Rifle Scopes Mark 4hd Out of Alignment Reticle Help/Mounting Opinions

Shootin25

Shootin25

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#1
New MK4hd. Referenced scope bottom and turret for level. Mounted to spec, and checked reticle via flashlight, off by 1.2* from turret checked with pulse. Unmounted and verified everything 2 times with same results.

I dial so am planning to follow level scope and then verify via tall target.
Am I doing the right thing here? Did I miss a step? Should I just be sending this for warranty work?
IMG_1103.jpeg
IMG_1102.jpeg
 
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#8
That's why I prefer leveling the scope with the turrets as reference. This will show you if the reticle is canted inside scope and if it is canted at least your clicks will only adjust in elevation or windage directions and not both when you level using only the reticle.
 
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#11
You should try a tall target test to confirm.

There are 3 things here. The orientation of the tube, the turret tracking and the cross hairs being plum with gravity. It's possible the turrets and the cross hairs line up but the tube is not perfect centered with the bottom of housing. Set the reticle with the plumb bob and a level and then do a tall target test. If everything tracks then just live with it. The bottom of the housing is really just a reference to get super close. It should be dead on but not the end of the world if the tracking lines up perfectly with reticle.
 
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#12
Is it still level to the base after torqueing ring caps? That can cant a scope applying final torque. Is the mechanical turret level? (Not the scope cap)
 
#14
I would have leveled the reticle to the plumb line, and then dialed it fully through the travel. If they deviated then you have an issue. If they stay together then there's nothing wrong.

If the reticle and turret track together, who gives a shit where the scope body is?

99% chance your bubble level that you used everywhere else is off by 1° or more anyways.
 
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#15
chevy_man said:
I would have leveled the reticle to the plumb line, and then dialed it fully through the travel. If they deviated then you have an issue. If they stay together then there's nothing wrong.

If the reticle and turret track together, who gives a shit where the scope body is?

99% chance your bubble level that you used everywhere else is off by 1° or more anyways.
Click to expand...
You’re probably right. I used a granite surface plate and gauge blocks to find repeatable surfaces on the housing. I’m relatively confident in the equipment, but maybe I over complicated the process. This just happens to be the first time that I could not get plumb & level results. I was actually surprised at how obvious it was when I got behind the scope.
 
#17
I agree with the guys saying to level the reticle with the plumb line and then see if it tracks... if it tracks, then it's useable, and then you'd just have to decide if having the scope body canted bothers you enough to bother sending it in?

That said, I had 1 MK4HD that the clicks on the turret were spongy and the clicks didn't really ever match up precisely enough with the turret cap to not drive me crazy (but otherwise tracked and worked 100%), then I bought another/different one, and that unit not only had shitty click to turret cap alignment, but also tracked fucked up, and I sent that one back to Leupold and it was replaced under warranty after me hounding them for a month.

I sold the replacement scope without ever taking it out of the plastic, and then was annoyed when the new owner told me the reticle was canted in the scope body fresh out of the box (like the OP describes) when I asked if everything was cool with the new unit and our transaction (he said he was going to shoot/test it and then decide if he needed/wanted to send it in and IDK what he decided).

So take that how you want, but it doesn't seem like Leupold has it together quite yet on putting the MK4HDs together yet, which is a shame since I really liked the glass in mine (and not just for the money) and loved the PR3 reticle... and after getting used to that had to go deeper into my wallet for a ZCO with their MPCT1X to get the same thing I was looking for.

FWIW, I've moved away from a plumb line to one of these so I can sort of test the tracking of the elevation and windage after an install and before leaving the house and it's worked out good so far when mounting about 4 different scopes now:

Screenshot 2025-01-31 at 4.58.27 PM.png

 
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#18
CK1.0 said:
I agree with the guys saying to level the reticle with the plumb line and then see if it tracks... if it tracks, then it's useable, and then you'd just have to decide if having the scope body canted bothers you enough to bother sending it in?

That said, I had 1 MK4HD that the clicks on the turret were spongy and the clicks didn't really ever match up precisely enough with the turret cap to not drive me crazy (but otherwise tracked and worked 100%), then I bought another/different one, and that unit not only had shitty click to turret cap alignment, but also tracked fucked up, and I sent that one back to Leupold and it was replaced under warranty after me hounding them for a month.

I sold the replacement scope without ever taking it out of the plastic, and then was annoyed when the new owner told me the reticle was canted in the scope body fresh out of the box (like the OP describes) when I asked if everything was cool with the new unit and our transaction (he said he was going to shoot/test it and then decide if he needed/wanted to send it in and IDK what he decided).

So take that how you want, but it doesn't seem like Leupold has it together quite yet on putting the MK4HDs together yet, which is a shame since I really liked the glass in mine (and not just for the money) and loved the PR3 reticle... and after getting used to that had to go deeper into my wallet for a ZCO with their MPCT1X to get the same thing I was looking for.

FWIW, I've moved away from a plumb line to one of these so I can sort of test the tracking of the elevation and windage after an install and before leaving the house and it's worked out good so far when mounting about 4 different scopes now:

View attachment 8605996

Click to expand...
Not that I'm being funny, but what is the one of these called that you are using?
 
#21
CK1.0 said:
I agree with the guys saying to level the reticle with the plumb line and then see if it tracks... if it tracks, then it's useable, and then you'd just have to decide if having the scope body canted bothers you enough to bother sending it in?

That said, I had 1 MK4HD that the clicks on the turret were spongy and the clicks didn't really ever match up precisely enough with the turret cap to not drive me crazy (but otherwise tracked and worked 100%), then I bought another/different one, and that unit not only had shitty click to turret cap alignment, but also tracked fucked up, and I sent that one back to Leupold and it was replaced under warranty after me hounding them for a month.

I sold the replacement scope without ever taking it out of the plastic, and then was annoyed when the new owner told me the reticle was canted in the scope body fresh out of the box (like the OP describes) when I asked if everything was cool with the new unit and our transaction (he said he was going to shoot/test it and then decide if he needed/wanted to send it in and IDK what he decided).

So take that how you want, but it doesn't seem like Leupold has it together quite yet on putting the MK4HDs together yet, which is a shame since I really liked the glass in mine (and not just for the money) and loved the PR3 reticle... and after getting used to that had to go deeper into my wallet for a ZCO with their MPCT1X to get the same thing I was looking for.

FWIW, I've moved away from a plumb line to one of these so I can sort of test the tracking of the elevation and windage after an install and before leaving the house and it's worked out good so far when mounting about 4 different scopes now:

View attachment 8605996

Click to expand...
Wait, we’re talking about a ~1 degree deviation and you’re using this to level your scope?

IMG_6925.jpeg
 
#23
I just use the laser level to get me as close as I can (and to help with any paranoia I still have from my Leupold experience)… I then shoot it out to 1250 yards and recheck things again with a leveled target at 100 yards when I get to the range to confirm my shit is legit and nothing is wonky.
 
#25
As of Feb 5, the email I received from Leupold said it would take 8 weeks for warranty service to be completed. That was a few days after my scope arrived to their place.

Was the scope replaced or did they actually repair it?
 
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