Picked up a 10T 6.5 Creedmoor... what base/ring combo should I go with? 0 MOA? 20 MOA

[AlphaOperator]

Picked up a 6.5 Creedmoor 10T from Cabela's this last weekend.

I'm mulling over what base and ring combos I should go with and could use your opinions.

Should I pick up a 20 MOA mount such as the EGW offering? Or should I stay with the factory mount? In that case, what inexpensive rings would you recommend?

Or should I stay with the factory 0 MOA mount and go for the XTR Signature rings with inserts that will allow me to add 5/10/15/20 MOA?

I don't want to (or rather can't) throw too much money into it at the moment, so what route would you recommend?

FWIW- The scope I will be using will be the PA 4-14X44 FFP as I'm keeping this on a tighter budget for now and I will be zeroing it for 100yds as that seems to be the general consensus.

Thanks

[bearcatrp]

If you can afford a 20 MOA base, do it now. Don't know how much elevation your scope has but if your going to stretch out to 1000 yards, would suck to be at the range and find out you can't. Otherwise stay if your not going above 600 yards. Most scopes can do that.

[AlphaOperator]

If you can afford a 20 MOA base, do it now. Don't know how much elevation your scope has but if your going to stretch out to 1000 yards, would suck to be at the range and find out you can't. Otherwise stay if your not going above 600 yards. Most scopes can do that.

I'm going to be using the PA 4-14x44 FFP R-Grid and it has 30 Mils of elevation and windage adjustment.

I'll likely stretch the 6.5 out as far as I can, and it was questioning whether adding the 20 MOA base was necessary or overkill. My local public range has plates all the way out to 1500yds and a few further than that, but I'm unsure exactly of their ranges.

According to JBM's calc using the Hornady 140gr ELD @ my altitude (~4300ft) it should only take me about 7.0 Mils to reach out to 1000yds with the 6.5 (from a 100yd zero), and about 20 Mils to reach out to 1 mile if I was feeling frisky.

For 1000+ yds, I think it (a 20 moa mount) would be fine, but my concern is if I do pick up a 20 MOA mount, will that screw me at trying to zero at 100yds?

Hence, I was thinking that the Burris XTR Signature Rings might be a good way to go as I could customize it to a 20 MOA, or 10 MOA, or 5 MOA, etc, and find that "sweeter spot" that would allow me to get my 100yd zero (at the very bottom of my scopes adjustment), but would also allow me the full adjustment of the scopes elevation all the way out to the absolute furthest I could shoot the 6.5 Creedmoor.

I'm new to LR shooting and the extent of my bolt gun experience has strictly been hunting and shooting at 500yds and under.

ps. If I'm overthinking this, you can go ahead and call me a 'tard.

[bearcatrp]

Nah, always good to ask to make sure. You should be ok to zero @100 yards with a 20 MOA base. I don't shoot competition, just love to shoot. Like to verify my scopes can do the elevation if need it. Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

[darkker]

No one can give you an "honest" answer, other than just do it; here's why:

No one can tell you how much elevation you are going to "burn-up" getting zeroed, so how much adjustment you will need remains to be seen.
My PA actually measured something like 34 mils elevation, but that is TOTAL. Optical zero is in the middle, so cut that number in half.

I'm right at 900' and shoot to a mile, when the wind allows me to I measured and cut a bunch of aluminum foil strips to build an artificial "cant" in the one piece base I have(rifle is an XL7). Depending upon the load and day, I run short of elevation some times.

[Brett]

My local public range has plates all the way out to 1500yds and a few further than that, but I'm unsure exactly of their ranges.

.

What range are you shooting at? The one I shoot at in northern Colorado only has plates out to 1000 yards.

[AlphaOperator]

Grand Junction, 27-1/4 road, out past the airport, up against the Bookcliffs

[Brett]

I haven't been over there in quite a while. I rode motorcycles on the Bookcliffs a few times years ago. Really unique terrain there. Good to know that there is some good long range shooting there.

[AlphaOperator]

Well, I decided to go the route of the XTR Signature Rings (have them on order through a local retailer). I needed new rings anyways so I figured that I'll give these a shot as they will allow me to dial in the amount of cant I want/need/desire, etc.

[DenverDave]

I have the same gun. Running the factory rail with Seekins rings. My scope is 34mm so I have plenty of elevation adjustment. Went with the seekins over other high end for a handful of reasons... One worth noting is because they are aluminum, the factory rail is aluminum. Steel rings on an alum rail is a bad idea.


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[darkker]

Tube size doesn't automatically gain you adjustment, only ability to build adjustment. The PA the OP has, had the adjustment of the better Nightforce lines; all from 30mm.