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Rifles, Reloading, Optics, Equipment
Long Range Scopes and Other Optics
Getting a reticle level is nearly impossible .
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<blockquote data-quote="bruce_ventura" data-source="post: 679125" data-attributes="member: 34084"><p><span style="font-family: 'Calibri'"><span style="font-size: 12px">Doing final reticle alignment at the firing range is too time consuming and expensive for me. The reticle can be properly aligned using simple tools, but requires the kind of attention to details that winmag takes. It also requires the use of good levels. The Wheeler Level-Level-levels, for example, have improved in design recently, but still need to be hand lapped to make them accurate. </span></span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: 'Calibri'"><span style="font-size: 12px">The essential criteria for reticle alignment is that the elevation turret axis be aligned parallel to a reference line intersecting the scope tube axis and the rifle bore axis. Other alignment criteria will work fine for short range, but not for long range.</span></span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: 'Calibri'"><span style="font-size: 12px">Notice that winmag takes the time to boresight his scope tube axis to the rifle bore. This step is essential to getting consistently good results, and most folks don't make the effort to do it. If the scope tube and bore are pointed in different directions horizontally, the intersecting line rotates like the hand of a clock as you move down the bore. This condition makes it very difficult (impossible?) to get good reticle alignment without the laborious live fire process that several people have described in this thread. If the scope is boresighted (that is, the scope tube axis is parallel to the rifle bore within 8 MOA), then the reticle alignment process is fairly straightforward. Without good boresight alignment there is no easy way to locate the reference line intersecting the scope tube and rifle bore axes.</span></span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri'">The main reasons that the bore is not generally parallel to the scope tube axis is that most barrels are bent and they're installed crooked in the receiver. Sometimes the mounting holes are misaligned, but that is more rare</span></span><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri'">. </span></span><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri'">I prefer to use a good boresight collimator to locate the bore axis, rather than sighting down the rifle bore. Again, most rifle bores are not straight and the last few inches of the bore near the muzzle determine the bullet point of impact. </span></span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: 'Calibri'"><span style="font-size: 12px">Once the scope is boresighted, a tool like the EXD Engineering Alignment Tool is needed to locate the line intersecting the scope tube axis and the rifle bore. The EXD tool is needed because the scope tube axis is often laterally offset slightly from the rifle bore. This is usually the case for Weaver or Picatinny rail mounts, for example, because very few Weaver/Picatinny rings center the scope tube properly on the rail. This lateral offset can lead to a canting error of over 2 degrees. It's not a big deal at short range, but can be a problem at long range. If it weren't for this lateral offset, you could simply place a level on the mount or receiver and forget the EXD tool. Again, if the scope is not properly boresighted, the EXD tool will give erroneous results. </span></span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: 'Calibri'"><span style="font-size: 12px">Unfortunately, the EXD tool is a bit expensive for such a specialty use. I've found that the same results can be achieved using a 6" square-level (checked for accuracy, of course). Hold the square-level with the thin end pointed down (like an upside-down "L"). Place it in front of the objective bell, center the end of the blade over the barrel, while also centering the blade in the middle of the objective bell. Now level the rifle using the bubble level in the square. It helps to attach an alignment card to the blade (print three parallel lines the on thick card stock, one line in the middle, and two lines on either side, separated by the objective bell width). It may help to hold the level in place with a mess of tape while you level the rifle. Also, this method requires a reliable rifle vise that will prevent the rifle from rotating after it is leveled. </span></span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: 'Calibri'"><span style="font-size: 12px">Then rotate the scope to align the reticle parallel to a level or plumb line of your choice. I have not found tightening the rings to be as difficult as others have described. I usually start with the front ring. I slowly finger tighten at first, alternating between two screws on either side of the scope. As the screws start to tighten, I rotate them only 1/8 turn at a time. I watch the reticle during this process. If it starts to rotate, I stop and correct by tightening the opposite screw. Once the front ring feels tight, I tighten the rear ring. The scope won't rotate now because the front ring is holding it firmly in place. Then I go back over all the screws using a torque wrench. </span></span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: 'Calibri'"><span style="font-size: 12px">If all your levels are accurate you can get everything squared up within about 1 degree. That's equivalent to less than ¼" horizontal point-of-aim offset for 12 MOA elevation at 100 yds. I think most long range shooters would be satisfied with that mis-alignment, since it corresponds to only 2" POA shift at 1,000 yds. </span></span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: 'Calibri'"><span style="font-size: 12px">Of course, there's no point to doing all this unless you are also using an anti-cant level attached to the scope tube (not attached to the rail). Canting errors will be much worse than any point-of-aim error due to minor reticle mis-alignment. </span></span></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="bruce_ventura, post: 679125, member: 34084"] [FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3]Doing final reticle alignment at the firing range is too time consuming and expensive for me. The reticle can be properly aligned using simple tools, but requires the kind of attention to details that winmag takes. It also requires the use of good levels. The Wheeler Level-Level-levels, for example, have improved in design recently, but still need to be hand lapped to make them accurate. [/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3]The essential criteria for reticle alignment is that the elevation turret axis be aligned parallel to a reference line intersecting the scope tube axis and the rifle bore axis. Other alignment criteria will work fine for short range, but not for long range.[/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3]Notice that winmag takes the time to boresight his scope tube axis to the rifle bore. This step is essential to getting consistently good results, and most folks don’t make the effort to do it. If the scope tube and bore are pointed in different directions horizontally, the intersecting line rotates like the hand of a clock as you move down the bore. This condition makes it very difficult (impossible?) to get good reticle alignment without the laborious live fire process that several people have described in this thread. If the scope is boresighted (that is, the scope tube axis is parallel to the rifle bore within 8 MOA), then the reticle alignment process is fairly straightforward. Without good boresight alignment there is no easy way to locate the reference line intersecting the scope tube and rifle bore axes.[/SIZE][/FONT] [SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]The main reasons that the bore is not generally parallel to the scope tube axis is that most barrels are bent and they're installed crooked in the receiver. Sometimes the mounting holes are misaligned, but that is more rare[/FONT][/SIZE][SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]. [/FONT][/SIZE][SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]I prefer to use a good boresight collimator to locate the bore axis, rather than sighting down the rifle bore. Again, most rifle bores are not straight and the last few inches of the bore near the muzzle determine the bullet point of impact. [/FONT][/SIZE] [FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3]Once the scope is boresighted, a tool like the EXD Engineering Alignment Tool is needed to locate the line intersecting the scope tube axis and the rifle bore. The EXD tool is needed because the scope tube axis is often laterally offset slightly from the rifle bore. This is usually the case for Weaver or Picatinny rail mounts, for example, because very few Weaver/Picatinny rings center the scope tube properly on the rail. This lateral offset can lead to a canting error of over 2 degrees. It’s not a big deal at short range, but can be a problem at long range. If it weren’t for this lateral offset, you could simply place a level on the mount or receiver and forget the EXD tool. Again, if the scope is not properly boresighted, the EXD tool will give erroneous results. [/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3]Unfortunately, the EXD tool is a bit expensive for such a specialty use. I’ve found that the same results can be achieved using a 6” square-level (checked for accuracy, of course). Hold the square-level with the thin end pointed down (like an upside-down “L”). Place it in front of the objective bell, center the end of the blade over the barrel, while also centering the blade in the middle of the objective bell. Now level the rifle using the bubble level in the square. It helps to attach an alignment card to the blade (print three parallel lines the on thick card stock, one line in the middle, and two lines on either side, separated by the objective bell width). It may help to hold the level in place with a mess of tape while you level the rifle. Also, this method requires a reliable rifle vise that will prevent the rifle from rotating after it is leveled. [/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3]Then rotate the scope to align the reticle parallel to a level or plumb line of your choice. I have not found tightening the rings to be as difficult as others have described. I usually start with the front ring. I slowly finger tighten at first, alternating between two screws on either side of the scope. As the screws start to tighten, I rotate them only 1/8 turn at a time. I watch the reticle during this process. If it starts to rotate, I stop and correct by tightening the opposite screw. Once the front ring feels tight, I tighten the rear ring. The scope won’t rotate now because the front ring is holding it firmly in place. Then I go back over all the screws using a torque wrench. [/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3]If all your levels are accurate you can get everything squared up within about 1 degree. That’s equivalent to less than ¼” horizontal point-of-aim offset for 12 MOA elevation at 100 yds. I think most long range shooters would be satisfied with that mis-alignment, since it corresponds to only 2” POA shift at 1,000 yds. [/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3]Of course, there’s no point to doing all this unless you are also using an anti-cant level attached to the scope tube (not attached to the rail). Canting errors will be much worse than any point-of-aim error due to minor reticle mis-alignment. [/SIZE][/FONT] [/QUOTE]
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Getting a reticle level is nearly impossible .
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