Scopes

[alarsene]

Can I tell if my scope is going straight up and down with a bore sighter?
It seems to be moving very slighty to the left when I adjust it all the way up then to the right when adjusting down.
1/2 a grid.?
Could it be to rough a device to check scope?

 

[theflyonthewall]

You may have a bore sighter that's different than what I've used in the past, but I definitely wouldn't depend on it to tell me if my scope was mounted true. You really need a way to secure the rifle and a couple of bubble levels to get it spot-on.

 

[sp6x6]

Level your action. I have small levels on a spring that I use for archery that work well for this. But basically your machined action, the bolt usually sits on the rails that are in same axis with each other. you can lay a small rod or anythig true on this edge, then place a small level on that. They make handy kits for this. Then secure rifle at this position. Then plumb a line on wall and adjust scope to line. Then shoot and see that scope trackes on that plumb line.this sound complicated. On most scopes with a rail mount the scope has a milled flat on bottom of turret area and you can just slip in a small piece of bar stock or flat and turn on edge for parallel scope to rail and should be good. Len has a scope mount video posted by a snipe instructer that shows this method, check it out

 

[Greyfox]

Can I tell if my scope is going straight up and down with a bore sighter?
It seems to be moving very slighty to the left when I adjust it all the way up then to the right when adjusting down.
1/2 a grid.?
Could it be to rough a device to check scope?

I have used my multiple caliber, arbor type, grid collimator as a supplemental devise when setting up my scopes for several years for testing the elevation tracking to make sure it's plum, and to do a box test see if the scope tracks ok. I always confirm with actual shooting tests, but will have to say that it does work quite well if you have a good collimator and you follow a set procedure. I have to say that I also had two scopes over the years that showed up defective in their tracking before I ever shot the rifle and saved myself a lot of greif. They were sent back and repaired. I was able to confirm they were fixed using the collimator. The procedure is use is:
1. Mount the scope using a bubble level to square the bolt rails and the scope.
2. With the levels still on the rifle and scope, Mount a plum line on the wall to check that the scope reticle is in fact plum. If not turn the scope so it is. This is rare with a good scope.
3. With the levels still on the rifle and scope, mount the collimator and turn it so that the vertical cross hair is exactly on the same line as a vertical gridline in the collimator. Usr windage on the scope to line it up.
4. Being very careful not to move the rifle, I run the turret elevation at least 20-25 minutes from my approximate zero setting. The crosshair should not deviate off the collimator line. I also count the clicks up and down 3 or 4 times to make sure the crosshair ends up at the same place on the collimator and it stays exactly on the line. If not, turn scope to correct.
5. I then do a box test on the collimator to check the tracking of the scope that now includes the windage adjustment. Check start and finish points. All this also serves the purpose of running in the scope and spreading the lube on the elelvators.
6. Confirm with actual shooting. I use 100 yards, group at zero, group at 20 minutes up. Double check at 500 yards with no wind.

Sounds like a lot of work(my buddies think I'm nuts), but it has worked with my last half dozen LR rigs, and I have found that the field results matches my collimator results and have not had to readjust my scope after set up.

 

[alarsene]

Thank you.
Next time I go to the range I will try that as well.
My reticle on the redfield is a bit course so it is hard to correctly hit the grid line verticle.
The plum line should correct that, then the box test.

 

[alarsene]

You may have a bore sighter that's different than what I've used in the past, but I definitely wouldn't depend on it to tell me if my scope was mounted true. You really need a way to secure the rifle and a couple of bubble levels to get it spot-on.

To get the scope true or the bore sighter?

 

[sp6x6]

Look at Lens post in "videos and tech stuff" NSSF scope mounting, and there are other good articles here. That method is usually good, with minimum tools. Then you can draw a plumb line at range, or make a target with a framing sguare and hang plumb @ 100 and check scope, if you have a buddy to turn turret helps if you dont have a way to hold rifle solid in a gun rest. These are all poor man min.tool ideas. Greyfox set up would be quickest and most ease. Check your turret adjustment verses target lines. If you have a mil scope I make target in mills. I also use this method of a target marked in inches and check reticles that have a balistic type and I DO NOT KNOW the drops@ 100 and this gives me a starting point to use for hold overs, comparing to a shooting program.

 

[alarsene]

To get the scope true or the bore sighter?

On the grid but when I adjust up or down seems to be travelling left 1 grid line.

 

[LouBoyd]

On the grid but when I adjust up or down seems to be travelling left 1 grid line.

It probably is moving that far. If the reticle is rotated a small amount with respect to the direction the scope's knobs are oriented what else could it do? It's not something you can "align out" by rotating the whole scope. Your choices are to live with it or return the scope to the manufacturer with a description of the "problem" The maximum acceptable reticle rotation angle is not specified for any scope I've seen, but that angle which should be undetectably close to zero is determined during manufacture. A reputable scope manufacturer should re-align or replace it.

There are other possible scope problems which aren't specified but can be a problem, like the elevation and windage adjustments not being orthogonal to each other or the clicks not producing uniform movement over the range of adjustment.