Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Scope mounting

I'd say 50% of the 'scope issues' I see are mounting related. Poor quality products, poor fitment, poor understanding and/or a combination of all these.

Good shootin' -Al

In the first video - while he was discussing ring placement, he left out getting them out to the distal ends of the tube as far as is practical. I'd be a little embarrassed to have my rig set up with rings spaced as tight as they are on the rig they used for demonstration. Doesn't take a ton of mechanical sense to understand the exponential effects of greater leverage on anything that's cantilevered like the objective and eye piece ends of a scope are.

Good stuff Al, wouldn't surprise me at all. I saw enough hunters in our camps over a 16 year period to know that many of those that "hunt all over the world" don't have the best scope mounting ability and are certainly not experts by any means.

On my work bench now is a very well done hunting rig using an action with integral Picatinny bases. The rings have a cross slot lug that measures .125 wide rather than around .204 for the .206 Picatinny width. Even with the cross bolt pushed against the wall of the slot, you can see the fret marks where the rings have been walking.

Why are they walking?

Either the cross slot lugs in the rings aren't straight or the side plates are wonky. Possibly a combination of both.

One of the easiest arguments to start is whether to lap scope rings or not. Nothing makes more common sense than to ensure bases and rings are in proper alignment and the rings fit the scope without any distortion.

Hint.




I'll never not take a gravity squared reticle,because I shoot the reticle. If/when a scope doesn't track in accordance to same,it's mechanically compromised and no number of "levels" can jive same. Hint................

This is a different different 'take' on the Signature concept. On my competition rigs, I use 30mm rings and lap/bed them. If there's a possibility I might have to use a 1" scope, I either make some Delrin 30mm-1" reducers or get 'em from GG&G...depends on the ring width I'm working with. On these, the rings are .750" wide so I made them with a flange at the back (GG&G's are the same way but are .625" wide). It's a good way to be able to swap scopes around with no issues. On this gun, one of my 36X Sightron's (1" or 30mm) will go on for load work. Then one of the 1" 6X scopes will go on for registered IBS or NBRSA Hunter competition.

Not a bad way to set up a huntin' rig either....30mm rings with inserts for a 1" scope.



A setup like this can also save your azz. At the 2022 NBRSA Nationals, the scope I had on my VFS gun started having some parallax issues on practice day. I plopped the inserts in and put my back up scope on, a 1" Sightron 36X. You can see the inserts in this pic. Ended up finishing 4th in the Grand Agg and our team won the Shilen Memorial Trophy.

Thanks for you input Al and Wayne.

I buy all rings 30MM, have for quite while. I make inserts with aluminum, part them off the same width as the rings. They just about disappear. But the other part is, with the inserts in place, the rings tighten up VERY positive, especially the flimsy Kelbly rings. (Harrell's are much better rings) But I always have the option of either size scope.

Jordan, the SWFA rings are pretty good ones. I wish they also offered them in a narrower profile to get rid of some weight and bulk.

100% agree.