reticle alignment tools ?

southernhunter

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Sep 8, 2010
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alabama
i bore sight and mount my own scopes now days and it seems like every year. i have several scopes of my own as well as a few for friends and family to do. i fight with the reticle alignment every year adjusting and readjusting. i shoot left and right handed. i can never get it to look quiet the same on both sides for myself. i have saw a few tools at local stores to help make the task easier but was unsure if they was just a gimmick or the real deal. my questions are as follows: what tools do yall use to align the reticle to true center ? is there any special tricks yall have when facing this issue ? i always get them pretty close and never had any real issues with accuracy.i am anal when it comes to setting up my equipment and could enjoy it much more when in the stand. if i felt it was set perfect "lol"
 

DaveB

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Shelby County
Just my eyeballs and a regular foot long bubble level. There are tools that make life easier, faster, more accurate. I do not know if they work or are worth the coinage.

For boresighting I use a Bushnell bore sight kit and I look through the bore and scope at a target dot. Both ways get me on paper. The .30 cal arbor is clearly the perfect match for the Bushnell tool. For .22 it is off quite a bit, .243 closer.
 

Rubberduck270

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Lawrence Co.
All a man needs to mount a scope is a level (to level the action), a plumb bob (to level the reticle) and something to point it at to get it close (looking down the barrel to bore site).

I've tried upmteen different methods over the years but that's the one I've settled on. You can try to level off the scope turret but rarely is the reticle level with the turret. The only time I level off a turret is on a gun I'm going to crank the turrets on a lot.

And on leveling the action, occasionally I've run into a gun that's unbedded in a factory stock that sits crooked in the stock (recoil lug orientation has a lot to do with this) and for everything to line up half way acceptable I've had to level off the bottom of the stock (across the bottom metal). Barrel vise and a brass hammer will take care of a crooked recoil lug though :grin:
 

infoman jr.

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Louisville, KY
If you're mounting the rings on a rail, a simple ruler is all you need.
Scope-Mounting-Leveling.jpg
 

southernhunter

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alabama
i am remounting the scope on the model 7today. it dosnt seem theres a flat place on the gun to put a level. i rarely shoot over 200 yards. i can usely get them close enough. i just would like a way to get them perfect on all guns no matter the shape or size.been watching youtube and got a few good ideas but still with most of the guns i have worked with it was getting the action of the gun level that was the problem.
 

infoman jr.

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Louisville, KY
southernhunter said:
i am remounting the scope on the model 7today. it dosnt seem theres a flat place on the gun to put a level. i rarely shoot over 200 yards. i can usely get them close enough. i just would like a way to get them perfect on all guns no matter the shape or size.been watching youtube and got a few good ideas but still with most of the guns i have worked with it was getting the action of the gun level that was the problem.
If you have a clamp or vise, you can install the lower halves of the rings, put a level across one of them to level the gun. Then, lock the gun down and install the scope, leveling across the elevation turret cap. That'll get you pretty darn close.
 

southernhunter

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alabama
infoman jr. said:
southernhunter said:
i am remounting the scope on the model 7today. it dosnt seem theres a flat place on the gun to put a level. i rarely shoot over 200 yards. i can usely get them close enough. i just would like a way to get them perfect on all guns no matter the shape or size.been watching youtube and got a few good ideas but still with most of the guns i have worked with it was getting the action of the gun level that was the problem.
If you have a clamp or vise, you can install the lower halves of the rings, put a level across one of them to level the gun. Then, lock the gun down and install the scope, leveling across the elevation turret cap. That'll get you pretty darn close.
good grief why didn't I think of that. Maybe my wife is right i am a idiot lol . Thanks again
 

Hunter 257W

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Oct 4, 2012
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Franklin County
infoman jr. said:
southernhunter said:
i am remounting the scope on the model 7today. it dosnt seem theres a flat place on the gun to put a level. i rarely shoot over 200 yards. i can usely get them close enough. i just would like a way to get them perfect on all guns no matter the shape or size.been watching youtube and got a few good ideas but still with most of the guns i have worked with it was getting the action of the gun level that was the problem.
If you have a clamp or vise, you can install the lower halves of the rings, put a level across one of them to level the gun. Then, lock the gun down and install the scope, leveling across the elevation turret cap. That'll get you pretty darn close.

This is what I do. The flat surface on the top of the bottom ring halves is a perfect place to sit a level. You just have to be real careful to not disturb the gun after sitting the scope in the rings. Then a string and weight to give you a verticle line to align the vertical crosshair is the only other tool you need.
 

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