Scope leveling, you're doing it wrong? (part 3)

As one who has worked with many types of precision levels in my profession, I find that even the most precise are not very accurate. So we are starting from a faulty base line on an arbitrary location on the rifle. Your method makes the most sense though, in the end I believe the plumb line method is the best...and trust your eyes.

I installed this optic on a crossman 760 air rifle.I have now shot the riffle around 500 times during target/plinking practice, and the youtube.com/post/Ugkxc4K63Fd5LglDMObu7-Bgapxp_ef0W… scope has done well.With this optic, I have neutralized around 30 pigeons that were invading one of my buildings.For my short range air rifle, I will continue to use this scope, but will be upgrading to a more powerful scope, when I buy a more powerful air rifle, in order to shoot at longer distance.For the money I have spent, this scope has truly been a great buy.

I always use either a plumb line or a 4’ carpenters level set downrange to level the crosshairs. I often find that the body of even good quality scopes is sometimes off. Not by much but still off.

First of all, do not use the scope vertical adjustment cap/turret to level the scope. The cap/turret is threaded and will deviate from your indicated level when turned. Second, a lot of rifles do not have a truly flat and square to the action surface for leveling purposes. A plumb line down the center of the butt works well in those instances. Plumb line for final scope leveling and verification is the only way to go.

You are right but it’s all irrelevant if you don’t hold the rifle plumb IMO

Perhaps in the prior presentations on this topic you mentioned the ocular lens focus and magnification settings when using the suggested "flashlight" method. Also, a similar negative target aiming result can be made by canting the rifle position (even after successfully managing your suggested scope mounting process). Thank you for sharing.

Always, Always, Always level the reticle crosshair. To hell with the body of the scope. Then do a Tall Target Test. The Tall Target Test is ALWAYS the best way to ensure that the scope reticle is level AND that the turrets are tracking true in the vertical plane.

That works perfectly!!! I'm a gunsmith and haven't seen this method before. Never too old to learn a new method. Thanks.

I have been leveling the reticle for 40 years . This is the way it should be done.. There is a way to check this. 4 foot target at 100yds. With a 4ft LEVEL X on it. Hold the same on it. Dial the elevation turret. The shots should be straight up & down.

Neat trick with the flashlight. Never saw that before. Thank you. I saw this video and checked my 3 rifles with LPVO's. I leveled them using bubble levels on the barrel end, the rail and the vertical turret cap when I originally set them up. Before trying this I bubbled them again and the first two were perfect with the bubble and the flashlight/plumb bob method. So far so good. The third must have shifted because it was slightly off with bubble method and it showed with the flashlight/plumb bob method on the wall as well. Adjusted the bubble and again perfect on the wall. So bottom line I was 3 for 3 with the bubble and flashlight method working in sync. My three scopes checked were to PA Compacts 1-8's and a Vortex Razor Gen 2 1-6x.

I also use a plum bob. However, I do it a little differently. I use a precision level to level an action level. Then, with a 6' tall bright orange 550 cord plum bob hanging at 40 yards, cover the bob with your reticle while the bubble shows level. 40MOA-1760

Bore site, finish on target. Level on rifle may not be level when shouldered. Don’t over think or over complicate it unless you have issues and even then it’s probably not the equipment.

Thanks for making a short video - so many guys waffle on for 20 minutes or more!

The light and plumb line approach is the only way to go. Level the reticle not the body. After leveling the reticle take the elevation to the top and bottom to verify it stays level when adjusted.

cyclops joe ,test is also a good idea to test a scope ,the tracking etc

I've been having trouble with a scope recently and mounted another. You Sir have given me something to look for Thanks

There's some great info in this video, but something else that you may wish to consider..... Rather than the body of the scope, or the reticle itself; what about the actual travel of the reticle as adjusted? I've seen reticle cant, but most important to me, is that the travel as adjusted matches plumb.

Good video. If I’m using elevation clicks, testing on a tall target to demonstrate that elevation clicks move the impact precisely vertically would matter most to me. Hopefully both the scope body and the cross hairs are level, or close, but what’s on the target is what I’m after.

I've always used this method but these days I project a cross laser beam onto a white wall (available from all good tool brands, mine is a Dewalt one) and this proves best for both vertical and horizontal of the cross hairs.

My quick sanity check here is a third level - an anti-cant device. If the barrel/gun level and anti-cant device match and the turret level doesn't .. then the turret level is the problem. If the anti-cant and turret levels match but the barrel/gun level doesn't .. the barrel/gun level is incorrectly placed. A plum line and reticle projection is the last step to tell me if the reticle installation is wrong and the optic needs to be sent back for warranty repair or replacement. Once you get into the high-quality brands, don't settle for a poorly assembled optic. Send it back. Otherwise the manufacturer has no idea they have a quality control problem. If you're using an electronic anti-cant device, go with high quality bubble levels and plum line first, then if the anti-cant device is off, send that back for repair/replace.