Xtreme Hardcore Gear’s “Tru Level” Picatinny Rail
By Justin Crossley, Rokslide Assistant Editor
With a quick online search, you will find quite a few companies making picatinny scope mount rails these days. Most are machined to very tight tolerances and many offer options like steel or aluminum, and different angles such as 0 or 20 MOA. Xtreme Hardcore Gear offers theirs with a very handy shooting tool integrated into the rail. The “Tru Level” pic rail has a bubble level built into the back end that is easily visible to the shooter while in the shooting position.
Long range shooters have been utilizing different types of levels for years to keep the rifle and scope on a vertical plane. While most shooters can benefit from a level rifle, it is extremely important to the long range shooter. Whether you dial for elevation correction, or use a holdover reticle, a canted rifle will result in a horizontal point of impact shift, or “windage” error. The further out you shoot, the worse the variation will be. And as you increase your range, the need for precision gets exponentially more critical.
Of the different types of levels available, there are a few things to consider. First the level needs to be robust enough to hold true through harsh conditions such as bumps or strikes and heavy recoil. Most shooters also prefer a level that can be seen easily by the shooter without changing head position. Ease of use and setup is also something to think about, and this level is one of the easiest on the market to install. Also, it doesn’t add bulk or weight like most levels that clamp to the scope or the pic rail.
Recently, Xtreme Hardcore Gear released a 20 MOA picatinny scope rail for the Tikka T3 rifle. Since I’m a big fan of Tikka rifles and also use the actions for custom builds, I was very happy to see them offer this option. Everything you need to mount it to your rifle is included in the package including the screws, a Torx allen wrench, and installation instructions with torque requirements.
To install, I simply placed the rail on the action and loosely started all the screws. The machined recoil lug fit perfectly into the round recess on the action and after getting all the screws snugged up, I used a torque screwdriver to torque the four screws per spec.
For this review, I installed the rail on a custom Tikka .300 WM that I recently had built. The scope is a Nightforce SHV 4-14x56mm. In the pictures, the scope is shown with high Leupold rings but I have a set of medium height rings on order from Talley. The medium rings will bring the scope down closer to the barrel while still giving sufficient clearance. With a 50 mm objective, most low height rings would be sufficient when paired with the rail.
The overall fit and finish are exceptional. I found the level sized and positioned perfectly to make it easy to see while in the shooting position. I also liked the overall shape of the rail and the white lettering contrasted nicely with the black rail. The rail is pretty dang light too, at only 2.1 oz on my powder scale. At this time, they are available for some Remington, Winchester, Tikka, Savage, Ruger, and Thomson Center actions. The Tru Level retails for $99.99 each plus shipping. Xtreme Hardcore Gear is located in Idaho and all of their products are made in the USA.
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