scope mounting, how do you do it?

[redranger1]

i was just thinkin tonight bout the steps of mounting a scope and wondered what the appropriate steps are and what steps are used/skipped? ill be honest i dont know the steps and im guilty of just screwin the mount and rings on and slappin the scope in the rings, adjust for eye relief and eyeball the crosshair level and cinch it down. never used shims or ring alignment tools before. so how do yuns do it? what are the right steps?

 

[Lonestar.45]

When I was going to mount a scope myself a while back, I found this link with a LOT of good info:

http://www.pentaxlightseeker.com/products/scopes/mounting_scope.cfm

But after reading all that went into it, I said screw that. I just bought a set of Talley light weight one piece rings, screwed them on, eyeballed the scope, screwed it on, and it worked great. Burris Fullfield II on a .270 ADL. First three shots were touching 1" high at 100 yds and I never touched the settings. Not bad. The Talley's don't need lapping or any adjustment (as long as your holes are drilled right in your receiver you're good).

 

[Poppy270]

I've allways mounted my own scopes,just about how you describe you mount yours.I use some loctite on the screws on the mounts and the rings.If the eye relief is right and the crosshairs look level and the screws are tight,everything should work ok.

 

[Nortonics]

Pretty good article over on Chuckhawks.com:

Mounting and Zeroing a Scope

 

[redneck2]

Burriz Zee rings have a floating insert and don't need lapped. Good stuff

 

[dakotasin]

if i'm using leupold's std system, i center the windage and elevation adjustments, then mount the scope using a level and plumbob, adjust for eye relief, then go shooting. all windage adjustments are made thru the base. once i get it centered, i fine tune the windage adjustments via the base out to 250 yards.

if i'm using talley lightweights, i set the scope for eye relief, mount the scope via plumbob and level, crank it down, and then zero it at 250 yards and leave it alone. not much else you can do w/ it.

 

[308win]

dakotasin, How do you believe the Leupolds capare to the Talleys reliability and performance-wise? I have Leupolds on my BDL and have been looking at Talleys, Conetrol, Badger, Millet, and a couple of others but frankly I can't see the value for the extra $'s. If I was creeping around in Indian land I would probably have Badgers epoxied to my action but I am not so I beleive the Leupolds are sturdy enough for my needs.

 

[dakotasin]

the leupold system is not pretty, but it works. i have a set on my 338, and that gun spent a week w/ me in some rugged terrain in the harshest weather conditions you can think of, and when the moment was right, put the bullet exactly where it was supposed to go. up hills, down creeks, over rocks, under trees, crawling, walking, riding in heated trucks, exposed to sub-zero to hunt - and then there were the hundreds and hundreds of practice shots taken during the spring, summer, and fall. if that system was gonna fail, i would've gotten it to fail - i'm pretty rough on my hunting gear.

the talley lightweights i really like. simple, strong, light. they are one piece, so even though they are aluminum, i trust them more than most any other system out there.

i have badgers, too, and they are bullet-proof... but way to heavy and bulky to hunt w/. for tactical apps, badger and nightforce are tops. for hunting apps, they are among the worst.

for hunting, either talley lightweights or leupold std's are fine. leupold dual dovetails are excellent, as well.

 

[Guyon]

1. I usually do a dry fit first to make sure everything is going to work.

2. Then, I degrease all parts and threads with alcohol or degreaser.

3. When I install mounts, I put purple loctite on my mount screws, even the Torx screws that say it isn't necessary.

4. After bottom rings are installed, I place the scope in the bottom rings and make sure everthing is squared up correctly and that the scope is sitting properly in the rings. Any necessary adjustments are made.

5. I lightly attach the top rings, allowing enough play for the scope to slide in the rings.

6. I adjust for eye relief (on the highest magnification) and tighten the top rings just enough to hold the scope in place.

7. Then I use this little gadget for aligning crosshairs, loosening the top rings to allow the scope to turn if necessary. http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=360476 This thingamabob aligns the scope relative to the mounts/rifle, so you don't have to worry about having the rifle sitting perfectly plum.

(FWIW, I saw this system at Midway as well. Don't know much about it though. I see some complaints of weak magnets in the reviews. http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=529349)

8. I snug down the top rings/ring screws in an even manner and then wipe off all the fingerprints with a little CLP.

9. From there, I take care of boresighting with the old fashioned "eyeball it" method. I use a gunsmith's rifle station and my neighbor's white mailbox post, which is about 75 yards down the road.

I just bought a set of the Talley Lightweights and like their simplicity. Nothing to report yet on durability.