny mounted US Optics level and then leveled the scope to the rifle by placing a small level on top of the turret.

After reading a post about the EXD reticle leveling tool I decided to purchase one and check my initial attempt at leveling my scope.

When you look at photo1 the EXD level is dead on but not so with the US Optics level in photo2.

When you look at photo3 I have leveled the rifle to the US Optics level and in photo4 the EXD level is no longer centered.

Checking the reticle against a plumb bob with the US Optics level leveled it is parallel to the plumb bob line. When I level the rifle to the EXD level there is a slight cant between the reticle and the plumb bob line.

I am a little confused why I don't get equal readings from the two levels and which one is correct. Your thoughts are appreciated.

 

[CatShooter]

When I originally mounted my scope I leveled my rifle with a picatinny mounted US Optics level and then leveled the scope to the rifle by placing a small level on top of the turret.

After reading a post about the EXD reticle leveling tool I decided to purchase one and check my initial attempt at leveling my scope.

When you look at photo1 the EXD level is dead on but not so with the US Optics level in photo2.

When you look at photo3 I have leveled the rifle to the US Optics level and in photo4 the EXD level is no longer centered.

Checking the reticle against a plumb bob with the US Optics level leveled it is parallel to the plumb bob line. When I level the rifle to the EXD level there is a slight cant between the reticle and the plumb bob line.

I am a little confused why I don't get equal readings from the two levels and which one is correct. Your thoughts are appreciated.

Either is fine, but not both.

It is important that the windage spindle face be in line with gravity when the bubble (either one), is between the lines. This is not done by putting a second level on top of the turret, but by testing the elevation, from bottom to top, against a plumb line.

 

[mikecr]

What matters is elevation adjustment plumb if dialing, or reticle plumb if holding over/off, and neither of those levels will get you there, as the scope often has to be turned for it. Don't go by the turret or base.
This is where 'ScopLevel' provides a better approach.

You can have the difference with your bubbles from a base to action mounting error. But this doesn't hurt accuracy in itself and/or your scope could still be off plumb, even with both your levels in agreement.
In other words, you're chasing your tail.

 

[lal357]

thanks for this post i to use a level on the action then use a plumb bob line but thought about turning the evelevation up and down to see if it varies any

 

[TimP]

CatShooter and mikecr thanks for your replies.

Correct me if I am wrong but if my vertical reticle is parallel to the plumb bob line when my rail mounted US Optics bubble is centered I am good to go. The rifle may or may not be sitting perfectly level but the bubble being centered is my reference point for my vertical reticle being true.

As the scope sits right now with the US Optics bubble centered the windage is plumb with the plumb bob line. I am going to run the elevation adjustment through its range to make sure it stays consistent.

 

[Lapua40X]

I was initially confused about the practice of "leveling" the scope so that it matched the level attitude of the rifle's action because it didn't make sense. If my objective was to avoid canting the rifle, why did I care if it was level? It seemed to me that "plumb" should be where I focused my attention.
I believe that using something like the Wheeler scope level set to rough in the scope/rifle alignment is the place to start. From that point on just level the rifle's action and concentrate on aligning the vertical cross hair with a plumb line. Once the rifle action is level and the scope vertical line in the reticle is plumb you can be confident that the scope is installed accurately. To maintain proper vertical, installing and aligning a anti-cant ring to the scope's tube so that, regardless of the angle of the horizontal reticle cross hair, with the bubble centered the rifle is not canted under any circumstances.
Different strokes for different folks. 8)

 

[VaniB]

Pardon gentleman, at first I was hesitant to say anything, but now I wonder if there is anybody else out there who is reading this thread and wondering; can one sucessfully shoot very tight groups out of his rifle and win competitions without doing nearly this much fussing?? I'm not ridiculing your system. I'm just honestly intrigued with the amount of detail described here, and was wondering if my process is too simple and shouldn't work. (?)

I adjust my Hart Rest to sit level on my work bench by adjusting each of the 3 leg pads..... like I do at the range. Then I simply rest my rifle in the Sinclair cradle comfortably and naturally making sure it is sitting level...... like I do at the range. Then I simply rest a torpedo level on the elevation turret cap of the scope with the reticule line being perfectly horizontal. This usually also happens to agree with the image my eyes and brain see in the scope, that it is level. In the past, I would hang a plum from a ladder, and then align my scope's vertical reticule line to the straight plum line. But now, after doing the torpedo level thing on the horizontal turret cap, I simply aim the rifle (without the bolt) at the neighbor's door frame at about 100 yards away to confirm that the vertical reticule lines up perfectly with that too. But, if the horizontal reticule is already level, so too will be the vertical reticule line.

 

[mikecr]

can one sucessfully shoot very tight groups out of his rifle and win competitions without doing nearly this much fussing??

Maybe. But for the shooting world beyond ideal and preconditioned, hitting what you're aiming at can be a considerable challenge.

I know level, while shooting off a bipod, is a serious factor in hilly PA.
Here, when you don't mind level, you don't kill groundhogs well.