Any tips for scope mounting?

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slowr1der

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Anyone have any tips for mounting a scope? I've tried and tried and tried some more and I can not get the crosshairs level. I've tried this on two rifles and both have this problem. One has the crappy weaver rings that only tighten down on one side and it seems to twist the scope. The other one has regular Weaver rings that tighten on both sides. I will put it so it looks straight with me holding it up or resting on sand bags and tighten it down. Then I will notice later it's not straight looking so try again. It seems like I must move the gun slightly to make them look straight before tightening as once I get them tightened they always don't look straight. I've tried putting them in my vise thing I use when cleaning them but it's hard to get the gun level in that too. I asked a friend that does a lot of shooting if he had any tips and he said he has the same problem on several of his rifles.

So does anyone have any tips on here on how to avoid this?
 
One has the crappy weaver rings that only tighten down on one side and it seems to twist the scope.
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Align the crosshairs so that when you snug up the one side, it'll be straight.

The other one has regular Weaver rings that tighten on both sides. I will put it so it looks straight with me holding it up or resting on sand bags and tighten it down. Then I will notice later it's not straight looking so try again.
Click to expand...

Just get it as close as you can and tighten the screws just a smidge. Leave the gun alone for a day and come back to it. Shoulder the gun with your eyes closed and then open them once your cheek is settled to the stock. You should be right where you can see through the scope perfectly. If its not straight, left and right tilt, loosen the screws and straighten it up again. Repeat as needed. After a few weeks of this, it'll find a way to be perfect, I promise. I have been through this on every scoped gun that I own.
 
First off, what kind of base do you have? 1 piece weaver? , 2 piece weaver? You can level the reciever off those bases. With the reciever level, now you can level the scope. With a one piece base, and if your scope has a flat bottom at the dials, you can stack feeler gauges between the base and scope, and slowly tighten the rings. If your scope isn't centred over the bore, your gonna need to dial windage as you back up from the target.

I also like using my neighbors siding to level my crosshairs, after leveling my reciever, this works if you can't level of the base, and if the siding is level:D Go slow on the ring screws, and tighten them equally, loctite with pink, don't over tighten.
 
Don't simply shoulder your rifle and gauge the plumb of your crosshair this way...totally wrong, bad results.

Get yourself a cheap crosshair level, not a 'stick in the end of your barrel gizmo', but actual levels such as this www.battenfeldtechnologies.com/wheeler-engineering/catalog.asp?product=level-level-level

You'll also need one of these www.battenfeldtechnologies.com/wheeler-engineering/catalog.asp?family=ring-alignment-lapping-kits IF you want a professional job done, while it is not absolutely necessary, it will prevent damaged scopes.
And brother, there is NO scope manufacturer that will cover damage from non-aligned rings!

The reticle must be 100% square to the bore, not canted by any amount, for you to achieve the correct results when adjusting your scope. If the reticle is 'canted', when you move the elevation, you will also have to move the windage, because the reticle will move diagonally instead of perpendicular to the bore.

Also, a correctly aligned reticle will force you to hold the rifle correctly.

As for the scope tube rotating when you tighten the rings, yes it happens, the rings that come closest to not doing this are some of the vertical split rings and the TPS brand horizontally split rings.

You'll get a feel for how much the tube is rotating after a dozen times loosening and re-tightening the caps and you'll nail it!

A VERY small dab of tooth paste in the ring cap will help those stubborn caps slide around the tube without causing the tube to rotate, it'll dry and act like loc-tite also, but without any possibility of damage to the rings or scope.

And about loc-tite...NO, it is NOT needed on mounts that are in factory condition, unless the manufacture specifically recommends the use of loc-tite, don't! Simply coat the screws with a really thin oil, think Kroil or the likes, is all it takes!\

Good luck!:)
 
Torque your screws 1/4 turns at a time all the way around. This will give you an even mount and also make it less likely to move your crosshairs.
 
That level posted looks like something I want. They seem kind of expensive for a small level but it may be what I have to get.
 
Actually, after looking at that level more it doesn't look like it will work for what I want. I'm trying to level the cross hairs on a 10/22 and on a muzzle loader. Neither are bolt actions. Is there anything that will work with either of these?
 
You can overthink this stuff. Eyeballin' it gets it close enough to squeeze MOA shots from my rifles. But there are tools such as levels to get squared up. I take it for granted sometimes that many folks shoot out to 500+ yards where the minuscule is magnified.
 
The more I read about the above level I'm seeing a ton of horrible reviews too. Does anyone make a better level?
 
Don't forget you are putting this on a 22 and a muzzle loader. It doesn't have to be precise. Tighten your screws until the scope won't move without substancial pressure. Put it on some bags and to your shoulder. Give it a look and adjust the scope accordingly until you are satisfied. You can put a target on the wall to help level the crosshairs. Another option is purchasing the level level level from Wheeler Engineering. Midway sells them along with a couple other options.
 
I understand about the scope moving while tightening. I think you have to predict the movement, like was mentioned in a previous post. I like to look through the scope from about a foot back from the eyepiece while aligning, seems like you see it in a better perspective from back there.
 
I'm not sure that this would be your problem, since you don't specifically mention that you notice that they have moved after you've shot your rifle, but, you might want to make sure that the crosshairs aren't spinning around inside your scope.

A long time ago, before I knew any better, I once had a very cheap scope that would allow the crosshairs to spin around a little bit every time I shot my gun.
 
leveling slowr1ders crosshairs

The previous posts have given you good guidance. It does seem that after you think the crosshairs are level and you recheck them later in the workshop or at the range they are no longer level. I discontinued using weaver rings due to the twisting they cause and moved on to Burris Z-rings. Sometimes its just a matter of very very slight rotation to the scope to level them. I will also say that when a good reason permits I am also changing to mounts that are windage adjustable. Some of my rifles have them and they are a good way to go. Leupold has them. This allows you to get your windage real close and then fine tune with the turrets. You get a good straight look through the scope and this aids in accurate shooting. A canted scope will drive you nuts too if you dont understand the reason for leveling. Be patient with your adjustments and do a bit at a time. Find a flat place on rifle to put your level and go from there. Good luck you will get it handled. The toothpaste idea sounds neat.
 
I use a gun vise and lock the gun in it when it is level.After I mount the scope in the rings (loose),I use a rope plumb line hanging about 10yrds in front of the muzzle,and look through the scope to align the reticle with the plumbline.Once everything is lined up,tighten the rings,and check the scope hasn't moved while tightening the rings.

This is the best way I have found to level a scope on a rifle or pistol.
 
Thanks for the tips guys. Sorry I made it sound wrong. The cross hairs aren't moving after I shoot them. Or after I tighten them down for that matter. It's just when I'm looking through it when tightening I must not be holding the gun level or something because if I set the gun down then pick it right back up I will see how they are off ever so slightly. It's not that the cross hairs are moving after time or anything. It's that I just can't get them straight to start with.

I think I just need to get a level so I can make sure I have the gun level. That's the biggest issue I have with them. That and that when I tighten them down fully it seems to twist the scope some.

I saw the post saying since they are on what they are they don't have to be perfect and I may have to just leave them. Like you said they don't have to be precise on these as 100 yards is the furthest I plan to shoot the muzzle loader unless hunting or just practicing to see how much hold over to use for a hunting situation if one further than 100 yards presents itself. I don't plan to dial the scope in for further ranges. The .22 I use between 35-100 yards and adjust depending on the distance I'm shooting but I still don't shoot far. It seems like it I adjust the scope up to accommodate for 100 yards instead of the 35 I often shoot it seems to move the poi slightly to left too but not much. Maybe half an inch. It's close enough not to worry too much about it, but I'd like them as close as possible.
 
Not mine, but everything you could ever want to know about mounting a scope...
Link

Probably too much info, but a good read none the less. I stumbled on that when I was trying to find better ways to align my scope mounts. I was able to zero the scope @50yd with electrical tape in the rear ring, but knew it was jury rigged.
 
If your house is level, you can just use the side of a door molding to align the verical crosshair.
Once it is aligned, the horizontal crosshair will follow.

If you want to get all kinds of tricky and go full gunsmith, you align the rings using tapered alignment bars, then you lap the rings to achieve a perfect fit to the scope body, then you install the scope with the rifle firmly attached to a gun vice or fixture on a levelled mill table and you then use a reticle level to align the crosshairs to deadnuts centerline.

I have and use all that stuff on customer rifles and shotguns.
On my own stuff I usually use the door molding,,,,
 
I've had good luck with the 'Level-Level-Level' but with no flat surface to get both gun and crosshairs level it does present a problem. If the guns have a flat 'side' then plumb the gun with a torpedo level. As for sighting onto something, try a glass of water (Half Full) then put a drop or 2 of food coloring in it. Put the glass about 10 yards from the muzzle. Line everything up and SLOWLY torque the screws. You can't always depend on any part of a house being level or plumb but water ALWAYS seeks it's own level. Then stop driving yourself crazy over this.
 
Midway USA has a set up tool called Level, Level, Level - that allows you to square up your cross hairs to the gun. I've never used it, but I've seen it advertised on TV.
 
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