How to get the best Crosshair Alignment?

[Pew...Ding]

I was just curious how or what do you used to get your crosshairs true to the point that you can shoot 1000yards without having your left and right adjustments move slightly up or down. I have the "level level" but I dont think its the best for it. How do you do it when you shoot long range? Thanks

 

[turbo54]

Re: How to get the best Crosshair Alignment?

According to my logic, nothing short of a CMM and an ootical comparitor will truely get it perfect. Even if it did, how could you be sure your erector housing moves true to the reticle?

Any/every method assumes things, so like most people here, I use a set of feeler gages between my scope and base. It's worked better than I can shoot so far.

 

[Pew...Ding]

Re: How to get the best Crosshair Alignment?

By the feeler gauge, do you just use a standard leaf style and how would I go about using them to line up the cross hairs. Thanks!

 

[Enough Said]

Re: How to get the best Crosshair Alignment?

Without being evasive, Lakeshooter, you get that set of leaf-style feeler gauges in your hand and your scope in your other hand with your rings and rifle in front of you and it will all come clear.

Base is flat.
Scope housing below Elevation Turret is flat.
The distance between the two, filled with leaves of the gauge will level the crosshair with the rifle.

Lock 'er down.

 

[Pew...Ding]

Re: How to get the best Crosshair Alignment?

Ahh gotchya. Today must not be my day haha I also have minimal use with feeler gauges (once)

 

[Redhook]

Re: How to get the best Crosshair Alignment?

It's not really the crosshair that needs to be true. It's the turrets. The crosshair can looking like and X instead of a + and as long as the turrets are plumb to the bore, the point of aim will track true. Less can be said for holds in that case however.

The feeler gauge method works well.

 

[Muttt]

Re: How to get the best Crosshair Alignment?

Now you have to determine whether or not you actually hold your rifle truely level when you are shooting. If your natural shooting position has the rifle slightly canted every time you shoot, then are your turrest actually tracking straight up and down or are they tracking at the angle you are holding the rifle. So depending on what kind of shooting you do, is it better to have the scope level with the rifle, or have the scope level to your natural shooting position???

You get the idea.

 

[BigJohn141]

Re: How to get the best Crosshair Alignment?

Level the gun from the action, check the top rail to see if it is level to the action, mount the scope and level off the top turret. This will usually get you pretty dang close to where you need to be and the way most people do it. As for shooting 1000 without left or right, it wont happen. You have to figure in wind and bullet spin and even earth rotation a little at that distance. Basically I think you are over thinking things.

 

[harloe]

Re: How to get the best Crosshair Alignment?

Lakeshooter: Are you asking how to level your scope so when shooting @ 1000 yards you don't get unintended changes in elevation as a result of adjusting windage?

+ Assuming the reticle is perfectly aligned to adjustment mechanics (I think Redhook's point, although the turret itself might not be level to the adjustment mechanism):
Hang something on a piece of string a fair distance away (far enough to be able to focus clearly)
Make sure the action is level
Confirm the base is level with the action
Drop in the scope and make sure the crosshair lines up perfectly with the string.

 

[Ammo dog 2311]

Re: How to get the best Crosshair Alignment?

I started with a level bubble on the rail. Then I placed a target that I leveled to site at. With the rifle leveled I installed the scope and adjusted it till the retical lines lined up with the target lines that are level. Then I turned the elevation turret to see if there were any changes. It works if you don't have lots of special tools. It is at least a good starting point and has worked ok for me.

 

[coach482]

Re: How to get the best Crosshair Alignment?

Midway.com has a video on mounting your scope level.

 

[Redhook]

Re: How to get the best Crosshair Alignment?

For clarification, it is best to square the bottom of the turret body to the top of the rail. In most cases, this will be the most accurate. Of course, there are a few assumptions:

1) Rail is square to the bore. My Badger base was twisted when mounted to my factory Rem 700 action because the mount holes on the action were not straight.

2) You have a flat spot on the bottom of the turret body.

3) Turret body is machined properly.

Most of this stuff is machine made and should be within tolerance.

Obviously, eyeballing the reticle isn't as precise. Also, the turrets themselves are threaded and the top of the turret usually isn't level.

 

[Pew...Ding]

Re: How to get the best Crosshair Alignment?

Thank you for all your help. Ill give the base to bottom of turret a shot!

 

[Clay_James]

Re: How to get the best Crosshair Alignment?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: harloe</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Lakeshooter: Are you asking how to level your scope so when shooting @ 1000 yards you don't get unintended changes in elevation as a result of adjusting windage?

+ Assuming the reticle is perfectly aligned to adjustment mechanics (I think Redhook's point, although the turret itself might not be level to the adjustment mechanism):
Hang something on a piece of string a fair distance away (far enough to be able to focus clearly)
Make sure the action is level
Confirm the base is level with the action
Drop in the scope and make sure the crosshair lines up perfectly with the string.</div></div> I've used this method and it works great!

 

[Lofty]

Re: How to get the best Crosshair Alignment?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Clay_James</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: harloe</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Lakeshooter: Are you asking how to level your scope so when shooting @ 1000 yards you don't get unintended changes in elevation as a result of adjusting windage?

+ Assuming the reticle is perfectly aligned to adjustment mechanics (I think Redhook's point, although the turret itself might not be level to the adjustment mechanism):
Hang something on a piece of string a fair distance away (far enough to be able to focus clearly)
Make sure the action is level
Confirm the base is level with the action
Drop in the scope and make sure the crosshair lines up perfectly with the string.</div></div> I've used this method and it works great! </div></div>


This is the method I've found works best.

Use one of these to ensure your rifle is level with the world.

EXD Engineering rifle level

Use a plumb bob to ensure your reticle is level with the world.

Then mount your bubble level on the scope level with the world.

Now everything is in perfect relation to the outside. When leveling it doesn't matter the scopes base in relation to the rail it's mounted to or the rifles level in relation to the rail mounted on it. It's all about the reticles relation to the world you're sending the bullet into.

Unless your mechanism in the scope tracks wrong or crooked, all you need is the reticle to be level with the world.

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Re: How to get the best Crosshair Alignment?

I plumb the rifle by comparing a plumb line with the buttpad screws. I then level the horizontal wire parallel to house siding seen through the scope. Simple and fewer tools, too.

There are more precise methods, but I personally believe that more precision gets negated by other issues. If we can get it this close, and do our part, not much more is going to be shockingly more effective. If we humans were more reliable than our equipment, I'd probably think differently.

The business above about the + and the x is true enough. It matters less what orientation the reticle assumes than it does that it be consistent, shot-to-shot. For that issue, I still like the + orientation because I think it's easier to get it the same each time. If the adjustment don't go to the true vertical and horizontal when the retucle is oriented properly, I consider the scope to be defective.

I use the 'tangent reticle' aiming method which aligns the horizontal and vertical reticle wires with the edges of the dark bull, then adjust so the POI is offset to strike in the center bull.

The sharp delineations between bull black and surrounding white allow better resolution of perfect reticle/target alignment than placing the reticle intersection into the broad area approximating the actual center bull.

If you can accomplish that much, you're probably doing better than all but a very few of the others. You can't ensure perfection, but you can do rather well by doing your simplest best. K.I.S.S.

Greg

 

[George63]

Re: How to get the best Crosshair Alignment?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Lakeshooter</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I was just curious how or what do you used to get your crosshairs true to the point that you can shoot 1000yards without having your left and right adjustments move slightly up or down. </div></div>

if you are going to do something meaningful at a 1000 spend some time with a ballistic calculator--> then come back and post what is wrong with the portion of your post above

 

[BasraBoy]

Re: How to get the best Crosshair Alignment?

+1 on Greg's comments re: the side of a house/building.

My process is to clamp the rifle in a cleaning cradle/vise....I use a crappy little Wheeler across the bolt rails to level the receiver....then line the whole 9 yards up with the straight side of my neighbours house/chimney which is around 100yds away.

Rotate the scope as necessary so that the vertical on the reticle is aligned with the wall. Tighten the ring screws down, keeping the spacing on the ring halves the same both sides of the scope to the required torque.

Just keep checking the receiver stays level and that the scope doesn't twist and lose alignment with the wall as you torque it down. If it does, stop and repeat the process.

Next I use the cross piece on their window frames to bore sight the scope.

Job done!

Not sure what the neighbour would make of it if he saw me though!

Then....down to the 25yd Zero Range to check and correct before final zero at 100yds. Reset the turrets to zero and then you're GTG.

I've also used the Feeler Gauge method too - which was OK but I feel that the "side of a wall" method just has an edge, mainly because whenever I used the Feeler Guage I ended up with it clamped under the scope by the time correct torque was applied to the rings...DOH!

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Re: How to get the best Crosshair Alignment?

I've done some work as a building contractor's mechanic installing siding. Each lap is supposed to aligned with a spirit level. At least I know the ones I installed were.

Greg

 

[Jedi]

Re: How to get the best Crosshair Alignment?

You have bubble levels not seeing issue here, i also use level-level and feeler gauge method.
Both work and are simple to use seems you over thinking a simple process

 

[Who Dat]

Re: How to get the best Crosshair Alignment?

Place a piece of papper or cardboard about the size of a full size IPSC target on a wall or a back stop and then take a 2ft level and draw a vertical line using the 2ft level making sure the line is verticaly level with a black magic marker (fat tip)the wider the line easier to see. Point the weapon at the cardboard or paper and then attach the scope rings and then use a small level placed on top of the ring and level for left and right cant by moving the stock. I always do it with the weapon on a bipod to make this easier. Place the scope in the rings and place the ring caps on to where there is just enough tension so that you can still move the scope body. Align the scope with the vertical line so that the vertical recticle is either along side or on top of the vertical line (I find along side is easier to see). Then start tightening your cap screws checking to make sure that you do not come off vertical level by looking through the scope.

 

[Pew...Ding]

Re: How to get the best Crosshair Alignment?

Thanks for all the help. I think im going to incorporate a little bit of each.