Optically centering scopes?
 

Do you optically center your scopes or not? I typically DO, before installing the scope, but then I don't worry about adjusting AWAY from the optical center to sight in the rifle. Ideally, it would be great if the optical center WAS at least laterally in line with the bore, but it rarely works out that way.

On ONE rifle, I did have a lot of problem with lateral deviation, however, I just added the lateral corrections to my field card, instead of spending a lot of time aligning the scope or replacing rings/mounts.

So how much stock do you put into optically centering your scopes?

I usually use leupold std rings, where you can center the windage. So yes, I do center the windage using the rear bases. Take the scope to max and go in the middle.

You can also use the burris inserts (which I hate) and center for elevation or make it so you can get max elevtion. But if you ever try this, its a job changing out the inserts. Won't waste my money on this again.

Or use biased bases like a 30MOA Picatinny.

I have seen several folks, go out and throw on a scope and then try to adjust but swear up and down the scope is junk, and turns out they didn't center the scope, and have crap rings or gun.

Hey RR, I have tried the mirror trick too. What I notice is the "middle" adjustment is sometimes not the same as lining up the crosshairs in a mirror. Close.

In other words, if I center the scope by pushing to the extremes and setting in the middle, sometimes the crosshairs do not line up in the mirror.

Never knew which idea was better. I guess the end outcome is to get maximum adjustment along with trustworthy MOA adjustments, which you won't at the edges.

.... Never tried the mirror deal. I'm gonna have to check that out. I've always used the lock-to-lock and divide by 2 method, which seems to work well enough....

That's what I do to...might have to try out the mirror thing one day.