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Rifle Scopes Reticle not parallel with knobs, normal?

virulosity

Private
Full Member
Minuteman
Aug 21, 2008
38
2
I was wondering if anyone else has had a scope that has turrets that dont appear level with the reticle. It seems when I make an adjustment that the reticle moves correctly, but using a level to mount the scope to the base, it is always wrong. I had to eyeball it to get it mounted right.
 
Re: Reticle not parallel with knobs, normal?

No it's not normal, nor acceptable. Send it back for repair.


It's more than just a cosmetic thing, your reticle might be loose in there.
 
Re: Reticle not parallel with knobs, normal?

Where is the best place to send a falcon for service? It's still under warranty (less than a year old). I live on the west coast.
 
Re: Reticle not parallel with knobs, normal?

Where did you purchase it at?......Individual or buisness?If it was a individual find out where he purchased it at.If it was a buisness then simply return it for waranty work.....
 
Re: Reticle not parallel with knobs, normal?

If the rail is level, and the turrets are level, but the vertical component of the crosshair is not plumb, then your reticle is canted and will cause problems at distance.

I haven't mounted a Falcon, so I'm not sure if the elevation turret's top is perfectly flat or not to get a good indication of level......
 
Re: Reticle not parallel with knobs, normal?

Not acceptable, but common, and often normal for some brands of optics.
 
Re: Reticle not parallel with knobs, normal?

Noticed this yesterday on my ST-10 as well when I was re-mounting it on my rifle...I used levels and measurements on my back fence to eyeball it in but the windage knob is not parallel...


Note: It was like this when I got it back in 2001 - only slightly off but enough that a level on the elevation knob cap would not work .
 
Re: Reticle not parallel with knobs, normal?

On USO's I take the cap off and the knob off and level the part the knob screws into. I figure that should be affixed to the erector itself and the truest to the way the adjustment will be made......
 
Re: Reticle not parallel with knobs, normal?

Let me guess: Falcon Menace?
I had a Falcon Menace that came just like that out of the box.
I returned it.
 
Re: Reticle not parallel with knobs, normal?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: sobrbiker883</div><div class="ubbcode-body">On USO's I take the cap off and the knob off and level the part the knob screws into. I figure that should be affixed to the erector itself and the truest to the way the adjustment will be made...... </div></div>

you should be using the feeler gauge method as it works a hell of a lot better than a spirit level and eyeball. the windage knob on the st-10 can be the turret cap not setting on the o-ring right and square. you can usually adjust that out.
 
Re: Reticle not parallel with knobs, normal?

I have done parallel spacing with the feeler guages (and still do it on all rifles that I don't have a USO anti-cant level on), but after taking a close look at my USO anti-cant, I'm not so sure it snugs the level down perfectly parallel with the rail.

If you'll notice what you quoted of mine, I do not trust the cap and O-ring, I remove caps and the turret on USO's and level the actual erector mech to my rail level-as that's what I check when I fire.

Not having experience with Falcon's personally I didn't recommend the feeler guages as I don't know what the bottom of their erector housings are like and if their erectors are even plumb to the housings.

In the absence of a anti-cant level I heartily agree with the feeler guage method.

After all that typing, I really have come to the conclusion that the best advice to give the original poster is the old school method:

-Fix rifle in a rest so that the rail is level.
-Without disturbing the level of the rifle, affix scope so that the vertical component of the reticle is plumb against a plumb bob (weight on string) at a distance you can see in scope.
-while watching said plumb bob through scope crank the elevation knob. If the crosshairs veer waya from the plumbline your reticle is canted in relation to your scope's erector and you will have problems at distance.
 
Re: Reticle not parallel with knobs, normal?

I wasn't going to say anything but rarely do the turrets line up with the crosshairs from what I've seen.I even bought one of those level level levels from Midwy to try out and it seems like it makes it worse.So I disregard the turrets now and level the gun,then use the siding on the house across the street to line up the cross hairs on.

Steve