I'm needing to get some of my guns setup and need to purchase some levels so I know everything is all square. What are you guys using.

I bought the scope mounting kit from Wheeler Engineering.  It's made a ton of difference in making my scope mounting easier and more accurate.

I found a pair of small levels at the WalMart in the travel trailer section. Costs about $3.50 and work very well.

Wheeler. The good metal ones with the barrel level. Use in a rifle vice. Perfection.

I use Vortex & MKM bubble levels, and this for mounting http://arisakadefense.com/products/optic-leveler you can also use feeler gauges, or business cards in a pinch.

This

I just went through this.  Thought I could do this on the cheap.  

Tried these from Amazon.

Cheapo

They were absolute garbage!  They each didn't even give the same reading, and when you rolled them, they gave different reading.  

So I decided to pony up and bought the wheeler kit too, perfection!

Wheeler Kit

Segway reticle leveler

I just bought the wheeler kit he posted and it's awesome! I remounted all my scopes when I got it... You have no idea how bad "looks good enough" really is!


 

One of those tools you may not use very often but boy when you need it, it makes the job much easier

I've mounted hundreds of scopes with the wheeler kit (the nice metal one) and it works great.

Even though the wheeler kit is nice and works well, I'd prefer to have either this Badger Ordnance Dead Level kit or this Spuhr Leveling kit

Do you think this kit will work going around handguard on an AR? It looks great for a bolt action rifle.

No I don't think it's wide enough. Why not slip it over the barrel?

 

Once leveled, you still need an anti-cant bubble on the scope when shooting.  The Wheeler Anti-Cant works well for me.  About $30.

I use some levels of my own design, 3d printed and aluminum:

Another +1 for the Wheeler kit.  Has made a huge difference in scope mounting for me.  Wish I had bought it sooner.

Used to have one of those on my rifle. Noticed it would would give different readings after being flipped in and out even though the gun hadn't moved so it went in the garbage. Picked up one of these to replace it and loving it:

I used an app on my phone. Checked level on my rifle in the vice, then mounted the scope and checked level.

It is designed to fit on the barrel. It does not matter where on the barrel.

I also use the arisaka  scope levelor it works great

Because all of my hand guards pretty much extend to the muzzle device.

Good point. I'll check those out later.

feeler gauges to get scope level on rifle
provided you are mounting to a rail

I have flat line ops, vortex, and accuracy first levels. While I like all three for different reasons, the accuracy first uses a bead inside a liquid (for lack of a better term) instead of a liquid with an air bubble. I found this bead to be really useful when shooting in cold environments. I found the bubble only level can split into several different bubbles under 308 recoil in about 20 degree weather. I shook the level and it returned. Just something I noticed first hand. It wasn't awful, but being from the south where it rarely gets that cold it was eye opening.

I have a question. I bought the wheeler Profesional level system, but I have a full length 15 inch SLR slim rail on my rifle. Should I remove it to get to the barrel or do yall think I will be able to use my flash hider to mount the level on? Or could I just put it on the hand rail, it's pretty slim so I think it will fit.

^^^^^^^^^^^

My understanding of the wheeler pro system is you use the barrel clamp as a constant reference once you set it with the other included level (that you will eventually use to level your scope caps). As in the barrel camp can be adjusted to be level with the other level which is on another spot on your rifle. So just level the clamp regardless of what it's attached to. I'd just say make sure it is securely on.

I hope that makes sense but I am afraid it's easier to understand by seeing rather than reading

I'll give it a shot. Thanks for the reply. Here's a pic so you can see what I'm talking about. Its a pretty big pic, just click on the link.

picture

That is so cool!!

The problem I always have is, how do I know the rifle is perfectly level?? Things shift slightly and I can clamp the rifle in a vice somewhat but there's always a lil movement.

Mount your scope using the Badger unit and you know that thing is dead on.

Off to search the internet for the best price

For mounting the scope, check out the Arisaka Defense Optic Leveler.  Stupid simple.

Just got my Wheeler kit in this week...the machines aluminum one with the barrel level that is $40-$50 (depending on where you buy). All I have to say is it beats the heck out of the two small levels I used before. I'm really enjoying it so far

I use feeler gauges to level the scope on the rifle. Cheap and it works.

Starrett 130.

I won't be participating in this argument again, but a PERFECTLY level rifle is not required. Scope yes, rifle no,if you are off a couple degrees( not 5 or 10 a couple) the effect will be minute.

I'm one of the most anal scope mounters out there, so if getting stuff level to an absurd degree bothers, you, do me a favor and stop reading

Have any of you ever compared a level reticle to the top turret on most scopes?  The kits that use the top of the elevation turret...don't generally work.  

Best way I have found is something that goes between your rail or the base of your mount and the flat spot on the bottom of your scope.

The arisaka optic leveler is great for this.  As is a set of feeler gauges.  Arisaka is easier to set since you simply slide it in to get more height, rather than feeler gauges where you are adding or removing shims, inherently you lose an infinite amount of adjustment which the angled arisaka has.  However, you can usually get the shims in there very tight.  

I tighten my rings just to the point where the optic can rotate, but can't be "lifted".  Slide in some feeler gauges, get it close.  Then add your thinnest shims until you can barely get it in there.  Slide back and forth (front to back) a few times and this will generally even everything out.  Tighten up one ring.  Confirm by sliding that it didnt rotate.  Tighten the other ring.

Then what I do to measure even further is place the feeler gauge in half way from the left.  Drag front to rear.  Put in half way from the other side, repeat.  If your scope is perfect, the amount of drag you feel on each side will be the same.  If it significantly tighter on one side, then your scope is slightly off.  Whether or not you care is up to you.

My last confirmation is more for peace of mind.  Its not uncommon that you will look through the scope and think its off, because most people aren't used to seeing a reticle that is so precisely mounted to the rifle...

Find a flat spot on your rifle (forend of your AR15/10), set it up on a bipod and level it out.  If you have a plumb bob line you can set up, use it, and make sure your vertical cross hair is aligned with the level, well....level.  This will help you ensure your hard work paid off, and its nice when you see a perfectly centered level and your crosshair magically line up flawlessly with your line.

If its not, a few things could be happening- 1 your scope is internally rotated, and probably needs a trip back to the manufacturer.  If the flat spot is level, and your reticle is off, that means your erectors wont match the reference lines in your reticle.  Thats bad.  2- Your mount (if you used something that has a flat spot connecting the rings) isn't level relative to your rifle.  But you should have already checked this with a level before you started, so if this was the problem, you shouldn't be discovering that now.  I've had a few big name mounts end up canted on rails that were in spec.  From time to time, something will be off.  3- You just discovered that your forend isn't level relative to your receiver (more of an issue with AR style weapons).  But again, hopefully when you built the rifle, or you got it, you checked to make sure all the parts were square before you got to this point.  If not, well, thats the last thing you can check. 4- your mounting rail is out of spec; I've seen poor tolerance rails that generally still work fine *oversized, undersized, etc*, only once have I had a rail be the culprit for a crooked mounting issue, from a VERY well known upper manufacturer.  I caught it because I had 3 perfectly leveled optics in bobro mounts that I had confirmed were perfect on 3 other rifles.  All reticles ended up appearing crooked, but only on this upper.  The right side of the rail was machined lower, but in a fashion where if you put a level on the TOP, it appeared fine compared to handguards, etc.  The side of the rail was machined improperly, causing the mount to dip on the right side.....rare, but it happens.

I have discovered EVERY problem listed above when building rifles; crooked reticles, crooked mounts, crooked forends, upper receivers with crooked rails.  No builder is exempt from this.  My method takes some time and is redundant, but it eliminates problems before they become one, and if your stuff isn't shooting the way you want it to at the range, you can't blame your gear.  Easiest thing to do is blame the gear, we've all done it.  When you take your time and do your stuff right, then you know what the problem really is.

Use torque wrenches, degrease your screws, and use loctite.  

You spent thousands of dollars on this stuff, get it right.

However, above poster really is right.  If you have your scope consistently oriented, it doesnt really matter if its off a few degrees....so long as you have your optic level when you zero and level when you shoot.  Again, this post is for the meticulous/OCD crowd only