Scope anti can’t levels

a canted gun can mean the difference in a hit or a miss.



i use a level for all types of shooting that i do, except for rapid fire pistol.



if your crosshairs are properly aligned with the bore (lookup the mirror method) 

(not to be confused with using a mirror to optically center your scope,they are 2 different things entirely)

your close and long range groups will fall on your crosshairs instead of drifting left or right the farther out you go (wind permitting of course)

I choose to mount an anti-can’t bubble where I see it all the time without having to shift my head position. Once you get used to it it is normal and quick to verify... sort of instant.



It certainly creates a discipline in shooting that contributes to accuracy and I need all the help I can get. I am convinced it helps... especially at longer ranges.

heres a great site with a small app that will let you play around with gun cant to see for yourself how it will affect shots



http://www.arld1.com/targetplottrajectory3.html

I've set rifles up with plumb lines, stacks of feeler gauges, 3 levels, etc. Once tested at 50 yards doing a box test, knowing scope is true as are all clicks, then we move to the level.

I always shoot with both eyes open and the level is as easy to see as the target or reticle. I don't have to change focus to look at any of the 3. Plus, after as much time as one puts in, you tend to develop muscle memory and little tricks to repeat exact holds.

I find a level is very important in long distance shooting, and in the air gun world, that term can vary; but with todays air guns, let's just say anything past 75 yards. A level is just as important for closer shots, I just don't feel I need it then.

I suggest trying a 150 yard group with a level, and without one. You don't need massive power. Even 20 to 30 ftlbs can do it but there's going to be a lot of drop. Most folks consider this a waste of pellets but I look at it as learning the winds and observing the surroundings. 

I run levels on all my air guns. If the line of sight is far from the bore such as it is with a bullpup, it is a necessity in my opinion. I usually don't worry about checking level while hunting unless it's a long shot and time allows.

you have to align the crosshairs of the scope with the bore before you adjust your level to...level.


best method ive found is the mirror method,it perfectly aligns the crosshairs with the bore.

get a mirror,set it up at say 5yds,set your scope to 10 yds (or when its focused in the mirror)

look through the scope at your reflection in the mirror (a steady gun rest helps)

rotate the scope till the vertical crosshair intersects the center of the barrel when the crosshairs are centered on the scope objective.

"bam" your crosshairs are now aligned with the bore

then you can use a plumb line and level the crosshairs and set the level.

you have to align the crosshairs of the scope with the bore before you adjust your level to...level.


best method ive found is the mirror method,it perfectly aligns the crosshairs with the bore.

get a mirror,set it up at say 5yds,set your scope to 10 yds (or when its focused in the mirror)

look through the scope at your reflection in the mirror (a steady gun rest helps)

rotate the scope till the vertical crosshair intersects the center of the barrel when the crosshairs are centered on the scope objective.

"bam" your crosshairs are now aligned with the bore

then you can use a plumb line and level the crosshairs and set the level.

Click to expand...

Nice! I’ve not ever known that method, thank you.

im curious if it’s ant different than my method of using the wheeler scope mount levels, the one that has a level that clamps onto the barrel up front, then you have a separate level that you set on a flat spot on the gun, usually the receiver or on top of the dovetails. When that shows level, that means the gun is level side to side. You take that second level that’s clamped onto the barrel and it has an adjustment to put the bubble at midpoint, to match the level on the receiver. Now you attach the scope rings to the receiver, set the scope in the mounts, then take that bubble level you had on the receiver and set it on top of the elevation turret. Slowly turn your scope to level to match the one clamped onto the barrel, and you’re good to go, right? Any difference when compared to your mirror method?

After the scope is mounted, I then take the gun onto a bench, and adjust the can’t level to a plumb bob, and sure enough, while looking at the plump bob thru the scope, the vertical cross hair is plumb with the plumb bob. School me on the differences. I enjoy this stuff, lol

Click to expand...

When using the Wheeler kit, at what point did you check to see if the vertical reticle intersected the center of the barrel?

Your method ASSUMES that the dovetail and scope rings are perfectly aligned and centered with respect to the bore. Unless you have a super-precision rifle, that is rarely the case. I would never expect it on a break barrel piston gun. A bubble level has no part in insuring that the scope itself is mounted correctly - so why use one to mount a scope?

The only bubble level that you need is the one that indicates when the gun is being held such that the reticle is plumb to earth. When adjusting the bubble level, I'll sometimes focus on a carpenters level that is stood vertically instead of a plumb line, but the plumb line is probably better.

A scope mounted bubble level is the last part of the equation - not the first. It's purpose is to use in the field to insure that you are holding the gun level when you make the shot.

I recently bought a magnetic mount Bushnell optical collimator. It's great for checking the tracking of the turrets vs the reticle, But for scope alignment, the 5yd-10yd mirror method seems to work just as well.

EXD Engineering make a nifty reticle tool that I’ve been using for years in conjunction with a plumb bob. Similar in concept to a center finder on pipe times 2 without the punch. I’ve not seen anything better yet. 

EXD Engineering make a nifty reticle tool that I’ve been using for years in conjunction with a plumb bob. Similar in concept to a center finder on pipe times 2 without the punch. I’ve not seen anything better yet.

Click to expand...

The EXD Engineering device is designed for typical PB rifles. It assumes that the dovetail/mounts/reciever/barrel/bore are all co-linear.

If you have a piston gun, especially a break barrel, you should not assume that.

You need something that references the bore. In many cases, a mirror is better. Or use a bore collimator.

you have to align the crosshairs of the scope with the bore before you adjust your level to...level.


best method ive found is the mirror method,it perfectly aligns the crosshairs with the bore.

get a mirror,set it up at say 5yds,set your scope to 10 yds (or when its focused in the mirror)

look through the scope at your reflection in the mirror (a steady gun rest helps)

rotate the scope till the vertical crosshair intersects the center of the barrel when the crosshairs are centered on the scope objective.

"bam" your crosshairs are now aligned with the bore

then you can use a plumb line and level the crosshairs and set the level.

Click to expand...

+1 for this brilliant sugestion.