How do you set crosshairs back to center?

Maqaiti

Maqaiti

Regular
Rating - 100%
16   0   0
Location
Arviat, Nunavut
Is it possible to set the elevation & windage back to "zero" or to its mid-point or dead center? Not with the rifle but the reticle itself to the scope. It came to thought when looking at details of a scope or catalogue.
I have an adjustable Leupold rear base and thinking the scope might not be properly aligned with the scope. I am going to order a sight line lens and hoping to learn to properly putting scopes on rifles. Any advise greatly appreciated.
 
Figure out how many times the knob will turn from one extreme to the next.

Divide that amount in half. Turn the knob from one of those extremes the amount that is the half amount.

Scope should be zeroed for that knob. Maximum play in either direction.
 
You could also use a mirror to reset the cross hairs on your scope to center. Just place a mirror that is large enough to cover you objective lens and set you scope to the lowest power. The reflection will show the cross hairs being off center and dial in till the cross hairs are in line. Try it out and see how simple it is...
 
Set the rifle in a solid rest, aimed at a target at some known distance, with the scope in the bottom rings only. Rotate the scope 180 degrees, note the change in windage. Divide change by two, and correct. Check by rotating again, scope should stay zeroed at the same point. Repeat for elevation...
 
If you have 2 v-blocks set the scope on them and point the set-up at an object. Look thru the eye piece while rotating scope and adjust windage and elevation until the center of the cross hairs rotate at a single point and not an eliptical path. Once this is done you have the scopes mechanical zero. If you don't have 2 v-blocks get a shoe box and cut to identical v-groves, one at each end and that will work as well.
 
Maqaiti said:
Is it possible to set the elevation & windage back to "zero" or to its mid-point or dead center? Not with the rifle but the reticle itself to the scope. It came to thought when looking at details of a scope or catalogue.
I have an adjustable Leupold rear base and thinking the scope might not be properly aligned with the scope. I am going to order a sight line lens and hoping to learn to properly putting scopes on rifles. Any advise greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...

The easiest and quickest way is to use a mirror. :D I use it almost all the time. It is not, however, the most accurate. :(

Just put the objective lens up against any mirror in your home and look through the scope. You will se the reticule and a fainter reflection of the reticule in the image. Adjust the scope until the two coincide.

The problem with this method can be demonstrated by slightly tilting the scope away from the surface of the mirror. When you do this, the reflection of the reticule moves. So the accuracy of this method is only as good as the alignment of the face of the scope objective with the mirror.

(BTW, the same problem occurs with magnetic bore sighters. If the mozzle is not perfectly square with the bore axis, you get an incorrect reading.)

The most accurate method is using "V" blocks already described, but it is not without its own challenges. The blocks must be absolutely unmoveable during the test or the same problem occurs.

The mirrors will get you close enough to center that you won't have any problems.

Ted
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom