Rifle Scope Guide2: Mounting Glass

Am Shooting Journal ^ | 7/5/2018 | C Wojcik

[w1n1]

Now that you've bought a new scope, it's time to affix it to your rifle, a daunting but not impossible task for marksmen.

If there's any one trend I see a lot of as a professional precision rifle instructor, it's improperly mounted riflescopes. If we look at what a rifle scope is from a fundamental standpoint, it's a mechanical aiming device that gives us the ability to bring a distant target up close and personal, which in turn allows the shooter to pick a relatively precise aiming point that the shooter hopes to put a bullet into if everything else goes well.

It's a complicated process that requires a custom fit, and it's not always something you should leave up to the guy behind the counter at your local sporting goods store. As a matter of fact, if you're leaving a rifle to have the scope mounted for you, you’re getting off on the wrong foot about as soon as you walk away from the counter.

Before we do anything with the rifle scope, we need to adjust the rifle’s length of pull (if it's adjustable) to your body type and structure. I do this without a scope on the rifle simply because if there's a scope on the rifle, nearly every inexperienced shooter out there will sacrifice a comfortable shooting position to look through the optic.
Not a good starting point because we’re all different sizes and shapes. Precision rifles aren't a one-size-fits-all affair. Make sure your cheek is centered on the rifle’s cheek piece, and your shooting hand can comfortably reach the grip without a severe bend in the wrist, which can inhibit proper trigger manipulation. Read the rest of this Rifle Scope Guide2 here.

[moovova]

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[Magnum44]

Rules of thumb...

If you spend $1000 for a good rifle, don’t waste it by putting a $99 dollar Walmart/Chinese made scope on it.

If you spend more than $300 on optics, don’t waste it by using $20 aluminum mounts.

You’ll be much happier and get the results you want by saving up and getting good stuff the first time.

[Moltke]

it's a mechanical aiming device that gives us the ability to bring a distant target up close and personal

I'm pretty sure that the target stays at its distance, no matter what. (Also I'd call it an optical aiming device...)

[MeganC]

My husband bought me a Christensen Arms precision .308 to replace my Remington SPS (there’s something about the Remington he doesn’t like).

The Leica scope we bought was just as pricey as the rifle but the view through it is unreal! It makes a nice rifle into a GREAT rifle!

[MCF]

One of the things I do is lap the rings after installing them on the rifle. It is a real eye opener to see how much the rings are uneven with each other.