Reticle Perpendicularity by Darrell Holland

[foreign]

how can i make sure my rifle is level when i mount the scope so that the vertical line is dead on a plum string line. and when doing this method how do i know that the scope is inline with the rifle barrel and i am not just canting the rifle which might be leading to the dialed up shots being of to the side. im in nz so the accessability to rings with levels on them is limited. cheers

[jmason]

I purchased one of Darrell's videos a while before this acticle was written and definatly subscribe to his methods. Foreign, you may want to give this a shot. I'm sure where you are you can get a very cheap 6 inch level. Disassemle it so you can use the tubes with the liquid in them freely. You can use one of these on you receiver and one on the top turret of your scope. You'll need to find a square surfce on the gun, and maybe some very light grease on the tube to keep it from rolling on you. Get the reciver leveled and then with the other tube on the top of your scope you can turn the scope untill it is also level. When their both level, take it out and test by using the info Darrell has provided as a proof test. I know it's kind of a rough method but you get the idea.

[edge]

Very good read.

I have not tried it yet, but when you say:
"A slight rotation is all that is necessary, be precise in our rotation"

I assume that with the rifle in a vise and keeping the identical aimpoint ( the bottom hole ) I would rotate the scope so that the vertical crosshair intersected the top bullet hole.

edge.

[silvertip-co]

Perpendicularity is weird. I am left handed, left master eye. I can set up a scope using all types of levels squares plumbs etc to a fair level of personal satisfaction. But when a right hander picks up the rifle and shoulders it he's gonna say..."whys your scope leaning?". I can take my rifle out and prove it on the range that it's scope plumb, but again when a righthander picks it up hes still gonna think its crooked.

I am thinking that perpendicularity is ALSO a matter of perspective. There's some principle of physics having to do with light and lenses that I am missing.

[pretex]

does the bullet or load matter when shooting for perpendicularity?

[StoneCold]

I have been wondering about this method. I can see how it works, but setting up a "level" upside down "T" to shoot at has been rough for me. Can I just make the "T" with a square and hang it "close" ?? I would think as long as I have a good hold on the T with the crosswires it would track correctly even if canted slightly. As long as the scope reticle is on the same cant it should track. Am I missing anything here?

Any input appreciated.

SC

[Ultramag45]

Originally Posted by Len Backus

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Wondering about when testing reticle, with the T on the paper, Do you get the first shot in the middle by using the windage and elevation or are you boresighting , also if you are in the middle and you go up , and you are not on or close to the line are you moving the windage or elevation or the scope,to get centered again.... A little confusing, I shoot a 338 ultra mag and get consistent 5/8 to 3/4 " groups at 100yds, sometimes 300 is a little large like 4 inches..... never have tried this trick, just used the mirror thing and kinda eyeballed it. i can see having great groups at 100 and not at 3 4 and 500 yds. also wondering what you do when putting a scope on getting everything straight and level