Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics noob question: first timer scope mounting

hello,

Hello community i have a quick question. Do you have better luck getting scope mounting kits from the vendor of the scope themselves, or from the manufactures of the rifle? I have a weatherby vanguard s2 and scoped with (soon to be arriving) Leupold vx5 3-15. Ideally for hunting at some point, but would go out to the desert to do some target shooting as well. I did Leupold's website where they fit a scope to a gun & they kept referring me to 'high rings' for my 44mm objective. I've read elsewhere the people aren't a fan of Leupold's dovetail mounting setup as they aren't very secure (but was wondering if thats because they didn't ready the Scope Mounting to Maintain Zero Sticky) Anyways from what i've been reading is that having your scope as close to the bore of the rifle is optimal & was wondering if anyone out there disregarded Leupold's online-size-calculator suggested & went with a size shorter.... Just throwing this out there to see if anyone else has this exact setup but went with 3rd party base & rings... I'm here here to learn for the more learned people in the room. Thanks in advanced!

Josh

Get the Vanguard-specific Talley Lightweights. Call Talley about which ones you need for your scope. They've steered me right so far. Use a torque-driver.

I am very satisfied with Leupold dovetail mounts, and never had any problems with them. I just take normal care with rifles and don't slam them around.

Leupold dual dovetails are as strong as any mounting system out there. Rock solid.

To avoid returns, higher rings than needed are recommended by many manufacturers. I’d be shocked if medium rings didn’t work and there is a chance lows would work. Quality wise I’d be happy with Leupold or Talley. We have three Vanguards in the family, all have Warne rings.

I recommend a DNZ mount. I have two rifles using their mount. Contact them for the correct height. The mounts come with a torx Allen key. Hold the key in the socket head in the screws with an index finger and tighten with the other hand until the key flexes a little and it's tight enough. "IF" yo go by the directions you won't mar the scope finish or damage your scope.

YES I disagree with what they list as ideal. The only thing you can get that is ideal is by checking and experimenting yourself. most people want to mount the scope low as they can to the bore, but they do this without regard to weather or not that is the best fit for the individual or weather the stock design calls for that or not. what I do is try a couple options mount the gun to my shoulder and see if I get a clear view through the scope. I can quickly tell if I am looking too high or too low through the center of the scope and need to make a height adjustment. I find in many cases I prefer my scope to be slightly higher than what a lot of other people mount theirs to. Ideally you don't want extra height in your scope mounting. closer to the bore is better purely as a setup. BUT comfort and what is best for you overrides that. you will need to fit this to yourself anyways. because you will need to adjust forward and backward anyways.

I have pretty much standardized all my scope mounting to pic style rings and bases. its quick and easy to remove the scopes and if I want I can move them to other guns easily. here is a video of a S2 with leupold mounted. it uses pic bases and rings like I am saying. although for me I prefer a solid one piece base that spans the action and I usually JB weld bed the rear of the base to the action. but that is going the extra mile. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5346WmDhvg

What Pappy3489 said.

I think you were reading about the standard bases that have a dovetail front and windage adjustable rear.

Leupold dual dovetails are as rock solid as it gets. And good looking.

I'd bet medium rings will be fine, but only one way to be certain.

Welcome aboard!

I’ve used leupold rings/bases with windage adjustments on the rear ring for close to 45 years. Have never had a single issue on dozens of rifles.
And I’ve used Warne light weights with the ring/base combined. They also have worked well.
Have also used Burris with good results.

Leupold DUEL dovetails are great, but i like the Talleys better. As far as scope mounting kits go, I get by very well with the Wheeler scope mounting levels, lapping bars, etc. You might need medium height rings but I like to mount my scopes as low as possible unless I have an adjustible cheek rest. If it were my rifle, I would try low rings first and make sure the scope cleared with enough room for a scope cover. A good cheek weld is important for consistency and having your scope in a position which forces your head /eye into the same position for every shot provides consistency.

Not a fan of the Leupold mounts. I do not like the twist in approach myself.

I am a fan of the Talley rings. I use them almost exclusively since they have become available over the counter here in my town. I know that they make a version that say VANGUARD on them, for the Weatherby Vanguard but there should not be anything different about them other than the wording engraved into the base. They run about $55 in my area and are rock solid. Use a torque drive for mounting optics and follow the instructions for the proper torque. Most people over-torque the scope tube rings until they use a torque driver to get the feel for it. I use a Wheeler Fat Wrench for scope mount install. I usually have my scopes up on medium rings and bases. Often lows would work, but I am a tall guy with a big head and I do not like the fit when the scope is sitting in low rings / bases.

OK, ya'll turned me on to Talleys.... I'll check em out. This may open up the hornet's nest but I read that many Tally owner don't lap their rings. Just checking with any Tally owners to see if this is the still the case? Thank you for the positivity & all the wealth of information