I am in the process of remounting a Nikon Buckmaster 6x18 scope on a remington m700 action. I am using Leupold 2 piece bases and Burris signature rings for the task. Because of the inserts that accompany the Burris rings, i want to center my scope optically prior to mounting and then use the inserts to get it as close to zero as i possibly can before turning the adjustment knobs. I have read of several methods of accomplishing this task including both counting the number of clicks one way and dividing by zero and also by using a mirror held to the objective lens and looking through the scope and aligning the crosshairs with the ghost image of the crosshairs.

I have tried both methods also and i was unsure if one presented any advantages over the other in truely centering the scope. When using the mirror method, i had an EXTREMELY hard time seeing the ghost image. When i could, it was very faint and not focused. Furthermore, i had a hard time actually seeing through the scope when the mirror was held flush to the objective side of the scope. Am i doing something wrong here? Should i have positioned the mirror a few inches away from the end of the objective side of the scope? Perhaps you all can provide me with a bit of clarification here.

I have also attempted the count and divide by two method. I have heard that this method is not quite as good as the mirror method. What do you all think?

Thanks for any help that you can provide me with. I really appreciate it.

Thanks,
Ruck

I set mine in a pair of V-blocks mounted inline on a board. (you can cut them out of a 2x4 on a table saw than saw the 2x4 in two.) Than sight through the scope to an object about 50 yards away. Rotate the scope in the blocks and adjust the turrets until the center of the recticle stays on the target with very little deviation as you rotate the scope in the blocks. You can kinda figure out how much to turn the turret by rotating the scope 180 degrees at a time and seeing how far off it is in each direction. Than do the other turret. Gets it centered for sure.

btt...surely someone knows what they're doing or something.

The mirror needs to be against the objective bell, the thickness of glass on the mirror makes a difference, to move the mirror away from the objective bell, use a piece of glass between the mirror and the bell to allow more light into the scope. You will still need to get the light source angle just right to reflect the light thru the scope so you can see the reticle and the reticle image in the mirror. I've used this method on 50-60 scopes, it works on almost all of them, although there have been a few it didn't. I learned about it on the Leupold web site in their Answer Guide.

http://www.leupold.com/resources/MyInfo81/Answerbook/findanswers.aspx

quote:

Centering of a scope's adjustment dials
The elevation and windage adjustments of a scope are easily centered. Place a small mirror against the objective end of the scope. That would be the end farthest from your eye as you look through the scope. Make certain that the mirror is large enough to cover the entire objective. It must also be flat against the objective. With the scope's power selector ring set at the lowest magnification, look through the eyepiece as you would while aiming at a target. If the scope's windage and elevation adjustments are off center, you will see two images of the reticle (cross-hair). To reach the center of the adjustment range, simply turn the elevation and windage dials until you see only one image of the reticle.

I just hold the scope flush against the bathroom mirror. You can see the reticle pretty well.

I count the total numbers of clicks, then come back for half of it. As I buy mainly EAW mounts which have adjustments in the base, I center the scope with a collimator, using the mount's adjustment. Only after that, do I resort to the scope turrets.