Do you set your crosshairs flat

Rifle scopes, iron sights and optics. Spotting scopes and target acquisition devices.

Do you set your crosshairs flat

Post by jubble » 10 Oct 2014, 10:17 am

I was at the range on the weekend and got talking with a guy who was nice enough to let me shoot his bullpup.

(Want one! but that's another topic :lol:)

The crosshairs on this scope though were SO far off flat. It would have been rotated 15 degrees off or something. So bad he couldn't possible have not noticed.

Doesn't bother some people I guess? Irritates the hell out of me! :lol:
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Re: Do you set your crosshairs flat

Post by tom604 » 10 Oct 2014, 12:04 pm

maybe he holds his head on a lean.or his gun? i like mine flat not sure if it matters? ;)
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Re: Do you set your crosshairs flat

Post by Lorgar » 10 Oct 2014, 3:03 pm

Yes.

It inflames my OCD to see them unbalanced.
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Re: Do you set your crosshairs flat

Post by Bennybigbores » 10 Oct 2014, 6:04 pm

Same same, hate unlevel reticles spent countless hrs levelling and releveling. Pet hate of mine
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Re: Do you set your crosshairs flat

Post by Chronos » 10 Oct 2014, 6:35 pm

i go to great pains to sut up my target rifles level but tend to set up my hunting rifles so that when i stand in a comfortable position the scope is level

as for the rifle you shot he could have done it on purpose, the DTA SRS i handled had the scope canted too, for me to shoot the rifle standing i still had to tilt my head over the rifle more than normal to get my eye onto the scope (it's set up for prone shooting) but if i held the rifle with the scope level it kept my head more upright

the only problem with having the rifle canted to get the scope retical level is that the scope moves of center and isn't directly above the bore, not a major issue for
interestingly he also had a holographic sight, a leupold delta point mounted at 45deg on the forend for close up moving target shooting. can't catch up to that pig through the high powered S&B? tilt the rifle 45deg and go all red dot on it LOL

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Re: Do you set your crosshairs flat

Post by Bennybigbores » 10 Oct 2014, 7:10 pm

A badly unlevel reticle also has effects on acuracy at longer ranges, here for a dramatic example if it was off set at 45* and you were to somehow hold that rifle so the cross hairs were flat, the centre of your cross hair is no longer directly above your bore, say sight height 1 1/2" your bore is now say 1/2 inch to left or right which adds up, say you zero at 50m, the bullet starts 1 1/2 in low and say 1/2 in right hits smack on at 50m but the projectile started to the right has travel left to hit 50m zero and will continue travelling straight which my amplify to 2+ inches at 200 etc.

Like I said 45* is an example only but even a ten or so degree angle has same effect, so I always try my hardest to level and centre my scopes perfectly, can also encounter this prob with cheap nasty Chinese mounts that are badly manufactured and offset scope, can be compensated for of course but it will frustrate you to no end until you find the problem, my .22lr smack on at 25m 1 1/2 right at 60m etc due to cheap nasty offset in scope rings.

Had a Konus scope with level built in was handy to judge canting which can play a large roll in the long shots
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Re: Do you set your crosshairs flat

Post by Herdsman » 12 Oct 2014, 5:07 pm

Only need a spirit level to get them pretty perfect.

Good enough for most anyway.... I definitely get it as best I can.
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Re: Do you set your crosshairs flat

Post by brett1868 » 12 Oct 2014, 6:41 pm

I initially mount using the method in the picture then I calibrate against a 4ft board with a 1" grid at 100 yards. Not only do I suffer from OCD but I'm also ultra an#l retentive :D

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Re: Do you set your crosshairs flat

Post by Jack V » 12 Oct 2014, 7:34 pm

Ah you have never heard of corneal astigmatism ( misshaped eye lens ) . This can cause you to see the reticule as square to the action when in fact it is not .
He may think it is square to the action . You look at it and it's not square . He will not cant the gun if he set the gun up vertical first and moved the reticule to look ok to his eyes . You will cant the gun if you move it to what looks right to your eyes. What will happen to him is vertical turret adjustments will track off centre as he winds on more elevation with the turret. 15 degrees is fairly bad though but not impossible.
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Re: Do you set your crosshairs flat

Post by brett1868 » 12 Oct 2014, 9:55 pm

Jack V wrote:Ah you have never heard of corneal astigmatism ( misshaped eye lens ) . This can cause you to see the reticule as square to the action when in fact it is not .
He may think it is square to the action . You look at it and it's not square . He will not cant the gun if he set the gun up vertical first and moved the reticule to look ok to his eyes . You will cant the gun if you move it to what looks right to your eyes. What will happen to him is vertical turret adjustments will track off centre as he winds on more elevation with the turret. 15 degrees is fairly bad though but not impossible.


I'll have to remember that next time I get drunk, I always thought it was the alcohol making things look crooked :D
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Re: Do you set your crosshairs flat

Post by Jack V » 13 Oct 2014, 1:03 pm

brett1868 wrote:
Jack V wrote:Ah you have never heard of corneal astigmatism ( misshaped eye lens ) . This can cause you to see the reticule as square to the action when in fact it is not .
He may think it is square to the action . You look at it and it's not square . He will not cant the gun if he set the gun up vertical first and moved the reticule to look ok to his eyes . You will cant the gun if you move it to what looks right to your eyes. What will happen to him is vertical turret adjustments will track off centre as he winds on more elevation with the turret. 15 degrees is fairly bad though but not impossible.


I'll have to remember that next time I get drunk, I always thought it was the alcohol making things look crooked :D

Rotational position of the eye observing the reticule can change the perception of vertical and horizontal .
That is why if you have any astigmatism or not , and many don't know they have , then it is important to get your head in the normal shooting position on the stock to set up the scope . For eye relief and reticule level . Do an experiment get behind the gun and rotate your head around behind the scope . Sometimes the reticule will look out of vertical at some point .
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Re: Do you set your crosshairs flat

Post by Lyam » 13 Oct 2014, 2:06 pm

Herdsman wrote:Only need a spirit level to get them pretty perfect.


That'll all I did.

Works a treat.
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Re: Do you set your crosshairs flat

Post by Seconds » 13 Oct 2014, 5:32 pm

Do it slackers!

Annoys me as well :lol:
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Re: Do you set your crosshairs flat

Post by upup » 09 Jan 2015, 8:36 am

Yes!

It pisses me off to no end looking through a wonky one.
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Re: Do you set your crosshairs flat

Post by MalleeFarmer » 22 Jan 2015, 8:09 pm

Hang a string and weight the bottom of it on a calm day and set your rifle up on a gun vise or similar and sight the string down the vertical on your crosshairs. it has to be level or windage and elevation adjustments will affect each other.
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Re: Do you set your crosshairs flat

Post by Gwion » 23 Jan 2015, 7:04 am

Dunno if it's just me, but i have found if the reticle is even slightly out of kilter, a can't hit anything that isn't almost exactly at the zero range. Maybe i automatically hold the rifle so that the reticle is level & plumb and so then cant the rifle, throwing accuracy WAY out at various ranges.

I now take great pains to ensure all my rifles are set up with the reticle plumb and square to the X/Y axis of the bore.
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Re: Do you set your crosshairs flat

Post by Usurper » 23 Jan 2015, 7:06 pm

Gwion wrote:I now take great pains to ensure all my rifles are set up with the reticle plumb and square to the X/Y axis of the bore.


Ditto.

It's a chore to get perfect but at least you only have to do it once.
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Re: Do you set your crosshairs flat

Post by Westy » 23 Jan 2015, 7:10 pm

Lorgar wrote:Yes.

It inflames my OCD to see them unbalanced.


Yes.

Although sometimes I do put it on Sideways :lol: :clap: :lol: :thumbsup: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy:

Nice one L
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Re: Do you set your crosshairs flat

Post by Lorgar » 26 Jan 2015, 1:00 pm

Westy wrote:Yes.

Although sometimes I do put it on Sideways :lol: :clap: :lol: :thumbsup: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy:

Nice one L


I think you'll find I put them perfectly sideways.
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