Scope mounting to maintain zero

[JohnJohnson]

holding the rifle level while shooting?

Personally I'm interested in hearing responses for both...

I've used Vortex bubble levels on my scopes while shooting for years. They get the job done and don't cost much money which works generally. I found myself spending too much time taking my eye away from the scope to look at the bubble level though so I just got an MDT Send-It electronic level which is done via LED lights so I don't have to look at it. It's also way more sensitive, is way faster than a real level, and doesn't have the sort of errors bubble levels get when shooting up/down at drastic angles. I'll also keep a bubble level on the scope as an emergency backup though.

 

[fwafwow]

Do you mean for installing the scope level to the rifle or do you mean for holding the rifle level while shooting?

Personally I'm interested in hearing responses for both...

UM has items for both.

 

[cowdisciple]

Do you mean for installing the scope level to the rifle or do you mean for holding the rifle level while shooting?

Ideally first one, them the other!

I've used Vortex bubble levels on my scopes while shooting for years. They get the job done and don't cost much money which works generally. I found myself spending too much time taking my eye away from the scope to look at the bubble level though so I just got an MDT Send-It electronic level which is done via LED lights so I don't have to look at it. It's also way more sensitive, is way faster than a real level, and doesn't have the sort of errors bubble levels get when shooting up/down at drastic angles. I'll also keep a bubble level on the scope as an emergency backup though.

Good to know. I'll check this out. Should've ordered them with the Tikka rings.

 

[JohnJohnson]

Good to know. I'll check this out. Should've ordered them with the Tikka rings.

Vortex bubble levels definitely aren't the only game in town though. I think Accuracy 1st and MK Machining bubble levels would probably be nicer if you want something sleeker than the Vortex without going all the way up to the cost of an electronic one. And then there's rail mounted bubble levels too but I've never used any of them.

 

[2-Stix]

Ideally first one, them the other!

Good to know. I'll check this out. Should've ordered them with the Tikka rings.

I just set up another rifle a few nights ago. Here is my process and steps that are cheap and simple to do and get you ready to site it.

1. I use a vice with rubber soft jaws to clamp my rife
2. on the other side of the garage I run a plumb bob sting line with a weight on the bottom making it perfectly tight and plumb
3. I use the wheeler level set and get the action level in the vice left to right, then attached the level on the barrel matching level and remove the level on the action
4. degrees all action, rings, scope and parts with alcohol
5. install the ring bases racked forward in the pic, studs, whatever to spec
6. set the scope where I want it for eye relief and less then snug align the scope to the plum bob line (move the vice for alignment) and make sure the vert line of the reticle aligns with the string line perfectly
7. torque the rings to spec
8. bore site the rifle to the sting line by moving the vice
9. adjust the scope on the windage to the sting line

If you mark the distance from the center of the scope and barrel to can transfer that dimension to the sting line . Make a mark where it is bore sited. Measure up the distance and mark it. This will get you set up for elevation. Obviously you need to go to the range but this gets me typically about 4-6" MOA and on paper at 100 yards.

 

[ehayes]

I’m little confused on the loctite, paint pen, nail polish, whether they are for the same purpose.
When I first read this post/thread I thought the nail polish or paint pen was only being used as an indicator to see if a screw moved, not as a holding agent.
Reading more recents threads on Rokslide, loctite sometimes does not fully cure,
Therefore, paint pen or nail polish is being used in place of loctite for all screws including scope and action screws?
And the brand of nail polish or paint pen really doesnt matter.

Is this correct?

 

[Formidilosus]

Reading more recents threads on Rokslide, loctite sometimes does not fully cure,

The key here is “sometimes” it hasn’t fully cured. Loctite still works most of the time.

Therefore, paint pen or nail polish is being used in place of loctite for all screws including scope and action screws?

Correct.

And the brand of nail polish or paint pen really doesnt matter.

Is this correct?

Correct.

 

[Chris_in_Idaho]

Is the paint pen applied to the fastener's threads like loctite would be, or is it more of a blob under the head?

 

[Formidilosus]

Is the paint pen applied to the fastener's threads like loctite would be, or is it more of a blob under the head?

On the threads.

 

[CJ31]

is there a way to see the photos from the original post? not sure if it is my device but they just show as being a .jpg file and not the actual photo

 

[lelliott8]

is there a way to see the photos from the original post? not sure if it is my device but they just show as being a .jpg file and not the actual photo

Try a different browser or device. Works fine for me.

 

[CJ31]

thanks. Turns out the problem was between the chair and the keyboard. My VPN was blocking the pics

 

[Mountainrancher]

Form I’ve got a dumb question. I tore my rifle down to get the barrel threaded and I’m going to put everything back together with degrease/paint pen now that everything is finally going to stay. My scope is a tenmile in um tikka rings and assuming that I can remount it without having to relevel the scope. Can I take out the ring cap screws one at a time to degrease and thread lock then retorque so I don’t need to re level and set eye relief. Or will this cause weird toque points and cause problems?

 

[Formidilosus]

Form I’ve got a dumb question. I tore my rifle down to get the barrel threaded and I’m going to put everything back together with degrease/paint pen now that everything is finally going to stay. My scope is a tenmile in um tikka rings and assuming that I can remount it without having to relevel the scope. Can I take out the ring cap screws one at a time to degrease and thread lock then retorque so I don’t need to re level and set eye relief. Or will this cause weird toque points and cause problems?

Should be fine.

 

[Mountainrancher]

Should be fine.

That’s what I figured but I didn’t want to pinch a tube or something stupid

 

[atmat]

That’s what I figured but I didn’t want to pinch a tube or something stupid

If you’re worried about it, just don’t go full torque when putting screws back in until you get all 4 in each ring.

 

[DisplacedHusky]

Just get the rings screw not quite snug and set eye reload and align the reticle. Whatever way you do not is fine if it works. I mount a lot of scopes and can eyeball the vertical posts with the butt stock very close.

Then ensuring that the scope doesn't twist, tighten the ring screws. 18in-lbs is what I generally do. Any less than about 16in-lbs and you sometimes see slippage. The little end of the wrench is good for this.

Once that is complete spin the power ring and parralax knob if it has one and spin the turrets up and down. You're just looking for binding or anything weird. If it's good, you're done.

Now I really don't like things to move. So I go a step further and seal around the screws with a paint pen or nail polish. This is another layer to keep oil out, and allows at a glance to see if a screw has loosened.

Just a dab around the screw heads will do.

Maybe a dumb question but acrylic or oil based paint pens?

 

[Alpha Echo]

Maybe a dumb question but acrylic or oil based paint pens?

Oil based. If you enlarge UM's paint pen image it says oil based.

 

[HighUintas]

I wonder how reliable the oil based paint pen is vs typical cheap nail polish. I'm not sure but I think nail polish is usually acrylic

 

[Alpha Echo]

That's interesting. I had no idea about nail polish! Sure enough a quick Google search indicates that both "solvent" based and water based nail polishes exist. Not sure which one I reclaimed* from my daughter but I'll have to check. I could have used my wife's oil based paint pens, but I felt that the nail polish brush gave me more control. I guess we'll see if the screws back out based on the bright red nail polish witness marks.

@Formidilosus maybe you can chime in on whether the type of nail polish (solvent vs water based) matters? I'm really hoping you say it doesn't, because I don't feel like stripping down my scope and degreasing it again.

*she said she didn't want that color anymore, FWIW, I say reclaimed simply because she's a tween, meaning I technically paid for it