Scope Level
- Thread starter savage112
- Start date
I have seen them at BassPro, Accuracy Plus, LeBarons, Ellwood Epps, Williams and Milcun's may have them. If you call around to local places you may find they found have them but don't advertise them on the website
,
Can you explain how that device works?
From the brief Brownell's description, it looks as if you first place it on your scope rail or scope bases (or bottom half of rings) to get the rifle level. How does it work once you get the scope into the rings?
- Location
- Jameson, SK
You eyeball the lines on the cards to the reticle. So you have to be far enough back from the eyepiece to see both, yet still try and stay in the eye box....
IMO a great low cost option, but far from the best.
calvados.boulard
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Victoria BC
Anyone use one of these to level your scope?
Yes. I use one of those in conjunction with one of these:
amazon.com/Wheeler-119050-Professional-Reticle-Leveling/dp/B004TAB7ZO
Using a level spot on top of the receiver (Or across the lower half of a set of rings if there is no flat spot on the receiver) I place the flat wheeler level. I then mount the wheeler clamp on the barrel and zero it to the level on the receiver/rings. Mount the scope and use the above pictured tool to align the scope and the bore. I put the wheeler level on a flat spot on the vertical turret (without the cap). If there is no flat spot on the turret, you can use the base of the scope where there is almost always a flat spot. Once everything is moderately tightened down I mount a scope level, and I check everything with a plumb bob, or with a line drawn with a level on a target at 200 yards. Almost every single time no adjustment is needed after my verification. Perhaps that is a testament to this technique, or to the fact I don't cheap out on scopes.
Thanks,
Cal.
So if we are talking about a 308 at 600 yds, that's about 16 MOA up adjustment. I only have access to 300 yards, but I like shooting 22lr at 200 & 300 yards, which requires 19 and 42 MOA from a 100 yd zero, respectively. So it is important! In the past I've noticed that I'll get a little change in windage with cranking the elevation (although who knows if that isn't just intermittent wind...).
It's a good point that the only really important thing is that during firing, the scope is held perfectly plumb with respect to the elevation adjustment. Actually measuring the plumbness of elevation adjustment sounds super tedious (shoot lots of shots while going up and down the elevation adjustment range?), but may be worthwhile. We just approximate this by looking at the reticle. One would hope this reticle approximation is valid for > $1000 scopes.
My new approach is going to be as follows: Use this thing from Wheeler, on the left:
http://14544-presscdn-0-64.pagely.n...uploads/2015/10/scope_leveling_components.jpg
(where the bigger piece gets clamped on the barrel, and you level it w.r.t. the level placed on the picattiny rail), put on the scope, and along with a plumb bob with orange string (or a line drawn on paper using a level) I'll get the scope reticle level to the rifle.
Then the important part is to use the plumb bob to make sure my reticle is aligned as I install one of these scoplevels:
http://www.straightshooters.com/images/D/Scope-Level-Upright-01.jpg
And use the scoplevel when I'm shooting at any range that requires more than ~ 10 MOA elevation adjustment.
Yes, I ran across that device from Wheeler, and it makes sense. Once you have the piece clamped on the barrel and set to align with the level on the scope rail (or bases), you simply make sure that the level on the now-mounted scope aligns with the one on the barrel. I don't see any need to use a plumb bob. Can you explain the need for that last step in your description? Is it because the scope may be level, but the reticle may not necessarily be perfectly aligned with the scope?
I use one of these, amazon.com/Wheeler-119050-Professional-Reticle-Leveling/dp/B004TAB7ZO.
Procedure:
Put rifle in vise
Find a flat spot on receiver, this may include mounting lower half of scope ring to ascertain a flat spot
Level the flat spot with spirit level
Take the 2nd level and attach to barrel, level spirit level to match the one on the receiver, you can remove the one on the receiver now.
Install scope using the small level on top turret
Torque screws watching that this level stays flat.
Your not done yet:
Make a Tall Target, http://appliedballisticsllc.com/Articles/TallTarget.pdf,
I use a long piece of cardboard on the 100m target stand with a vertical line about 40" long, verify vertical with a 4' level
Assuming the rifle/scope is sighted in and not shooting all over the map, fire one shot at a point near the bottom
Next fire another shot with the elevation cranked up at least 30moa or 120 clicks on a 1/4 click scope
The second shot, if everything is perfect will be just short of 30" high (an MOA is 1.0472")
Now install a scope level, http://www.brownells.com/optics-mounting/optic-accessories/scope-anti-cant-devices/index.htm, with the bubble in the middle and the reticle matching the vertical on the tall target.
If the 2nd shot is ,say 1.5" to the right, rotate the scope in its mounts to the left and re-tighten rings, do the test again. There is a bit of trial and error here but once you are sure the verticals match adjust the scope level, http://www.brownells.com/optics-mounting/optic-accessories/scope-anti-cant-devices/index.htm , and tight down.
Now the scope reticle is vertical to the world, you come ups will be truly vertical.
The horizontal adjustment will be a little out of wack if you have to rotate the scope, but you can crank the windage turret over 6moa (this is 60" at 1000 yards) or 24 clicks and see what the error is, you will have to account for this, mentally. Anyway, the horizontal is a way less critical and a lot of the time the windage is compensated on the reticle.
Most scopes have the elevation turret fairly close to level but may take a little tweaking if the turret is not installed precisely in the vertical.
This is not hard or complicated to do and since you already have the tall target up, it's a good time to check the moa error ,if any, in the scope........does 8 clicks get you 2 moa or does it get you 2.2 moa ? You will need to know this for any ballistic program to work.
At near distances it probably doesn't make a critical difference but it sure does as the ranges get long.
Procedure:
Put rifle in vise
Find a flat spot on receiver, this may include mounting lower half of scope ring to ascertain a flat spot
Level the flat spot with spirit level
Take the 2nd level and attach to barrel, level spirit level to match the one on the receiver, you can remove the one on the receiver now.
Install scope using the small level on top turret
Torque screws watching that this level stays flat.
Your not done yet:
Make a Tall Target, http://appliedballisticsllc.com/Articles/TallTarget.pdf,
I use a long piece of cardboard on the 100m target stand with a vertical line about 40" long, verify vertical with a 4' level
Assuming the rifle/scope is sighted in and not shooting all over the map, fire one shot at a point near the bottom
Next fire another shot with the elevation cranked up at least 30moa or 120 clicks on a 1/4 click scope
The second shot, if everything is perfect will be just short of 30" high (an MOA is 1.0472")
Now install a scope level, http://www.brownells.com/optics-mounting/optic-accessories/scope-anti-cant-devices/index.htm, with the bubble in the middle and the reticle matching the vertical on the tall target.
If the 2nd shot is ,say 1.5" to the right, rotate the scope in its mounts to the left and re-tighten rings, do the test again. There is a bit of trial and error here but once you are sure the verticals match adjust the scope level, http://www.brownells.com/optics-mounting/optic-accessories/scope-anti-cant-devices/index.htm , and tight down.
Now the scope reticle is vertical to the world, you come ups will be truly vertical.
The horizontal adjustment will be a little out of wack if you have to rotate the scope, but you can crank the windage turret over 6moa (this is 60" at 1000 yards) or 24 clicks and see what the error is, you will have to account for this, mentally. Anyway, the horizontal is a way less critical and a lot of the time the windage is compensated on the reticle.
Most scopes have the elevation turret fairly close to level but may take a little tweaking if the turret is not installed precisely in the vertical.
This is not hard or complicated to do and since you already have the tall target up, it's a good time to check the moa error ,if any, in the scope........does 8 clicks get you 2 moa or does it get you 2.2 moa ? You will need to know this for any ballistic program to work.
At near distances it probably doesn't make a critical difference but it sure does as the ranges get long.
You could do the same with plumb bob instead of relying on a verticle line drawn on the target it's still the most accurate way to measure a verticle line. If you wanted to set up a scope without firing using the same setup there is a simple way.
Set your gun level in a gun vice
Set your scope elevation to the lowest point and aim on to the bottom of the string.(or rope if you can't see string at 100 yards. Sitting the weighted end in a jar of water or oil will stop it swaying too much)
Using just the elevation dial elevate the reticle to the maximum elevation.
If your scope is not exactly level you will be out on the horizontal.
To correct this using your horizontal turret adjust half the distance to the string.
Then rotate the scope to take up the other half of the adjustment.
Repeat the steps till you get the scope turrets exactly verticle.
Set your gun level in a gun vice
Set your scope elevation to the lowest point and aim on to the bottom of the string.(or rope if you can't see string at 100 yards. Sitting the weighted end in a jar of water or oil will stop it swaying too much)
Using just the elevation dial elevate the reticle to the maximum elevation.
If your scope is not exactly level you will be out on the horizontal.
To correct this using your horizontal turret adjust half the distance to the string.
Then rotate the scope to take up the other half of the adjustment.
Repeat the steps till you get the scope turrets exactly verticle.
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You have just complicated the EAZY. It's not rocket surgery, if the vertical erector is not mounted in the true vertical position then rolling the scope in its mounts will make it vertical, the wind age erector is independent to the vertical erector, so you have to pick one, the vertical erector is much more critical than the horizontal as I have described.
