Tips for Leveling Your Scope

[JW@TRACT]

Hey everyone, we just wanted to share our tips for leveling your rifle scope. Most of you guys may already know how to do this with your eyes closed. But if we can help someone out here then it's a success! For us, once the scope is mounted, it starts with eye relief - close your eyes, shoulder the rifle, open your eyes and check the eye relief. Slide the scope up or back to dial it in. Next, we'll use a reticle level to ensure the horizontal reticle is perpendicular to the muzzle of the rifle. (This is a critical step. If your horizontal reticle isn’t perpendicular, your calculated drop can be drastically altered, and yet again your zero will not be consistent over distance.) A reticle leveling card works well for this. Be sure to level the rifle with sandbags or a gun vice. Then slide the card under the rifle scope. Look through the rifle with the cards in your peripheral vision. Rotate the scope until the horizontal level is perpendicular with the stripes. Be sure to take your time and tighten screws little by little and evenly until they reach 18 inch-lbs of torque. If you guys have any other tips, please let us know!

 

[Runwilderness]

Reticle leveling card? Can you point me in the right direction?

 

[Jimbee]

I use a UM level on the dovetail of my Tikkas and then look through the scope at a plumb bob or the horizontal (level) lines of my garage door. Once everything is level/plumb and tight I install a level on my scope tube and remove the rail level.

 

[SDHNTR]

Use a plumb bob and use more than 18 in lbs of torque.

 

[gretch6364]

Scope manufacturers seem to all say 15 to 18

 

[Axlrod]

Scope manufacturers seem to all say 15 to 18

I use 25. If it hurts the scope find a different manufacturer.

 

[ljalberta]

In general, how drastic is the dope going to be off at 600 or 1000 yards if you’re reticle is canted off the bore a couple degrees?

 

[SDHNTR]

Scope manufacturers seem to all say 15 to 18

Chitty scope manufacturers.

 

[Macintosh]

In general, how drastic is the dope going to be off at 600 or 1000 yards if you’re reticle is canted off the bore a couple degrees?

This article has some info in it that was questioned or debunked here (regarding a high scope increasing cant error), but I believe the info regarding error caused by rifle cant applies. What Im not clear on and could not find info on was the error if rife and acope are plumb, and only the reticle is canted.

You are being redirected...

This article suggests it isnt a big deal dialing, but is using the reticle.

An Official Journal Of The NRA | Rifle, Scope & Reticle Cant

Cant? You can, if you try.

www.shootingillustrated.com

 

[gretch6364]

Chitty scope manufacturers.

ok

 

[JohnJohnson]

In general, how drastic is the dope going to be off at 600 or 1000 yards if you’re reticle is canted off the bore a couple degrees?

Someone made a table in a reply to this thread.

fact or fiction: higher scope height increases cant error (and how much)

I am sure this has been discussed, but seems to have some myth surrounding it, so figured I'd start a new thread to ask specifically. I can find a number of articles on the topic of cant, but few that quantify the error including scope height as a variable. rifle cant causes error at long...

rokslide.com

Personally I just throw an MDT Send-It electronic level onto the rail to make sure the rifle stays level, then level the reticle to a plumb line.

 

[Weldor]

I use the Real avid scope leveling kit. Works great and I spend less time fighting the rings when torqueing them down.

 

[JAC8504]

18 inch lbs no matter the manufacturer...

 

[huntsman22]

Ha ha......18 won't cut it with ARC rings. But it's only obvious you don't have any.

 

[JAC8504]

Ha ha......18 won't cut it with ARC rings. But it's only obvious you don't have any.

ahhh you're one of those. internet flex.

PS...there was no mention at all of ARC rings until you. It's obvious you don't read the thread. Everyone assumes a traditional clamp style unless the thread mentions a 1% chance it's a ARC style in which, someone will mention it.

 

[Darryle]

Went about like I expected

 

[Mike D Texas]

I use on of the Spuhr leveling wedge kits to square with the rifle.

Then I make sure the rifle is level and install my scope level. I’ve become a fan of the Spuhr mounts and rings with their bolt on level.

It would probably be easier to use a rail mounted level but I haven’t found one I can see without breaking my shooting position. I need it to be high and left (right handed shooter)to be able to see it “inside” my scope with both eyes open.


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[BLJ]

Went about like I expected

My thoughts exactly.

 

[wind gypsy]

In general, how drastic is the dope going to be off at 600 or 1000 yards if you’re reticle is canted off the bore a couple degrees?

I stole the below attachment from snipers hide. If the scope is canted to the bore 2 degrees and shot with rifle canting 2 degrees but scope plumb to ground, your windage error @ 1000 yards would be 0.628" OR 19% of a single 0.1 mil click. Now if you have your scope perfectly plumb to the bore but you hold it canted 2 degrees and have a very flat shooting rifle that only needs 6 mils elevation at 1000 yards, you've got 0.21 mils error or 11x as much error as from the scope not mounted plumb.

 

[RS3579]

Thanks for all this information!