Scope mounting - DIY or have it done by a "pro"?

[boy412]

Read lots of horror stories about what "professionals" have done to people's rifles when asked to mount a scope. Not knowing any reputable smiths in my area is compounding my anxiety!

I have the Wheeler Engineering kit (with the level, torque driver, alignment rods, etc) but no vise. Was going to get a vise at some point, but is this something I should attempt on my own? I'd hate to screw it up, but I don't want to PAY someone else to screw it up either!

:)

Rifle is a 12 LRPV, and the scope I've chosen is a Nikon Monarch X, 2.5-10x44. EGW base (0? MOA) and Burris XTR rings. Should be a sweet setup when I get it all put together.

Thanks...

[Dennis]

all of my scopes (that mattered) were installed by a pro who has the right equipment to set them up.

FYI

[boy412]

If I knew of such a person that's probably the route I'd take. I only know of two smiths in the area, and neither of them give me warm fuzzy feelings.

[Elkbane]

Pay a gunsmith to mount a scope???? Man, I don't know about that one - you probably have better things to spend money on.

If you don't have a vice, improvise. Lay a sandbag on your kitchen table to prop up the fore-end. Put a brick and a catalog on each side of the back end of the stock to keep it steady.

Take the tops of the rings off and lay them out in the exact order and position you took them off. Feel the inside edges of the scope rings - any burrs or high spots? If so, knock them down with some oiled 400 grit wet/dry sandpaper wrapped around a dowell to keep from scratching the scope (I do it whether I feel anything or not).

Lay the scope in the bottom rings, hold the scope to the gun and pick the rifle up and shoulder it. Move the scope as far forward as you can get it and still have a full field of view through the scope. Mark the front edge where it contacts the front of the scope ring with a piece of tape and put the gun back in your "vice". Now you have your scope marked for eye relief.

Once back in the "vice", lay a small carpenters level across the flat of the scope rings and get it level. Make sure it doesn't move. Put the scope back in the bottom rings, respecting teh tape mark, then put the level on top of the upper adjustment cap. Install the front top ring loosely tighten the screew, a little at a time keeping the gap between top and bottom even on both sides. Do the same with the back. Now look through the scope from the rear. Is the vertical crosshair vertical? if not, turn the scope a little to straighten it up - just eyeball it. Once you have it right, tighten the screws in an X pattern: LF, RR, RF, LR - go slowly and keep the gaps even. WHen you're done, boresight it by finding an object at 25 yds looking through the bore, then adjusting the crosshairs to that same point. Then go shoot.

Elkbane

[boy412]

Thanks. I think I'm going to go for it! Right on the $ about needing to spend money on other stuff.

Amy sense in buying (or borrowing) a laser bore-sighter?

[dolomite_supafly]

This is what I use for all my scope leveling needs:
[img width=600 height=450]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v446/Adyth/Firearms%20related/IMG_2563.jpg[/img]

[img width=600 height=450]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v446/Adyth/Firearms%20related/IMG_2561.jpg[/img]


Link to vials

Item # 3338A14
Acrylic Unmounted Square Level Vial 13/32" Square X 1-9/64" Length

They have a few different sizes and are cheap at $2.20 each. They help out with a lot more than just leveling scopes also.

Dolomite


Dolomite

[Elkbane]

Good post Dolomite.

I made a level by epoxying the level bubble out of an old carpenter's rule in the center of a 6" metal carpenters ruler. Comes in handy for leveling things. Also found a 3" long peice of aluminum channel iron to be useful. You can rest it on the sides of the stock in front of the scope and lay the level across it. Get one big enough to just fit over te barrel.

Boy412, IMO, A bore sighter is a big waste of money for a bolt gun. Use the "country boresight method" instead.

Pull the bolt out of the gun. Rest it on something stable. Sight through the bore and find an object about 25 yards away- anything you can see well, like a bright leaf, fork of a branch, etc. - center it directly in the bore. Now, move your head up so you can look through the scope and adjust the crosshairs to center on the object (hint: you'll have to turn the adjustment knobs backward from the way they are marked). Do this a couple of times until you have the "bore sight" and the scope pointing at the same spot. That's what that $100 boresighter does, right????

This establishes an 25 yard zero, and if you did it right, you'll be on an 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper at 100 yards. I did this (again) last weekend when I swapped scopes on a rifle and had a 100 yard zero in 4 shots.....usually only takes 3.
Elkbane

[Dennis]

This is what I use for all my scope leveling needs:

Looks like I am going to buy two small levels!!!!!!!!!!!

Never thought about the above!

[boy412]

OK...doing it myself!

:)

Putting on the base now. Came with two sets of screws...a longer pair and a shorter pair. I'm going to assume the shorter pair goes in the front and the longer pair in back?

The Burris two-piece XTR base for my 10FCP all had the same length screws, so this threw me.

[Blue Avenger]

short in the front.
start with the front site. put the very front one in and check that the base is tight BEFORE you put in the rear screw. the front one if to long, will bottom out on the barrel threads. the rear one will stop the bolt from turning if to long.

[boy412]

Then my fuzzy logic was actually right! Thanks for verifying that...this is uncharted territory for me.

Now where on this Picatinny rail should the rings go?

???

[Blue Avenger]

as wide as the scope will let you. start with moving the scope back to the point the where you lift the gun to your shoulder and see if you have to lean ahead to see through the scope.

[LeeH]

I also use the levels, After getting the rifle perfectly level I use a weighed string
at about 20-30 ft away and line up the vertical cross hair with the string while making sure
that the rifle remains perfectly level.
Works every time!!.