Scope level

[George Tucker]

Whats the best tool for leveling crosshairs in scopes on Rifles?. thanks, George.

[pietro]

I've long used just my eye(s).

1) Install the scope & set the eye relief via repeated shoulderings with the eyes closed, only opening them after the rifle's in place (so you won't move your head to accommodate the scope position instead of the opposite).

2) Roughly plumb the reticle with the ring screw only marginally tightened via visually pointing the elevation turret as straight "up" as you can.

3) Place the muzzle on a white surface, like a large towel, for background when viewing the reticle, and view the reticle from the top of the buttplate (hold/stand behind the tipped rifle that's resting on it's muzzle).
You should be able to determine if an extension of the C/L of vertical crosshair/post will intersect the center of the bore (firing pin or back end of bolt will do just fine)

4) Twist scope slightly until the C/L of the vertical CH hits the bore C/L & fully tighten the ring screws.

Repeat #4 as needed until the reticle's plumbed.



.

[tomme boy]

If using a one piece base like I do on most rifles, I use a set of feeler gauges. If the scope has a flat on the bottom.

1) Mount the scope in the rings, but leave them a little loose for adjustment.

2) You will need a couple sets of feeler gauges. Take these and insert them between the flat spot on the bottom of the scope and the scope base. If you still have space that needs to be taken up, use the other feeler gauges to take up all of the space. This will make the cross hairs exactly center. Tighten down the scope ring caps.

Now, if the cross hairs are not level with this method. The cross hairs are not installed right to begin with. You would not believe how many are not level. Deal with it, or send it back to the manufacturer to have replaced. You want the crosshairs to be perfectly level so it will track right.

[deltaenterprizes]

I put the rifle in a rest I made and in the shop point the rifle,with bolt removed at the house and use the mortar in the bricks like graph paper to line up the reticle.
Also a couple line levels from Harbor Freight work, one on the scope base to get the rifle level and one on the top cap to get the scope level.Cheap version of Midway's level level idea, the line levels are $1 each.

[George Tucker]

Thanks everyone, The Win and the Mauser has a flat base, the Rem Receivers are round, thanks for the help, George.

[rcbarry]

Hang a piece of string with a plum bob. put your rifle in a lead sled type of device and view the string thru the scope. Turn the scope to line it up with the string then tighten the scope down.

[Kull]

I use a regular small bubble level and also have a magnetic angle gauge that comes in handy.

[tomme boy]

The string works so so. You first have to get the rifle level. If you want it perfectly level, the feeler gauge is the way to go if your using a flat one piece base.

[Doc Highwall]

As tomme boy said you have to level the rifle first then level the scope to a string with a weight or to something that you know is level. I could hold the rifle at a 45 deg. angle and rotate the scope to be square to a known level object, and the cross hairs will always be level as long as I hold the rifle at a 45 deg. angle.

Level the rifle first, then level the scope to a known level/square object using the horizontal or vertical cross hair.

[deltaenterprizes]

Hang a piece of string with a plum bob. put your rifle in a lead sled type of device and view the string thru the scope. Turn the scope to line it up with the string then tighten the scope down.

I like that , simple

[lovedogs]

For the last 10 yrs. or so I've used a Vertical Reticle Tool (VR-001) I purchased from Neco/Nostalgia Enterprises. Don't know if their web address is the same but it used to be neconos.com. It uses two inverted sliding aluminum V's. One sits on top of barrel, the other on the objective lens housing. It has a level on one of the V's. You can either hang a string or draw a line on paper and hang it to have a reference to what is vertical or level. It works better than anything I've seen before. It's not cheap but works great. I got mine for about $35. Many receivers aren't level and what I like about this unit is that it lines up with the barrel/bore, which is what you want. A receiver that isn't level or a scope turret that isn't correct will mess you up. But if you level the crosshair with the center of the bore you can't go wrong.

[waksupi]

Mount the scope on the gun. Hold the rifle at arms length, so the image is blurred in the image lens. Adjust the cross hair level until it is justified to the rifle. This is about as accurate as you can get. I don't know why, but it works well.

[Doc Highwall]

Lovedogs, I have the same tool and I have had it for so long, that I do not remember where I bought it and with no name on it to help me know who made it.

[FLHTC]

You need to make sure the rifle is sitting right. Place the plumb line on the heel of the stock and make sure the rifle is sitting verticle. Place a line level on the scope cap and you got it. Now sight through the scope and match the verticle hair in the scope to the edge of a wall on a brick building. They are always plumb.