Get scopes mounted professionally?

[no_problem]

I am thinking of getting my scope mounted professionally by a reputable. credible, and experienced gunsmith. After all, a Vari X III is not a cheap piece of glass. Wouldn't it be better to have a professional worry about alignment, ring lapping, bore sighting, etc rather than have to worry about if you did it right yourself or is the scope being abused with every round?

 

[hoghunting]

I am thinking of getting my scope mounted professionally by a reputable. credible, and experienced gunsmith

If that gunsmith actually does the work. There's no guarantee that job won't be given to the 18 year-old who knows much less than you. Use Burris Signature rings and you won't need to worry about alignment or lapping the rings either.

 

[eliphalet]

I mount my own but have done dozens, have a old scope to use etc.
If I had no tools or experience, I think I would spend the few dollars at a good reputable gun shop.
Once should do it, Dad had his Leupold professionally done over 40 years ago, it has never moved since.

 

[moredes]

If the rifle has already been drilled and tapped, there's no reason to have it done by a gunsmith. Do it yourself. Find a good, solid base, get some good rings, a lapping bar and compound and learn how to do it yourself. It ain't brain surgery. If you're worried about in-line bore-to-scope, you can do as Hoghunting recommends, and buy Burris Signature Zee rings with the polymer inserts. They'll give you plenty of slack for adjustment.

If you're comfortable with the idea that the holes are truly plumb and in line with the bore, you can even step up to the BIG names and go Badger et. al. for your rings--though there's very little forgiveness in those rings. Your base might need an incline if you intend long-range shooting; 20 degrees is pretty standard for an inclined base.

Be sure to zero your scope's reticles first before you adjust it in the rings and tighten the screws on your installation to hit paper. You want as much adjustment as allowable for the W and E knobs, and if the scope starts out zeroed, you'll have the best chances to preserve the maximum adjustment possible.

With no previous gunsmithing experience, I did my first scope install successfully and have done 4 more since then for the price of a lapping tool and compound (about $17). If you go the Burris Signature Zee route, you won't need to lap the rings. My first scope was also a Leupold Vari-X III; the next four were Nightforces. Good practices won't jeopardize your scope.

Here's a coupla articles, and I'm sure you can find a Q&A here on this forum with a search.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BQY/is_9_49/ai_105642911
http://www.pyramydair.com/site/articles/scopes-part2/

with an expensive quality set of rings and comparable mount (i. e., Badger, Nightforce, USO), most folks don't even lap:

http://www.snipershide.com/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=25


If you wanna get fancy, there are scope leveling tools and boresighters that you can use to help, but they are mainly "convenience" tools. With either ingenuity or patience you can substitute brains or sweat for them.

 

[submin]

I usually don't bump older threads up unless I have something of real value to add. Such is the case here.

I have links to some really nice video instruction about scope mounting and care that I think can benefit the average home smither. Also check out the optics these fellows offer on their products page. Sweet.

http://www.usoptics.com/index.php?page=instructions

 

[Floppy_D]

Thanks, submin. I picked up a Bushnell Elite (locally) for my PTR-91... the shop offered to professionally mount and boresight the scope for free. When I came in the next day to pick it up, it was mounted on the upper rim of the ejection port. There were mounting lugs plainly visible about 3" behind where they had mounted it. The way they had it mounted, it would not eject.

So, DIY it was.

 

[ShunZu]

Practice on the beaters like many of us have done... and if you're still not comfortable mounting the high dollar glass, reputable gunsmiths should be considered.

 

[Supertac45]

It's pretty simple. Just make sure your rings line up using the proper tool.