Scope Alignment Help Needed

[woogie_man]

Just use a plumb bob and a level on your rifle.

I have a few rifles that the scopes are indeed canted, but I shoot them like that. The MAJOR thing you need to do while shooting them is to make sure that the reticule is vertical. You can shoot with a canted reticule, you just need to remember that and hold the exact same.

 

[nervoustrig]

Just use a plumb bob and a level on your rifle.

Plumb bob and level for mounting the scope?

That may or may not yield a satisfactory result. There are at least 8 reasons why it may not...see link in message #20.

I have a few rifles that the scopes are indeed canted, but I shoot them like that. The MAJOR thing you need to do while shooting them is to make sure that the reticule is vertical. You can shoot with a canted reticule, you just need to remember that and hold the exact same.

True, assuming you mean the scope was installed with its reticle aligned to the bore. In this context, the cant isn't a canted reticle but the appearance to an outside observer that the shooter is holding the gun at a slight angle.

 

[JimD]

An inch and a half shift between 25 and 50 yards is a LOT. Double checking the scope mounting seems appropriate but that doesn't seem likely to be at least the sole cause. Spiraling pellets seems credible for that magnitude. May need to switch pellets and/or speed to see. Another thing that can move pellets that much is wind. Was it windy when you were testing? It would have to be pretty windy to move the pellets this much.

 

[jarmstrong]

We call it leveling a scope, when in truth we are indexing/clocking the reticle to the barrel bore, mirror method, but we relay on the manufacture to build the rail parallel to the bore when viewed from the above view . Of course we like the rail to be not parallel when viewed from the side, we like 20 moa.
When the bore and the rail are not parallel, we get side to side poi change with increased distance. How do we fix that problem? I just use a plastic machinist shim, rather than trying to re-machine the rail or it's attachment points. Each person will approach the way to fix it with their own abilities. Depending on the gun at issue, some can be corrected by readjusting how the rail or barrel/shroud are connected

 

[Healthservices]

To the best of my knowledge, it was scotchmo who introduced us to this method. The remarkable thing is it costs $0 and works better than virtually all of the "professional" scope mounting jigs and fixtures one can buy from a gun shop because they rely on a variety of assumptions about the perfectness of features of the gun and scope that may or may not be true.

Best way to level a scope

I’m planning on receiving a scope that I had ordered tomorrow and I like to have everything as close to perfection as possible, what is your guys best way to level a scope

www.airgunnation.com

I can be pretty hardheaded myself so I'm not going to poke at the other hardheads

Well thanks for repeating what Scotchmo started. I decided to used another mirror rather than a closet door mirror that had some distortion in it. Why do I think it had distortion well the door frames in the reflection were skewed when looking in the reflection. So I got more of a dressing room mirror with lack of distortion when viewing.

And put it at the end of the hallway.

Then put a moderator with a targets I cut out to match the diameter of the moderator. This made it easier to see the center of the scope.

I shined a light on it to make it easier to see, adjusted the scope magnification up and it was easy to rotate the scope to line up the vertical retical with the center of the moderator and the bell of the scope. Wow not as far off as the first time.

View attachment 269265
Allen

 

[Healthservices]

And not trying to steal you thread. I read so many times about using the mirror method but have not actually done it so I thought I might share and have people tell me what I'm doing wrong as well. But I think I should have optically centered the scope prior but that will be another time.

Thanks

Allen