Crosshair level/alignment

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mistahmojoryan

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Anyone use a crosshair alignment tool (one of those plastic cards w/ engraved lines that you slide up to the ocular lens to level the scope)? Are they a waste of money or worthwhile?

It seems like I'm constantly fiddling with scopes to get them just right. Normally I just shoulder the rifle comfortably and check the crosshairs against a distant and level target.

What other methods do you guys use?

Thanks!
 
Another simple method ..... i've been useing for decades...........

Put rifle (on bipod)... on my kitchen table.........large glass half full of water is put 20 feet away on my living rooms window sill...
Tighten rings so theres still some movement for the scope......aim at the glass and you'll note the water is level ...regardless if your house isn't...

Move scope until crosshair is level with the top of the water level and tighten your rings.........

If you live in the city.........close drapes first to avoid neighbor problems..

...........would guess the "string method" utilises a string with plomb bob(sp) or weight attached, hung somewhere and you would align the vertical crosshair with the string......


hs4570..........your mileage may vary
 
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Keep your eyes on Savage shooters next month.

I just got a whole package from CTK precision in Wisconson for evaluation.

Got the rest, the vise and the all purpose level. Haven't even opened them up yet or taken to the range, gonna use my 22-250 with a Bushnell 4-16X scope to do the write up, should be interesting.

This ain't a plug, I'm just doing an evaluation so I have yet to know whether they're good or bad, just giving you some more idea's.

http://www.ctkprecision.com/level.html

What really sucks is that Savage sends the rest of the mods actual guns for evaluation but they can't ship them to Canada for me to try out.:(
 
Most people can see if their cross-hairs are level, the trouble is getting the rifle level first. That's a lot harder to see. I've had a few that no matter how I mounted the scope, when I picked it up a couple days later it always seemed to be off one way or the other. The stock shape must make a consistant mounting hard to achieve.
What I've had to resort to in a couple cases was to take the barreled action out of the stock,and lay the bottom of the action on the edge of a table checked with a bubble level. I could then set the crosshairs by eye to the leveled action and put the gun back together. If the crosshairs don't come up level when the gun is mounted, then I believe the crosshairs and assume I'm canting the rifle. Usually it isn't a problem, but some rifles are tough.
 
hs4570 said:
Another simple method ..... i've been useing for decades...........

Put rifle (on bipod)... on my kitchen table.........large glass half full of water is put 20 feet away on my living rooms window sill...
Tighten rings so theres still some movement for the scope......aim at the glass and you'll note the water is level ...regardless if your house isn't...

Move scope until crosshair is level with the top of the water level and tighten your rings.........

If you live in the city.........close drapes first to avoid neighbor problems..

...........would guess the "string method" utilises a string with plomb bob(sp) or weight attached, hung somewhere and you would align the vertical crosshair with the string......


hs4570..........your mileage may vary
Click to expand...

The bipod trick works great. Just make sure your reference point is level.
 
Mr DOGLEG....

if you need to take the action out of the stock to achieve level crosshairs there appears to be issues ........or your standards of leveling far exceed mine of 90 degrees +/- 1-2........or your useing Weaver rings that keep canting the more you tighten the ring screws.........


Mr Seawood 77........ Re: "reference point"

a glass of water partially full regardless if its on an angle or not will ALWAYS show the top of the water is level.......



hs4570.................your mileage may vary
 
Well, I'm glad to hear some of you have the same issues I have. ;) I want to trust the crosshairs 100% when I shoulder the rifle and I thought an alignment tool would be a quick fix instead of fiddling around. The easiest rifle I've scoped was a Ruger No.1; semetrical on both sides, no cast-off, no cheek piece. Too bad they're not all as simple.
 
hs4570 said:
Mr DOGLEG....

if you need to take the action out of the stock to achieve level crosshairs there appears to be issues ........or your standards of leveling far exceed mine of 90 degrees +/- 1-2........or your useing Weaver rings that keep canting the more you tighten the ring screws.........


Mr Seawood 77........ Re: "reference point"

a glass of water partially full regardless if its on an angle or not will ALWAYS show the top of the water is level.......



hs4570.................your mileage may vary[/QUOTe


My standards could very well be higher than your's, I don't know. It stems partly from my occupation and having to constantly calculate course deviations from errors of exactly this type. It doesn't take much to make a difference, and it doesn't cost anything to get it right. The errors come up to more than trig would indicate it should. Seldom have I had to resort to taking the rifle apart, but I have and will again if I have doubts. You may be able to see 1 degree on your cross-hairs (I can't), but how much can you see on your rifle? One of the little hash-marks on your wris####ch denoting a second is 6 degrees.Good luck seeing that.
I hate Weaver rings for exactly the reasons you gave, plus the way they scar up scope tubes.
Click to expand...
 
I keep telling myself to buy one of those reticle leveller doohickies.
I level everything and use the string method as well.
As for Weaver mounts, they suck.
Don't let your friends drive Weaver's.
Leupold or Warne for me.

Pickles
 
I use a bubble level.

First I put on the bases and bottom halves of the rings.

The I level the rifle using sand bag and a bungie cord to hold it.

Then with the level on the top turrnet I level the scope.

after I tighten down the top rings I test it for level using the always reliable Mk1 Eyeball and some thing level like the horizon. Its Alberta and I can almost see Saskatchewan :D
 
im close to woodchopper....torpedo level the gun in the vise across the mounts, or across the ringbases. scope in, get it close, torpedo level ontop of the adjustment cap. and then the MK 1 eyeball
 
I use a reticle leveler for all my scope leveling needs. Like dogleg says - It's easy to think your reticle is dead level and ignore the fact that you might be canting the rifle, in some cases quite severely. The leveler bar lays flat on top of the scope mounting base and then its a snap to line up the horizontal reticle with the leveler lines on both sides. For some guys it dosen't make
any difference and that's fine but I feel better knowing every thing is as level as I can make it (rifle and reticle). A good way to start an argument at the range is to take a look through buddy's rifle and declare that his cross hairs look pissed. :runaway:
 
woodchopper said:
after I tighten down the top rings I test it for level using the always reliable Mk1 Eyeball and some thing level like the horizon. Its Alberta and I can almost see Saskatchewan :D
Click to expand...


Well,

that certainly clears up everything with regards to your low Haggisfest scores.



:dancingbanana:
 
I bought a set of reticle leveling cards when they first came out, and although I used them for a while, in the end I didn't see that they helped that much. Folks seem to make more of leveling reticles than is necessary. Look at the vertical wire and turn the scope until that wire extends through the center of the cocking piece. And that's all there is to it. You'll drive yourself crazy trying to decide if the rifle is level, but if you do go that route the horizon (if you can see it) is a good horizontal index. I think it is only necessary to level the rifle if you have a dot reticle.
 
I will put my rifle in my magnum site vise and level it with my machinist level on the reciever on both axis. Then the scope is set in and the rings are lightly snugged so I can just turn the scope without moving the rifle in the rest. The trim board on one of my windows is nice and vertical so I use that as reference. I tried to level off the scope turret but never had any luck with it. This is the best system I have come up with. Then I try to tighten each ring screw a bit at a time to keep the pressure even on the scope and no worry of scope rotation.

I will also have a piece of paper on the wall or pick a point at the same time, adjusting the barrel bore to center on it and adjust the scope to be hitting 1 1/2" higher to boresite. It works quite well.

Noel
 
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