Setting up scopes and dialing them in

[Gene_SC]

Can we get some post on this subject. Allot of us still do not know the proceedure of setting up a scope onan air gun properly. I know there are plenty of aids in the library but lets hear it from the ones who are proficent enough to explain it.. Thanks

[Progun]

I'm certainly no expert but this is what I do when it's time to mount up a scope: Clean the scope rails, rings and bases with an evaporating degreaser such as isopropol alcohol. Mount the rings or one piece base mounts to the guns scope rail or grooves. Drive the stop pin into the receiver hole on the rail. Tap it down or screw it down until it bottoms out.Remove the top of the rings and lay the scope in the ring channel.The elevation knob on the scope should be on the "top" and the windage knob should be on the "right". Adjust the scope for eye relief and semi-tighten the top ring saddles. Place a bubble level somewhere on the gun such as the barrel or receiver to insure the gun is level and not canted.Now place a bubble level on the elevation knob of the scope and level the scope equal with the now level gun. Once the scope is level, level, level, tighten down the ring screws in a progressive cross pattern. If the scope is optically centered and if you are using an adjustable mount, shoot 3 times at a 20 yd target and note where on the paper the pellets land.Follow the instructions on adjusting the mount to bring POI to POA.Final sight in when trued up. If using non adjustable mounts or rings, use the scope's elevation and windage adjustment knobs to bring POI to POA. When satisfied that scope and mounts are sighted in, I remove one screw at a time from the rings and apply thread locker like Blue Lock tite and re-tighten the screws.Let cure for a day and go shoot something.

[ronbeaux]

Nice advise. If your using a target scope and adjusting for every target at each distance, it is important to optically center the scope.

Place it in a wooden box with 'V' shaped cut outs on each end so you can rotate the scope. Focus the scope at your median yardage, say 25 yards, and note where the cross hairs are pointing. Go and mark that spot. Now rotate the scope and see how far off the cross hairs go from the original mark. You will want to start by finding the 'center' of both the windage and the elevation adjustments on your scope. All the way out and all the way in and find the middle for each.

Make an adjustment on the elevation, a few clicks depending how far it was off, then rotate again. Keep repeating until you get the smallest deviation from your marked target. It's hit and miss but will allow you to get as close as possible.

Shooting field target with a 10 yard zero I am 32, 1/16 MOA clicks down at 25 yards. Thats a lot of clicks and if the scope is not optically centered it can be off on windage left or right.

The elevation and windage adjustments for a lot of scopes is nothing more than a shaft pushing on the internal tube, which is round. You want your shafts pushing nearest the center on the internal tube.

It's a pain to optically center a scope. Should you do it? It depends on how fine tuned you want it for that last little bit of confidense in your equipment.

Once centered follow Proguns advise and your good to go.

[Truman]

I think somebody on this site wrote about another method which was quite impressive! To Center the scope, you place a mirror flat on a table and put the scope stood on it's end so that the eye piece is pointing upwards. Then it's just a case of adjusting the crosshairs with the reflected crosshairs! After that, you mount the scope on the rifle!

[ronbeaux]

Haven't heard of that before but I doubt you can see a reflection since all the light is blocked.

Maybe someone can clarify.

[Truman]

I think you put a piece of glass on top of the mirror so that the light can get in! I've never tried it but it rings a bell!

[ronbeaux]

OK now you got me going back and forth back and forth!

Nope, still don't work.

If it sounds too good to be true.......

[Truman]

I'll tell you what, I'll pull the scope off mine and check it out for us! Let you know in the morning if it works or not! Wish me luck.

[Truman]

I've just tried it and it works a treat! I've got an illuminted retical so it made it easier! At first without the IR it was hard to see so I switched it on an Hey Presto, it works!

[speedturtle]

Maybe someone can post some pics regarding the "mirror" method of sighting in a scope? I have no idea where to exactly put the mirror in relation to the scope location. Hehehe.

What I do to vertically align the vertical reticle of my scope is to set up a plumb bob at 10 yards and set my scope magnification at the middle (that would be 6 for a 3 - 9 magnification scope). Then I carefully rotate the scope (the screws are not tight yet) until the vertical reticle is almost at the same alignment  with the string of the plumb bob (The scope vertical reticle should "cover" the string so you can know that your scope is now properly aligned). This is only in relation to the "levelness" of the scope. When they do coincide it's time for me to tighten the mount screws.

Oh, before I forgot, I'm using a T-type leveling unit that I attach magnetically to the body of the barrel so that I can level the airgun both horizontally and vertically in relation to the bore. It's the same level unit that photographers use to level their tripod. What I only did to make it easier is that I glued a permanent magnet with a totally flat surface on one of the sides of the level unit.

After this I mount the airgun to a steady gun support and aim it at a 5 -yard distance with a yard stick as my target (the scope magnification is set at its minimum due to the 5-yard distance. I initially set the yard sticks middle part to coincide with the scope crosshairs. Then adjusting the scope windage adjustment screw I take down notes as to how far the vertical reticle travels from the lowest to its highest possible adjustment. (I found this technique also here are GTA. Can't remember where, though). It's a more realistic way of finding out the "center of the scope adjustment" than simply counting the total available clicks from lowest to highest then divide it by two. I did the same procedure and both actually works.

After finding the deviation (I got about 2 3/4" of possible adjustment to work on with the windage) I divide the distance by two and set the vertical reticle to that location on the yardstick. Now, this is my "left and right windage center" for the scope.

Going to the vertical center of my scope I rotate the yard stick so that now it's situated "vertically" on the wall. Adjusting the elevation screw (or turret if that is what it's called) I take down notes on what is it's maximum deviation from the available clicks adjustment. For my scope it's about 2 1/4" total. I divide it by 2 and then locate that on the yard stick and then adjust the elevation screw so that the horizontal reticle will now coincide with that location on the yardstick.

That's it. After that I go to the field and fire some pellets at 20 and 25 yards to sight-in the barrel with the scope. At first it's tedious but once you understand the principle behind locating the "center of the scope adjustment" you would have a better chance to say that you will not deviate much with your shots because the scope adjustments are almost within the median.

speedturtle

[Mick]

As one who finds that every rifle comes to shoulder at a different degree of cant, it has always appeared to me that "taking infinite care " to level the reticle of a scope relative to a hypothetical datum line on the rifle is somewhat pointless.   Rather ... I shoulder the rifle and when I feel it is in a comfortable shooting position, I rotat the scope in the rings until it's somewhere close to an estimated horizintal on a mounted target.    Then... when shooting, just keep the horizontal reticle aligned with the target horizontal datum, no matter how off-level it may be ... it's worked for me for over 50 years - lol !

Mick - The Fuzzy Limey
http://fuzzylimey.net