Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Minimum clearance between the barrel and scope?

Changing the scope rings to a Warne Maxima fixed.
With the low rings the minimum clearance between the barrel and objective is only about 0.6mm.
That does not leave room for the flip covers that came with the scope. But I can alsways shave the bottom, or use the bikini type.
If I get the medium height one, it will be about 3.2 mm higher giving a total of 3.8 mm clearance.

Is there a minimum amount of clearance that one should have to accommodate for barrel flex etc?

Secondly does 3.2 mm make material difference?

Thanks for your comments!

I've always been told that if you can slip a dollar bill between the barrel and scope then you have enough clearance but I'm curious to hear others respond

Gentlmen,

Try to google up what happens to a scope when a rifle is fired. Very interesting to see how much them bend.

Hi Ringman, Tried that just now...got only two hits. One that mentioned that there is some recoil effect...not how much, and the other was your post above
can you share some thoughts and a online reference that you found?

Notebook paper folded in half has been enough clearance for me on about 4 or 5 rifles over the years.

Gunner

I think I saw the slow motion video Ringman is speaking of. Can't recall where though. Barrel vibrates rather drastically when a rifle is shot, especially a large caliber. But I think what Ringman is inferring is a little clearance aint bad. I prefer a little more than the thickness of a dollar bill.

Yep

I like enough to be able to get a set of BC caps on and still have a tad of daylight underneath. Nothing more. 50mm scopes with that amount of clearance still provides me a good cheekweld to my stock.YMMV

If I can see daylight between the barrel and scope, I call it good. Enough for a bikini scope cover? I call it better. I don't use flip up covers no mas, cuz I once had a set that leaked at an inopportune time on POW Island.