Guys, I have hunted and shot many game animals in my short life of 24 years, but today I just realized I have never mounted a scope. I know there is tons of knowledge out there! What is the best way to go about mounting a variable scope on a relatively stiff recoiling rifle? Eye clearance will need to be adequate. Discuss!

there are lots of folks who know alot more about this than me, but what I try to do when mounting a scope on any new rifle I get is to determine how I will most comfortably shoot that rifle so I know exactly how I am going to hold it. then I loosely mount the scope and hold the rifle the way I have determined I am going to hold it and move the scope back and forth until I get full field of view in the scope, but still making sure I have adequate eye relief, which of course is probably different depending on how much the rifle recoils.

I invested in one of those tools sold by brownells that you put polishing paste on. once I get the scope where I want it loosely, I take it out and run that polishing tube in and out quite a few times to even things up a bit so as to minimize the chance of putting severe rings in the scopes finish. You need to really be careful about cleaning out that grit as best as you can or you defeat the purpose of using it.

Another thing is I like to zero out the scope before I install it if it is not a brand new scope. And then try to mount it as close to perfect as possible by using any mounting adjustments without having to use the scope adjustments unless its necessary.

With all due respect to the previous poster...it is useless to do any checking or adjusting with a scope and then lap or ream the rings.

Scopes need to be set up and mounted in order. First comes the base[s]...then comes the rings...then comes the scope.

The idea is to get the finished product in as perfect horizontal alignment as you can possibly get to the bore of the rifle. This is, in my opinion, most easily and accurately accomplished by using a laser bore sighter as a reference point.

Once that has been done the next step is to position the scope for proper eye relief and for a level cross hair.

For this you need to be able to mount the rifle in a steady rest of some kind and level it (side to side) with a good bubble level. Next you need to rotate the scope so the cross hairs are also level and square. This can be easily and inexpensively done by using a rope with a weight tied to the end so it will hang and let gravity put it on a true vertical plane for you. Rotate your scope until the vertical cross hair is aligned with the vertical hanging rope.

At the point tighten down the ring screws and recheck the level. You now have a scope that is horizontally zeroed for a no wind situation, a scope that is set for the proper eye relief, and a scope that is not canted from side to side in relationship to the rifle.

Now, you are ready to vertically zero the scope to your particular cartridge. You can get yourself “on paper†by using the laser bore sighter and then fine tune that by firing groups and adjusting as necessary.

Rick

I don't disagree with you. Obviously, after doing the lapping so as to avoid ring marks one has to go ahead and readjust the scope. the lapping isn't to position the scope, its just to take the sharp edges off the rings so they dont dig into the finish.

Hey fusino, If you will buy the Burris Signature Rings and Bases, you won't have to bother with Lapping. As a nice Bonus, you will never mar a scope tube with the Signatures and their "grip" on a scope tube is outstanding. I shoot some very light rifles with considerable recoil and had a problem with scope slippage until I put the Signatures on.

Once you get the Signatures mounted on your rifle, take it to a Gun Shop when you are deciding on which Scope you want to buy. The reason for this is the distance between the Rings is different from rifle to rifle and not all scopes will fit. It would be a shame to get a scope and then find the distance between the rings is too wide for the scope to fit.

Go to the Burris web site to check on the Signatures and how they work. They are really an outstanding design.

^^Already bought a scope

I hope it fits: Leopold VX 3-9X 40mm tube.

Your Leupold scope should mount on most actions without a problem. Just make sure that when you go to install rings on bases you don't use scope tube to twist rings into the dovetails. Use a 1" tube, rod, pipe so as not to damage scope.

Good suggestions.........

One other point: Make sure that your scope's windage adjustments are centered. Sometimes they're not, even with a new scope. I always turn the adjustment dial clear out, then I count the clicks or graduations clear back to the other end of the adjustment range. I then go back half that number to achieve center.

Once the scope is initially installed and horizontally squared, I determine the relationship of the scope's adjustment range to the centerline of the bore. With unmodified factory rifles, I almost always used bases with windage screws, because sometimes the scope mounting holes can be way off center from the bore. Initial windage adjustments are ALWAYS made with the windage screws of the scope base -- NOT the scope's internal adjustments. This is reserved for final sight-in and zero. The rule of thumb is, you want to keep the scope's internal adjustments as close to the center of their range as you possibly can.

If you don't, you can introduce your own parallax problem that will lead, in part, to bullet placement downrange, especially past 200 yds.

AD

You want to make sure the rings are in perfect alignment with each other. If they aren't aligned correctly, it put stress on the scope tube. Brownells sells "scope alignment rods" for this purpose. Check out their catalog or website to see how they are used. You can make your own out of 1" plexiglas rod for dirt cheap and don't bother trying to put points on them.

I use Blue Loctite (sparingly)

Elmo

Fusino:

What kind of rings/bases are you using? The various different types each need a slightly different approach. Some are windage adjustable, some are adjustable fore and aft, and some are completely fixed. Some clamp horizontally, some vertically, and some must be clamped on the scope prior to mounting on the gun, whereas others are best mounted on the gun prior to clamping on the scope.

I never heard of ring lapping until just a few years ago, but in 40+ years of mounting dozens (or more probably hundreds) of scopes, I have never left a ring mark, much less bent or dented a scope tube.

Tell us about your gun and your proposed rings and bases, and we'll go from there. (By the way, plastic ring inserts can salvage a badly misaligned drill/tap job, but otherwise they are inferior to a good metal-to-metal fit and should be avoided.)

Allen is right about centering the scope. Depending on the brand, mechanical centering as described may not be enough. Another technique that assures the scope is optically centered is to hold it tight and true against a mirror in a brightly lit room and move the knobs until the actual crosshairs align with a set of ghost crosshairs the mirror produces. When they overlap you have a scope perfectly centered to the axis of the lenses.

To be honest, I just learned this a while back on AR and it has made a difference for me.

I like the Burris Signature rings with the plastic inserts for the reasons already stated. I also like Weaver-type bases. With this combination, it's almost impossible to damage a scope, plus you have some flexibility in where the rings are placed.

Since everyone is tossing out advice here, I found the best way to center a scope optically is to take a narrow cardboard box (I usually use shoeboxes, my wife has a depressingly large amount of them) and cut 2 V notches in it. Put some wight in the box or it will move, a couple of books works good, and put the scope in the notches and rotate it while looking through it. Unless centered the image will wobble.

quote:

Originally posted by MarkL:
I like the Burris Signature rings with the plastic inserts for the reasons already stated. I also like Weaver-type bases. With this combination, it's almost impossible to damage a scope, plus you have some flexibility in where the rings are placed.

Mark: As you know, we may disagree about plastic inserts, but that's beside the point. What I'm curious about is how Weaver-type bases give you "some flexibility in where the rings are placed"? The Weaver cross slot is where it is (with the exception that on some Weaver bases the crosslot is offset slightly and thus reversing the base moves the crosslot, and correspondingly the ring, forward or aft a set amount). Otherwise, there is no adjustment to the Weaver base. Likewise, the Weaver or Burris Z ring don't allow any windage adjustment, but the Millett ring (I like them fine, but others dis them savagely) does provide windage adjustment at both the front and the rear base. The Millett rings are very useful when the base mounting holes are markedly out of alignment with the axis of the gun.

quote:

Originally posted by Mark:
Since everyone is tossing out advice here, I found the best way to center a scope optically is to take a narrow cardboard box (I usually use shoeboxes, my wife has a depressingly large amount of them) and cut 2 V notches in it. Put some wight in the box or it will move, a couple of books works good, and put the scope in the notches and rotate it while looking through it. Unless centered the image will wobble.

I’ve never used a shoe box...but I have a two delrin vee-blocks attached to a wooden base that I have used for that purpose. The idea is to adjust the scope dials until the cross hairs appear as a spinning wagon wheel on a target when rotated in the blocks. If the erector tube is not centered the “wheel†moves around on the target rather than turning (spinning) in a stationary plane.

quote:

Originally posted by Stonecreek:
What I'm curious about is how Weaver-type bases give you "some flexibility in where the rings are placed"? The Weaver cross slot is where it is

I think what he meant was for "Weaver-type" bases like this:



I could never get the scope as far forward as I wanted before I got that thing.

That is a Picatinny rail mount which has the same profile as a Weaver but is slotted (as you can see) for its entire length.

Jon A: You are one serious stock crawler! But if that's where the mount is best for you, more power to you. My guess is that you either have 37" arms and a neck like a giraffe, or someone cut your stock off to 11" LOP .

You're certainly right that the Weaver-based Picatinny system gives considerable fore-aft options. They are not often seen on sporters like your A-bolt; mostly seen on AR-type rifles.

I don’t have 37†arms nor a neck like a giraffe and my scopes sit almost exactly where that picture shows that one sitting.

The Weaver-style bases that I've bought have multiple slots, but maybe not as closely spaced (not as many) as the Picatinny in Jon's photo. Not only do you have the option of moving the pair of rings fore and aft, but you can change the spacing between the rings. Looks like Jon has his spaced as far apart as possible for that scope.

It's true that the Weaver system does not allow for windage adjustment (that I know of). However, you can achieve some crude adjustment using the Burris Signature rings by using the offset inserts. As I recall, you can get inserts with offsets of .005, .010, and .020 inches. Most folks use these to increase the elevation range of the scope, but you could use it for windage as well. Unfortunately, to make adjustments you have to loosen the rings and rotate or replace the inserts. Still, this system can get you in the ballpark of having a zero'd scope without having to crank in a ton of reticle adjustment. Best approach is to start with the standard inserts, then shoot the gun (or use an optical boresighter) to determine how much adjustment is needed to zero the scope, then select the appropriate offset inserts to get close. You might have to do a little math based on the ring spacing. For example, if the rings are 3.6 inches apart and the target is 3600 inches away (100 yards), the ratio is 1000 so a .005 inch offset changes the POI by 5 inches.

quote:

Originally posted by Stonecreek:
Jon A: You are one serious stock crawler!

Yeah, I think it's a combination of a lot of things. While my neck isn't quite giraffe-like, it isn't short either. I seem to shoot the best with my muscles as relaxed as possible and with a 8# 300 RUM it's going to come back a ways! And the stock has too much drop on the comb for iron sites, much less even a low mounted scope, much much less a medium mounted scope so a good cheek weld isn't gunna happen--and it gets worse the farther you have your head back.

And besides, with a Leupold you don't need to be that close to the scope.

I'm guessing I'll move it back a notch or two when my new stock shows up. But the nice thing is I can--very quickly and easily. I can even move it around between groups at the range to try it in different positions as it only takes about 10 seconds and the POI doesn't change.

In years past I didn't see such a need to be able to remove/move/replace a scope so quickly and easily on a rifle, or even be able to put a torque wrench on every screw just to give yourself a warm-fuzzy that nothing's loose without having to disassemble things or risk a POI change.... But now that I can, I can't imagine going back. Sure, they're ugly to some peoples' eyes. But to me, function is beauty.

Jon A.

You hit the proverbial nail right on its proverbial head pardner! This is your rifle and your scope and at the end of the day it is you that has to be comfortable and pleased with it.

All my rifles have a LOP that is allot shorter than my size, or common theory and practice, would dictate...but they fit my style of shooting perfectly and I don’t really care if they are comfortable to anyone else since I don’t loan out my rifles anyway.