Tips on using a bubble level on your gun
If you plan on using a bubble level on your rifle, here’s something I’d like to share:
Bubble levels on a rifle are only going to be useful if the scope is properly aligned with the barrel’s axis (center), not with the axis of the scope’s mounting base whether it is of a dovetail or picatinny type. If the center of the scope’s mounting base is also aligned vertically with the barrel, then you can go ahead and use that as a reference. You should always use the barrel’s axis as the reference point, though, because you want to make sure that the scope’s vertical axis has a true relationship with it. Sometimes, the flat part on the rails are not as horizontally flat as some may think. That’s why it’s always top priority to reference the vertical strand on the reticle with the barrel’s center point.
So how do you align the scope and barrel? All you do is look through the scope, making sure that all the edges are crisp looking as they can be without any fuzziness or black shadows around. This ensures that you are viewing through the scope evenly. Then, you line up the vertical line of the reticle with the center of the barrel. Or, in some rifles that won’t allow you to see the barrel, you center the reticle’s vertical strand on the center of the rear of the breech block. You’ll have to rely on your peripheral vision here. 😉 That’s it. You don’t need any special tool to do this.
When choosing levels, it’s always a good idea to get one that you can adjust. Levels that mount on the scope tube are the best because they offer vertical and horizontal adjustability. Once your scope is properly leveled with the barrel’s axis, using the bubble level (scope mount type), the next step is to look through the scope and line up its reticle’s vertical strand with the vertical line on a plumb line. If it does not line up, you adjust the bubble level only to line up with the plumb line. You do not adjust the scope anymore because the scope is already aligned with the barrel. This is a common and big mistake most shooters make.
Beware! On some videos on Youtube on scope-leveling, the person giving advice does not know what he/she is saying or doing. Some of these people commonly use the mounting rails as a reference to level the scope. I think this is a big mistake. I’ve seen some rails that are not as flat as they seem. Also, some use the top (elevation) turret as a reference. Or, others use the flat base on the bottom of the adjustment turrets. These are also bad because once the mounts are tightened, the plane of both of these areas can shift a small amount and will no longer make the top turret perfectly horizontal. Also, sometimes the vertical strand on the reticle isn’t even lined up with the center of the flat base below the adjustment turrets. These people are just giving a lot of bad advice and misinformation. I’ve been using the method prescribed above for all of my guns for years, and I think it is the only way to get a true scope-to-barrel alignment.
For some guns, especially the cheaply manufactured ones, you may find that the reticle on the scope does not look as straight to your eye as it should. It is because sometimes the stock’s lines, breech, or scope rails are not as horizontally flat or is uneven in their plane although the scope is aligned to the barrel. In this case, you’re going to have to cant the rifle to vertically level the reticle. In extreme cases, the stock might even look crooked, but what is most important is that you’re shooting with the barrel and scope vertically straight with respect to the pull of gravity, which is straight down. This is why it’s important to do what I mentioned above first and to use an adjustable bubble level like the one that mounts onto a scope. That’s it! 😉
When all is done, when shooting, you just refer to your bubble level to ensure that you are shooting straight…and of course, with regard to the laws of physics and gravity as they are, after all, what govern ballistics. 😀
Using the method above, here’s what is possible.
Pellet-stacking with my TX200 .22 at 30 yards:
Pellet stacking with my Air Arms S410 at 30 yards:
Let’s see what my Cricket can do when I get the chance to do some proper long-range shooting with it. 😉
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I am thinking of corse when putting the scope on for the first time, if the scope is already mounted and good to go there is no need for a box test when attaching the bubble level. :fishinghole:
This is an old thread, but what about the box test, Is that something you use? Or did you perhaps do that before mounting the bubble level.
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There is no need to center a scope’s reticle before aligning it with the axis of the barrel. The reticle is still going to be adjusted out-of-center when sighting in a rifle anyway once the vertical strand is inline with the barrel’s axis, so all that effort is simply wasted. Also, the muzzle is never really centered with the scope with an optically-aligned reticle even with high-end rifles.
The only time centering a scope works is if adjustable mounts are used. With the mounts you would get the scope as close as possible to true center (just like with the scope), then the elevation and windage turrets on the scope would be used for fine adjustments. The benefit to using adjustable mounts is that they allow the windage and elevation position from being moved far beyond center so that the spring that suspends the erector tube is not overly retracted or compressed, eliminating any play/wallowing (from adjustments when the spring exceeds its relaxed state) or too much tension (from too much left/down adjustment).