How best to level your crosshairs?

[FergusonTO35]

I've been shooting my scoped rifles alot lately in preparation for our deer rifle season next month. I'm having a heckuva time getting my crosshairs level. Everytime I get them adjusted to where they seem level I will, in time, notice that they seem to be just a little bit off, which drives me nuts. The rifles shoot just fine, better than my meager abilities can hold, I just hate looking through the scope and noticing that the cross hairs are tilted a bit. I shoot right handed and am right eye dominant. I don't have any tools or techniques for levelling the crosshairs other than just putting the rifle on a rest and trying to get them as visually straight as I can. Any suggestions here? The scopes in question are a Swift 1.5-4.5x20 mounted with Burris bases and rings on a Marlin 336 and a Burris Fullfield II 3-9x40 mounted with Leupold bases and rings on a Howa 1500.

[Love Life]

Line levels, a plumb bob, and even feeler gauges can be used.

The line levels can be had cheaply at lowes (sure beats the ones that come in "Kits"). Get a couple.

The plumb bob is for vertical alignment. Cheap, and works.

[Tenbender]

Trial & error ! Those leveling devices such as wheeler, are no better to me, than my eye.
My personal observation before someone gets there shorts in a wad.

[Omega]

I use the Level-Level-Level System for the price you can't beat it. The only issue sometimes is finding a flat spot for the magnets to attach to, specially on the ARs, but I have found good spots on all my rifles so far.

[Omega]

Trial & error ! Those leveling devices such as wheeler, are no better to me, than my eye.
My personal observation before someone gets there shorts in a wad.

No issue there, I did that for quite sometime before getting the Level-Level-Level, and dropped many a deer using that method. The only issue I had was that if the crosshairs were canted, even slightly the turrets would not correlate accurately to where I wanted the next shot group to go when sighting in the scope. So it would take a few extra rounds to zero, and in the field you could not, again accurately, do any turret changes for longer shots. I don't do anything over 100 to 200 yard shots anyway and Kentucky windage works well for me so I could easily do it that way again.

[Larry Gibson]

What you want is the vertical crosshair to run inline through the center of the bore. Visual external parts of the gun (flats on receiver, stock, sights, how you hold the rifle, etc.) may give the appearance the crosshairs are not level. Usually it is the horizontal crosshair that seems not level (canted) with the ground.

Many times it's how we shoulder the rifle and our stock weld that cause a slight canting. Used to be shooters were trained for a proper stock weld to shoulder the rifle with the eyes close so the rifle fit comfortably. With some shooting techniques that is correct. However, with precision long range shooting using a scoped rifle it is not. For precision LR shooting the crosshairs must be aligned with the bore and kept level. most often "level is learned form repetitious shooting or from bubble levels on the rifle or scope. You adjust your stock weld and position to "fit" the level rifle. That is easily corrected by changing the stock weld and position changes practicing such until they become automatic. In rare instances the barreled action is not in correct alignment with the stock and the bedding needs correcting.

I have used all sorts of gadgets over the years to level scopes and I keep going back to simply visually aligning the vertical crosshair so if extended it would run through the center of the bore. Usually the scope is in the rings with a little tension on the scope just loose enough to turn but yet won't slide around on it's own. The eye relief should be adjusted properly before leveling the crosshairs. With the rifle held securely in a vise or cradle and the scope power at its lowest put you head at the butt of the rifle and look at the vertical crosshair. You should be able to visually extend the line of the vertical crosshair straight down through the center of the bore. It's best if the bolt can be removed so you can actually look down through the bore when doing this. However, visually extending the line of the vertical crosshair down through the center of the striker or firing pin many times works quite well. If the visually extended line of the vertical crosshair does not run through the center of the bore, striker, firing pin then rotate the scope in the rings until it does being careful not to move the scope fore or aft ruining the eye relief adjustment. Once the vertical crosshair appears to run through the center of the bore look away a couple three times and then look again. If you are satisfied they are in alignment then tighten the scope ring screws and then check the alignment again as sometimes tightening the screws can rotate the scope in the rings undoing what you have done.

Note; if using the older Weaver Tip Off rings the scope will rotate when the screws are tightened. You have to visually cant the crosshairs a small amount to off set for that before tightening the ring screws. How much is quite variable. Correct vertical alignment of the vertical crosshair can only be done with each scope and rings through trial and error. It can be done but takes a bit more to do.

With the reticle then adjusted to the bore correctly it is up to you to actually "level" the rifle by adjusting the stock weld and position before shooting.

Larry Gibson

[Jim_P]

What may be tweeking your crosshairs off a bit is in tightening your scope ring screws. Tighten them 1/4 turn and alternate left to right (for two screws) or X pattern (four screws) and alternate front and back rings. Also, check your manufacturer recommendation on how tight the rings should be. Many specify 18 in. oz. of torque.

[Artful]

Ah, a favorite trial in life, You get everything all nice and working well at 100 yards, even works pretty well at 300 yards - you move out to 1000 yards and now you can't get a center hit on the bullseye if your life depended on it.

All the good advice above works - I will put emphasis on a few things.

1) put a level on your scope and use it.



2) When you use the plumb bob, I first put a level across my scope mount base and
set my rifle to level with it, never assume your table and bipod is level,
then mount the scope and set it level with the plumb bob.
Then recheck my rifles still level. That's why it's nice to have a level that mounts to bases.
But you can use a cheap bubble level that just sets on the base.


3) Level your Targets at the range when you put them up. You can use a bubble level.

Or if you have a smart phone with a straight case you can use an app.

[farmerjim]

I have always put the gun on my shoulder as I naturally hold it and sight on a known perfectly vertical flagpole or other object. then adjust the vertical crosshair to it. This has worked for me all my 60 years of shooting.
Is it a correct way to do it? If not let me know, it has always worked fine for me.

[DougGuy]

I use a torpedo level if I need to break out tooling to install a scope. I can get it pretty dang close with just eyes, but most dovetails and scope mounts are pretty square to the gun so put the bottom half of the scope mount on the rifle and set the torpedo level across that to check to see if the rifle is level first. Once you are sure the firearm is level, then you can put the scope on and the top half of the rings, and use the level across one of the turrets to check it with. As mentioned earlier, walking the screws down will pull the scope out of level so you can hold the torpedo level steady and cross tighten the screws. You can watch the bubble walk back and forth while tightening the screws so it is important what order you tighten them.

If you throw the rifle up to the shoulder and have to fight it to level the crosshairs, something isn't right. When it is all said and done, it ought to level right out the instant you start getting the sight picture, it should naturally come up to the eye already level.

[Artful]

I have always put the gun on my shoulder as I naturally hold it and sight on a known perfectly vertical flagpole or other object. then adjust the vertical crosshair to it. This has worked for me all my 60 years of shooting.
Is it a correct way to do it? If not let me know, it has always worked fine for me.

Out of curiosity - what the furthest distance (measured) that you shoot at?

[country gent]

I level the rifle in a cradle or cleaning vise. the use a plumb bob or line level a short distance away. This works for me and is very close. A gunsmith friend glued a weaver scope block to the top of his bore sighter rifle leveled and bore sighter leveled then the grid could be used to square crosshairs quick and easy. You want the rifle in a cradle or cleaning vise leveled ( like bore sighting you dont want to do anything more than look thru the scope exerting as little force on rifle as possible). This allowis it to be adjusted to match crosshair and line to see its trueness. I dont sight on the string but the cross hair along side it as this shows the misalighnment better ( IE: touching at bottom and line of white at top is exactly how much your off). and some duplex reticles may cover a fine tight string.

[HABCAN]

What Larry G. said in post #6. Jim P's note in #7 is also valid.
With your head back behind the buttplate you should still be able to visually align the vertical crosshair to 'extend' down through the bore centerline. And yes, I shoot to a measured 1000+ yards, sometimes more.

[Doc Highwall]

What I use is a level that attaches to the base like Artful shows a picture of in post #8, or a magnetic one to level the rifle. Then I attach the barrel level that Wheeler Engineering makes and level it with the one that is attached to the mounting base.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/189...ProductFinding

Now I can remove the level that is attached to the mounting base to make room for the scope ( I like low mounted scopes so there is no room for the level that is attached to the base) I then set the scope where it needs to be for eye relief and turn the scope in the slightly loosened scope rings, and either use a known object that is level like a porch railing, or use a level that I place on top of the elevation knob and when both levels are in agreement, I use a cross screw tightening method to secure the scope. Everything is torqued using a Wheeler Engineering FAT wrench.

[W.R.Buchanan]

What you want is the vertical crosshair to run inline through the center of the bore. Visual external parts of the gun (flats on receiver, stock, sights, how you hold the rifle, etc.) may give the appearance the crosshairs are not level. Usually it is the horizontal crosshair that seems not level (canted) with the ground.
Larry Gibson

Larry beat me to it.

Hold the rifle in a vise or block it up so you can back off and look thru the barrel and the scope at the same time. It is pretty easy to see when the vertical crosshair in lined up with the center of the bore.

Obviously this doesn't work if the mount is offset or doesn't place the scope directly above the centerline of the bore, but in most cases it does work.

It 's also good to get a second opinion as lots of times you eyes are not plumb!

Randy

[Doc Highwall]

I also use this tool to make sure the scope is over the bore especially with windage adjustable mounts like the Redfield turn in type.

[NavyVet1959]

SOLUTION #1:
Level the gun in a mount. Point it towards the horizon of the ocean. Adjust the scope until the horizontal line of the crosshairs coincides with the horizon.

No nearby ocean? Time for a road trip.

SOLUTION #2:
Take gun to 38.898756N 077.036507W. Level the firearm and point it directly south and align vertical line of crosshairs on the long chain holding up the light fixture. It acts as a plumb bob in this case. Someone will be along presently to attend to your needs.

[FergusonTO35]

Wow, real wealth of advice and experience here. Today after work I laid the rifle in my bench rest and got the action as level as I could. Then I levelled the cross hairs with the vertical edge of a wall in my garage. I tightened the ring screws to 20 inch pounds as Leupold instructs. Oddly this amount of torque still bends the ends of the rings in towards each other some. The crosshairs now seem to be quite level, at least as much as my eyes can tell.

One thing I noticed that I hadn't before: I use windage adjustable rings and the bottom of the vertical crosshair appears to be off the center of the action but still standing straight up and down. My rings aren't pushed too much to one side or another but I do see it on both rifles.

Navy Vet, thanks for the tips! Do you think the Kentucky River would work as well as the ocean? That's the best we got 'round here. Will try the other idea and report back.

[duckey]

Check out my photo album and see how I leveled my scope. I used little bubble levels that were originally key chains from Ace hardware. First level the gun then level the scope. Look at my pics. Super easy. Take your time and torque your scope ring screws to 15 ft lbs as a rule of thumb

[kfarm]

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