The Manufacturer's Directions for Optically Zeroing a Scope

Thanks jim. Im going to save that link for possible future problems.

First saw this method from Tom Gaylord/bb pelletier on his blog on airgun academy from 2005 (!!!). Very precise method, if a bit time consuming.

There is very little you can't find on that blog! Wish he was on this forum! The guy has incredible knowledge 

Yes the V block approach is my preferred approach as well. I make the case for why in the article linked in your previous thread but the main caveat with the mirror method is that is assumes the objective bell is _perfectly_ perpendicular to the scope tube. Regarding the counting clicks method is that not all turret designs are robust enough to tolerate going all the way to the ends.

Nonetheless, a mirror will often get you close enough for all practical purposes and it can even be done with the scope still on the rifle if you use a portable mirror rather than a wall mirror. A wall mirror is a bit easier to use however because the glass is usually thicker so it lets in more light.

One little trick that I find useful is to initially center a scope with a V block and mark the zero with a small dot of White Out or fingernail polish (or remove and reset the cap for scopes that support it). Then down the road if I want to check how far off center I am, a mirror gets me close enough to know I’m not off by a full turn and then I can use the marking to know I’m centered.

+1

 

After reading about optically centering, I played with it the first couple times I mounted a scope. But after further study, I realized it was somewhat pointless. Knowing how most scopes work, I have since relied solely on mechanical centering. Sure there might be some perceived benefit to optically centering, but as long as I'm within one turn (sometimes even more) of mechanical center, I literally can't tell the difference. With a well designed scope, mechanical center should be close enough to optical center. And if you want your scope to track well when clicking for elevation and/or windage, mechanical center is more important. As long as you are aware of the resistance and don't apply excessive torque, the turret should easily withstand the full range of mechanical motion when doing a setup. But then try to stay within 1 or 1-1/2 turns of center after that. A lot of Field target shooters click their scopes for all distances. They are nowhere near optical center when doing so, and they manage to hit the target a high percentage of the time.

Here is a scope where optical center is fixed, regardless of turret adjustment:
http://marchoptics.com/shop/brand_march-optics/firstfocalplane/6-60x56mm-scope

this is not a scope problem but a design of gun problem. need 20moa built in rail so you dont have to mess with the turrets that much. some have bent barrels or way too high pointed forward only scopes, of course the scope needs to look DOWN or the line of sight will never cross the pellet trajectory - the scope is over the barrel after all.



...if you have a bent barrel there is no scope which can fix that, also a possibility



many owners will be pissed off after centering the scope to only find out their gun does not shoot straight!!! 





what thread clock wise or ACW the elevation turret has typically, i never remember which way to turn lol



i think it is better to show a picture when it is overadjusted on one turret, then you adjust the other and it will mess it up internally, you get the idea

http://bsaguns.co.uk/optics/scope-setup.aspx