Rifle Scope Installation and Leveling

[Brians356]

Thats adjustable parallels. Very easy to use

I'd like to see pics of what you're referring to.
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[6MMsteve]

 

[Iowa Fox]

Anybody use orange baler twine hanging from a ladder with a weight at 100 to see if the reticle tracks up and down on the line?

 

[Jager]

Tripod fully extended, out on the deck. Rifle mounted in an RRS VYCE mount, that attached to an Arca-Swiss mount that has levels for both left-right and forward-back dimensions. Snug down the rifle. Level the mount. Riflescope in loosened rings.

You can drop a plumb line if you need, to make sure the rifle stock is purely vertical. I find that unnecessary with a rifle five feet off the ground and being able to back up several feet to eyeball it.

Behind the rifle, gently twist the scope body, not touching anything else, until the reticle is square, vertically and horizontally, against some distant target. Verify that the vertical crosshair bisects the center of the rifle's receiver. Tighten the ring screws with the conventional cross-hatch pattern. Remove rifle from tripod, bring back inside, place in tabletop level cradle, and torque each ring screw to the exact spec.

That's for hunting guns. For benchrest guns with wide, flat forearms, I level the scope with the rifle in the rest it will actually shoot from.

 

[JFrank]

Larry Willis makes a magnetized level used in conjunction with a level line on a target corrects the cross hair.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

I'd like to see pics of what you're referring to.
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[Brians356]

McMaster-Carr

McMaster-Carr is the complete source for your plant with over 595,000 products. 98% of products ordered ship from stock and deliver same or next day.

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I've had so many uses for this over the decades, had I known.
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[Dusty Stevens]

I've had so many uses for this over the decades, had I known.
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Man i know how that goes!!

 

[markT]

 

[Acyr]

I just stick my 6" caliper body in between the scope and rail, set it square on the pic rail then twist it up to touch the flat bottom of the scope. Rotate the scope till it is flush against the caliper body edge.

 

[Brians356]

I just stick my 6" caliper body in between the scope and rail, set it square on the pic rail then twist it up to touch the flat bottom of the scope. Rotate the scope till it is flush against the caliper body edge.

But that (or the commercial devices) only square the bottom of the scope to the rail. (Exercise for the reader.)
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[Acyr]

But that (or the commercial devices) only square the bottom of the scope to the rail. (Exercise for the reader.)
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Yes, that is correct.
If I want to check if my reticle is level and do a tall target test at the same time, I will put this plumb bob set up on the target frame at 100 yards. Then correct it if I have to.

 

[ROBARRC50]

Plumb bob or level and a sharpie on target at distance. I am only interested in scope reticle plumb i dont plumb to rifle as my rifles sit in my shoulder canted for a natural repeatable hold and feel. If i level scope to action i would be canting rifle and reticle tremendously for a natural hold. And all sorts of bad things get induced at distance that way. If your shooting from a rest bench setup on a square range by all means level scope to action and level rest.

 

[Brians356]

If your shooting from a rest bench setup on a square range by all means level scope to action and level rest.

All ranges are square if you level the targets on the backing board.
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[ROBARRC50]

All ranges are square if you level the targets on the backing board.
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Some ranges in the field there is no luxury of leveling a target... to see if your reticle is level. Sometimes there is no horizon to judge off either. The reason why i level scope to my natural hold. square range to me is public shooting ranges or private clubs with benches and target stands

 

[J. Gunz]

I just take it off and use the final scope level by short action customs. Throw that in a tripod, level it all up install the rings and scope. Prior to making everything snug I do plumb level at 100 yards. Snug it all up and throw it in the rifle.

 

[Murray Brook]

Use a Bushnell type bore sighter with the reticle grid . Regardless if your rifle is level or not there is only one spot that the reticle in your bore sighter ( assuming that the grid in your bore sighter is square ) and reticle in your scope can intersect. JMO

 

[Brians356]

Use a Bushnell type bore sighter with the reticle grid . Regardless if your rifle is level or not there is only one spot that the reticle in your bore sighter ( assuming that the grid in your bore sighter is square ) and reticle in your scope can intersect. JMO

There always an "assuming" somewhere. And that's why matches are scored.
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[Murray Brook]

There always an "assuming" somewhere. And that's why matches are scored.
'

Something like scale check weights, you have to "assume" that they are correct if you want to tune your scale.

 

[6MMsteve]

Something like scale check weights, you have to "assume" that they are correct if you want to tune your scale.

I use a bullet 140 smk to make sure my scale is close or where it needs to be, down the rabbit cave