Absolute Vertical

[Rez 4,961]

After spending nearly 2 hours setting up one the of the menaces on the pro sport rail I found I've got some sort of OCD regarding getting the vertical cross hair absolutely vertical on the rail... Almost so perfectly central to the barrel and action it's never spot on. I set it. Look though it, it's right, go away, come back and the fecker has moved, only half a mil, but it's not right again. I know it's not moved, it's how I position myself on the comb, which is a right handed stock by the way so I'll never be perfect. But out comes the spirit level, but then I'm hoping everything under the rifle is level, floor, table, stock, riser, mounts, the damn optics themselves. Not gonna happen.

 

How many of you can say your vertical crosshair is vertical proper?

 

I had some right parallax issues on Sunday at the club I was determined to get it right.

 

Targets close up at 8-9 yards, the groups were tight, but to the shots landed at about 6 (mil dot and a half down) and a touch left, and as the ranges becomes more out to 45 yards, the point of impact went straight over my zero, at 25 yards and ended up at 6 and a touch right, if that makes any sense. Like a curved trajectory from left to right, passing straight over the zero point, which is dead on.

 

Thoughts? If any. Does this happen with others? Is your vertical... Vertical? And how do you get on with the trajectory? If it's not, your not shooting a true line of sight, so to speak.

[Coypu Hunter 486]

I use a spirit level across the back of the 97 (there's a flat bit of wood behind the action), settle the rifle on beanbags, and use a plumb line downrange. Normally get the vertical crosshair pretty close to vertical, although I sometimes have the same issue -- picking the rifle up and thinking "hang on..."

 

Set it up right, then trust the set-up, and adjust your cheek weld to suit your set-up.

 

Sounds like you may well have some cant going on there, if your vertical crosshair is leaning slightly to the left, that could produce the effect you're talking about.

[Elliott 436]

Set up as above then buy a scope bubble level and attach it to your scope for future reference. Vortex do a good one

[mole trapper 1,694]

To me mine look upright, but anyone else looks through mine thinks I chucked it on there after ten pints of scrumpy! I've tried to use plum lines etc but it just looks completely on the piss to my eyes.

[treecreeper 1,136]

have you got one leg shorter than the other?

[Rez 4,961]

have you got one leg shorter than the other?

 

I've got one leg longer than the others...

[jamesS410 106]

That really does ring a bell mate. Every time I take the scope off the rifle or put a new one on its always canted one way or the other. I've tried the spirit level and plumb line trick but I don't seem to be able to concentrate on both at the same time I've been all round the houses trying and the only way I've found that works for me is to hold the gun in a standing unsupported position, wind the parallax right back and use the dining room door frame as my vertical marker and judging it by eye. Having put it in writing it sounds even dafter than I thought before but its the only way I've found that I can get my set up right. I think the moral of the story is play around and find what works for you.

[Rez 4,961]

Finally got it right this evening, or what I think is right for now. It'll do. Fecking thing. As long as the rifle is is the most vertical up right position, the glass can work around that, at least I know I'm holding the main unit ie, the rifle vertical and not canted.

[Coypu Hunter 486]

That really does ring a bell mate. Every time I take the scope off the rifle or put a new one on its always canted one way or the other. I've tried the spirit level and plumb line trick but I don't seem to be able to concentrate on both at the same time I've been all round the houses trying and the only way I've found that works for me is to hold the gun in a standing unsupported position, wind the parallax right back and use the dining room door frame as my vertical marker and judging it by eye. Having put it in writing it sounds even dafter than I thought before but its the only way I've found that I can get my set up right. I think the moral of the story is play around and find what works for you.

 

Now put a spirit level against the dining room door frame and make sure it's plumb...

[barrywhite 282]

I did see something on ytube once BUT you would have to make sure your gun is not loaded . Put the but of the gun on the floor on the edge of a piece of paper then look down the scope the wrong way .see if the cross hair lines up with the edge of the paper.

[pianoman 3,587]

This is a never-ending pursuit. Getting the scope plumb vertical on the action.

 

I've got two spirit levels. I set them on the action and the scope. I get both bubbles perfectly bang centre in the marks together...And still when I return to the rifle after a while, both are a mile out! The spirit level and plumb line method is the best yet. And trust that, when you have everything as perfectly vertical as you can see, it really is perfectly vertical!

 

Look through your scope and go through all its mag range numbers and that too will tell you if you are out.

 

Barrywhite you beat me to the one about looking through the scope back through the Objective lens. Use a set-square to get the perfect right-angle, draw it on the paper and check alignment with that.

[Coypu Hunter 486]

The video's here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5qQktGvvz4

 

Tried it myself. Problem is, when you lift the rifle and tighten the scope screws, the scope tends to move slightly. Start again...

 

Like I said, the thing that works for me is using a plumb line from the bench for set-up, on lowest mag so you can see a good length of the plumb line (string with a weight on the end will do). You can check vertical by shouldering the rifle. If the crosshair is still vertical when the rifle is in your normal shouldering position, you're good to go.

[gnipper 6,545]

Wouldn't you think that scopes and mounts would have a mark on them that you could line up?

[Rez 4,961]

Wouldn't you think that scopes and mounts would have a mark on them that you could line up?

Good point.

[Cedric 132]

I did see something on ytube once BUT you would have to make sure your gun is not loaded . Put the but of the gun on the floor on the edge of a piece of paper then look down the scope the wrong way .see if the cross hair lines up with the edge of the paper.

This presumes that your stock is perfectly straight and at right angles to the scope rail!

 

Your shots moving from right to left are "crossover" and can be caused by "cant" or the scope being to one side of the rail ( not central).

 

You could try taking the scope and mounts off the rifle and setting the mounts on a horizontal surface then altering the vertical hair, lining it up against a T square, tighten, checking it hasn't moved then mount on the rifle. Might work !