I have almost always mounted scopes using a pic rail and standard rings. Getting the gun level was never an issue as I would just stick the level on the pic rail and "assume" it was level to the earth.....its always worked. I am putting together a new lighter weight rifle and wanted to try the Talley LightWeight....Can I put the level on the flat surface on the scope base/ring? Judging from the photos that my best option to get the rifle level.

Top half off of rings and level across the bottom half?

Most accurate way I have found is to hang a thick plumb line in the distance and level the scope and rifle to that. It has not been my experience that the flat surfaces at the top of a rifle are perpendicular to a plumb line anyway.

That was my way as well for a long time. Always worked like a champ if I could make sure the gun was leveled up decent.

How are you guys leveling the gun to the plumb line? I dont see anyway to do that aside from eyeballing it.

That was my first thought.

I use a level off the raceway.

That’s what I did as well. Or a flat base for the scope mount.

Reticle Tru......foolproof.

I level off the raceway in a vice.
While clamped in vise I line up the vertical crosshair with the door jamb across the shop.
I have found large errors going off scope rings and bases.

I have used a combination of the above. Level the rifle with a spirit level across the bottom half of the rings in a gun vise.
Level the scope to a plumb line.
Of course you can also look through the scope at arm's length and align the reticle to the bore. It will get you close enough if your shots are less than 300 yards.

I also started using the reticle tru after seeing it mentioned here. It's faster than the plumb line method.

Seems like no matter what you do, there is going to be some eyeball involved in the end.

It will level the scope's reticle with the rifle bore every time.

Mount rings and before you put the scope put the level on top of the half ring. At this point level it off and put rifle in a vice or some kind of a rest that you can lock it in after that put scope on top and put level on top of elevation turret if it's flat.

I use the old Segway reticle leveler which sits on the rear base. Simple, and works great. Not sure they're still available.

Brad,

In my experience the Segway isn't as consistent as the Reticle-Tru, for a couple of reasons--primarily that small bubble-levels aren't always all that accurate. But the Segway beats some of the other gadgets on the market, which depend on a couple of bubble levels placed on parts of the rifle and scope that aren't always "square" themselves.

John

Here’s what I do, which is a slight variance to what Fotis posted above.

Get the Wheeler kit with 2 levels that 1.) one that sits on any flat surface. 2.) one that clamps on the barrel.

Like this...


Mount the lower 1/2 of the Talley LWs to the receiver and torque. Place level #1 across the rings. Level gun. Clamp level #2 on barrel and align level #1 -both levels should read the same.
(Note: if you have a flat top anywhere on the receiver, you don’t need to align on the top of the 1/2 mounted rings - just place level #1 on the receiver)

Remove level #1 from lower portion of Talley LWs. Place scope with proper eye relief and install top 1/2s of Talley LW. Place level #1 on top of scope turret. Rotate scope to align with level #2 clamped to barrel. Finalize ring screw torque - note: scope might rotate a little so you may need to repeat.

Verify with plumb bob. Occasionally the top turret / cap may not have been level with the scope internals. If using a scope with a removable turret (ie CDS), I suggest loosening those screws and seat the turret cap fully.

My Segway doesn't have a bubble level? Must be the older model.

That's the ticket. You can have your gun set at a 45* angle and still mount it square to the bore. Nice shop!

Hi John, I hear you on small bubble levels, but my Segway is an ancient model and lacks a bubble level. Really, I find a bubble level completely unnecessary anyway - if the reticle is leveled square to the scope base, that's all I really care about.

mine also .

I have been using this Brownell‘s Exd tool and a plum line for years and find it the most accurate method for me.

https://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-...ertical-reticle-instrument-prod6097.aspx

Yes, it's so simple, even a monkey can do it.. The guy that invented that tool is pretty smart. Those that have never tried it, should invest in one. No plumb bobs or levels, just a rubber band that holds it securely to the scope and what you see in the picture. Extremely simple.

The bubble levels are so short in radius don’t think much of them maybe if they were like a carpenter level in length would be more useful. I have always just used my eyes leave both open and move back from the ocular lens far enough to see the action and possible the front sight if there is one. When one throws the rifle up to his shoulder due to clothing and one’s body shapes most likely things are not level anyway. Then throw in the likelyhood in a hunting situation where you are on a grade or slope and all this becomes much less relevant.
If you level a surface with one of these tiny levels and then use a precision machinists level on the same surface you discover they are not that accurate.

Close to what I do. I use a long level on either the base or action. Then put the barrel clamp level on the barrel and adjust it to match the long level. The adjustment screw on the barrel level makes it very easy to adjust. At this point the level on the barrel will always let you know if it's level or not.

Following that I install the scope and align the reticle to a hanging orange piece of paracord that's weighted on the end. Make sure the barreled action is level with the level on the barrel and that the reticle is level with the paracord. On rifles I plan on shooting longer distance, I usually go ahead and put a bubble level on the scope at this time for reference when shooting.

If I'm using a pic base, I use playing cards when putting the scope in rings and check against the above....it usually gets it really close. Sometimes I'll use MK Machinings Rail Mounted level along with the others - it's turned out to be very true but I only have one if them and not all scopes are going on pic rails.

I own/use one of the Reticle-Tru's but prefer the level's. It works well, I just prefer the levels and hanging cord....I've already got the cord set up and a work top located to view it so it only takes a couple of minutes.

I use the wheeler double level kit. Am a hunter and rock shooter at distance. The wheeler will get a leve as need to be shooting off a pack or off my truck hood. moral of the story - depends on how you use your rifle is the answer.

Guess I can't help but mention that the more complicated the tool/concept, the less likely it is to actually get the reticle square with the bore, every time. I know this due having used just about all the tools here--and they don't consistently work as well as the Reticle-Tru.

This is because the Reticle-Tru DIRECTLY compares the reticle with the center of the bore/action, rather than depending on several measurements that may or may not get there. And I have checked its results out with a "tall target test," which has turned out to be dead-nuts every time.

But whatever....

I like my 30+ year old Segway leveler so well, I decided to try to find another since they're apparently no longer made. I Easily found one NIB on ebay. I'm now covered for the rest of my life

I noticed the plastic Reticle-Tru isn't available right now. It's not inexpensive, but good things rarely are. If I were 20 years younger and in the height of rifle looneyism, I'd shuck out the $75. As it stands, most of my rifle experimentation is well behind me, so the old Segway is good enough.