I picked up a rifle at a gun show, after getting home I noticed that the scope doesn't appear to line up exactly with with the barrel Its probably off 1/16 but not more than 1/8 of an inch. I bought a scope guide and adjusted the scope so that it is right on. Should I take it to a gunsmith and have the scope lined up with the barrel or is this not a problem?

I don't think there is a problem if it shoots to point of aim and scope clarity is good.

Ideally, after rifle is sighted-in the scope mounts should be holding the scope near the reticle's center-of-adjustment for best optical performance.

[ 11-12-2002, 04:20: Message edited by: steve y ]

If it might do any good I would remove the scope and completly inspect the mounting job before attempting to sight it in. If it is sound and it will in fact adjust up then it should be alright.

Just out of curiosity, what would a smith do if the scoope couldn't be adjusted and the customer didn't want to use adjustable rings (Millet or Burris)? The things that come to mind would be to make custom bases, or if it wasn't too far, the screw holes could be moved using a larger diamter bit? What would be commonly done?

Ryan

Chuck,

Try another scope.

A gunsmith can make small adjustments in scope base alignment by going to a larger base screw. For instance, going from a 6X48 screw to an 8X40, you can make a .020 adjustment. If it is out more than that and the gun is otherwise salvageable and worth the cost, a gunsmith can make a custom base that will correct the alignment problem.

Good luck,

Malm

P.S. before I run off, check the barrel to see if it is straight and in alaignment with the receiver...

Malm

Chuck,

Let me see if I understand you correctly- You bought a rifle and notice that the crosshairs are canted, or not straight up and down when you hold the rifle up to your eye. You then took a bore sighter (collimator) and centered the bullseye in the scope?

The answer to your question is that it really doesn't make a difference with a big game rifle having a little cant. I find it annoying so I take pains to center it but you don't have to. There are a bunch of ways to do this, do a search in the forum for "levelling recticule" and I'm pretty sure it will come up.

OOPS!

Just read it again and see what the others are saying. I'd just shoot it first and see if there is a problem, though I'd take it apart and inspect everything again first. If you do have a sighting in problem Burris offset rings work good.

So, if the receiver is tapped at 6-48, how far could a scope mount realistically be moved? I'm asking because I believe I have a bad drill/tap job on a Remington 788 in .243. It wasn't noticable with a 3-9X scope, but with the 8-32X, and a sunshade, I can see the scope is out of line with the bore. I can't get close to getting the POI to match the crosshairs.

Ryan

Big R---

Holes CANNOT be "moved" by redrilling. It has to be bored or plunge milled then re-tapped. I see off center 8-40 holes on a regular basis that started out as off center 6-48s.

A 6-48 hole can be "adjusted" by about .030. That'll fix all but the very worst D&T jobs.

If the rifle check out ok. Get a set of burris signature posialign scope rings and a set of inserts. Center the scopes reticle in a set of "v" blocks or even a cardboard box with a couple of "v" notches cut in it. Use the inserts to mount the scope as straight as possible. You can usually get it very close tshis way. And no machining, plugging or drilling. You can do it all on your kitchen table. Email me with any questions. Good luck, Ken