What do you use to level the reticle?

[Plowboy85]

I've never done it either
Can somebody explain how please

I may be wrong but the way I interpreted it is when you shine a light in the objective side of the scope the reticle will shadow on the wall and you will use that to line up to the plumb bob. I would add an additional step to set an external level on my scope and true it up at that point as well.

 

[fiftybmg]

I've never done it either
Can somebody explain how please

it's explained here, as posted previously in this thread : https://ysterhout.net/index.php/Fix-Scope-Cant

This method makes sure that the center of the bore and the center of the reticle are in the same vertical plane, before rotating the reticle to vertical. All methods using spirit levels make assumptions as to what is straight to begin with, without verification. This method will work even if the rail is not perfectly perpendicular to the bore.

 

[sturner]

Thanks guys

 

[fergi]

If you are mounting to a picatinny rail you can't beat the Badger Ordinance "Dead Level" tool. It take the rifle completely out of the process.

 

[ntsqd]

In my years of working in race car fabrication one of the things that frequently comes up needing done is to find the center of something circular when you can't use a center-finder. This is the same problem as trying to align the a circle of light shined through the rifle's bore and center it on a plumb-bob string. The eye just isn't that consistent or accurate. Some days you'll get it really, really close and other days you may as well go do something else. Very rare to get it exactly perfect. Even the near legendary fabricators have trouble with this. At least the one that I worked with did. We both had developed similar techniques to compensate and reduce the error, but they didn't eliminate it and they wouldn't work here anyway. I don't see this method as being superior than any other method presented thus far.

I built a tool that functions the same way as that Badger Ord tool with a 12" rail section & bubble level from amazon and a piece of .25" thick 6061 plate. I used three M6 hex heads in tapped holes in the plate for the leveling screws. Am waiting on the Arisaka tool to test the results.

 

[fiveshotdot]

I use the flashlight through the bore method. But I use a base I made for testing scope tracking. It weighs 27lbs and has 3 adjustable spiked feet. I put a level on the picatinny rail, place the bottom half of the rings on, then shine a light through the bore on the plumb line to level the reticle.

 

[nocannons]

A dark room with a plumb bob hung on the wall and a flashlight shining through the scope is the best tools I've ever used.

How do know that gun is level - plumb when you use this method? If gun is canted even a small amount you could be off with windage by quite a lot at distance it seems like to me.

 

[Smokepoles]

I use all my patience and most of my vocabulary before I get them perfect..

 

[Plowboy85]

How do know that gun is level - plumb when you use this method? If gun is canted even a small amount you could be off with windage by quite a lot at distance it seems like to me.

I seem to be an odd ball on my thinking but I do not understand why the gun has to be level as long it is comfortable to you and you will likely repeat it's position. If that is probable then you "should" bring the scope to the same position that you leave it in after you cant it for the plumb bob or whatever method is utilized.

 

[25WSM]

Plowboy the scope needs to be level on top of the bore. And really level is the wrong word because we want the verticle crosshair to be perfect to the bore. If you cant your rifle to be comfortable and the bore is offset from the crosshair the farther away you shoot you will have induced windage. It's really not that big a deal out to about 300 yards but you will see it. This is the same thing on a smaller scale as the British snipers. The scope was offset to the bore and they had to learn how much windage to hold to compensate. Their rifles were only dead on at one yardage. Since I shoot 1000 yard bench rest I level the bottom of my stock and then set my verticle crosshair. It's always close enough to hit paper from my 100 yard zero to my 1000 yd dial up. I am however going to try this flashlight method. See you do learn something new every day. Thanks
Shep

 

[Plowboy85]

Plowboy the scope needs to be level on top of the bore. And really level is the wrong word because we want the verticle crosshair to be perfect to the bore. If you cant your rifle to be comfortable and the bore is offset from the crosshair the farther away you shoot you will have induced windage. It's really not that big a deal out to about 300 yards but you will see it. This is the same thing on a smaller scale as the British snipers. The scope was offset to the bore and they had to learn how much windage to hold to compensate. Their rifles were only dead on at one yardage. Since I shoot 1000 yard bench rest I level the bottom of my stock and then set my verticle crosshair. It's always close enough to hit paper from my 100 yard zero to my 1000 yd dial up. I am however going to try this flashlight method. See you do learn something new every day. Thanks
Shep

I'd agree level isn't the best term, essentially we want the vertical portion of the cross hair to split perfectly down the bore. I didn't think about the rifle canting a bit would cause the scope and rifle to not be truly 180 degrees from one another which would always have your bullet flying slightly left or right to match your POA and like you said only at a specific yardage would it ever be right. This is why I enjoy being apart of this forum, really great knowledge pool.

 

[richhymas]

A dark room with a plumb bob hung on the wall and a flashlight shining through the scope is the best tools I've ever used.

Please expound. How do you make sure the gun itself is level?

 

[25WSM]

I read the link to instructions on how to do this. They are saying to shine a light through the bore and make sure the center is on the plum line. If the center of your bore and the center of your crosshair hit the plum line you can't get any straighter than that.
Shep

 

[bachekermooni]

https://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-...ers/vertical-reticle-instrument-prod6097.aspx