A hunting friend of mine with some experience told me to have my swarovski mounted on my sako win mag 300, using optilock bases and rings, professionally. He told me don't do it yourself, and have them bore sight it. How hard is it to mount? Any one have any video links of how to? Should i get a gun smith to mount it, and how much should it cost?
Heard it was hard to mount a scope!
- Thread starter bigbore14
- Start date
If you can work a screw driver (well.. Allen wrench technically), you can mount your scope. As for bore sighting, take your rifle to your range and go to the 25 yard target. Use a good, solid rest, and then remove the bolt from your rifle. Making sure that your rifle is steady on the rest, look down the bore of your rifle and center the target. Make sure your rifle doesn't move, and then adjust your scope so that the reticle zeros in on the center of your target. You should be on paper with your first group, so shoot a confirmation shot or two at 25 yards, and you should be able to be on paper at 100 yards. Seriously... it is not complicated at all.
Your friend gave you sound advice if you are not equiped to do job.
Your rings should be lapped, so the scope fits rings and rings are holding correctly, if you van have highspots on rings and thats all that will be holding scope.I have lapped many rings and some are just plain terriable.
Your screws should be cleaned with grease or oil remover as well the holes in action I use small Q-tips in alcohol, and use just little lock tite on tip of screws or nailpolish is good as well. This will protect your top quality scope when you remove no cratches or dents on tube. I use a torque screwdriver in inch pounds at app;20 to 22lbs. And take time to adjust scope to you so when you lift gun to shoulder you are comfortable and see a full and clear.
Just remember to do this with cloths you normally use in hunting.
The do as Scott N said at range and enjoye some shooting.
Your rings should be lapped, so the scope fits rings and rings are holding correctly, if you van have highspots on rings and thats all that will be holding scope.I have lapped many rings and some are just plain terriable.
Your screws should be cleaned with grease or oil remover as well the holes in action I use small Q-tips in alcohol, and use just little lock tite on tip of screws or nailpolish is good as well. This will protect your top quality scope when you remove no cratches or dents on tube. I use a torque screwdriver in inch pounds at app;20 to 22lbs. And take time to adjust scope to you so when you lift gun to shoulder you are comfortable and see a full and clear.
Just remember to do this with cloths you normally use in hunting.
The do as Scott N said at range and enjoye some shooting.
- Location
- Calgary, Alberta
A Swarovski on a Sako with Optilocks, nice rig, if in doubt take it to your smith. Its too nice to screw it up if your new at it. If you bought it from a reputable store with a smith they should do it for free and do the adjustments so it fits your shooting. If they scratch it they fix it.
If you are going to a Smith, make sure it is a GOOD smith, as most will just do exactly as Scott N suggested, not that it is wrong, but why would you pay someone to do something you can do yourself.
I have never taken a gun to a smith to have the scope mounted and i have never had a problem.
Your rings should come with instructions and if you follow them carefully you will have no problems and you will probably never need the instructions again, it is pretty simple really.
I have never taken a gun to a smith to have the scope mounted and i have never had a problem.
Your rings should come with instructions and if you follow them carefully you will have no problems and you will probably never need the instructions again, it is pretty simple really.
Lapping of rings is when a steel rod is placed in your rings prior to fitting your scope. The rod/rings have a valve grinding compound on them. The rod is rotated and the rings get a light "sanding". This gets them square and deburred and true. This way your scope/ ring combo has good surface area contact when mounted, and it shows that your rings are straight and square before you mount your scope eliminating possible damage.
They have plastic inserts that tightly hold the scope in place in the rings, so lapping wouldn't be required. The plastic inserts also protect the scope from ring marks.
What I found difficult with the Optilocks is that you need to tighten the ring to the base with the assembly removed from the gun. How can you guarantee perfect alignment? I guess the plastic inserts make it less critical?
Wait one second, now this is getting more complex!!! I knew it was way over my head! So, I now have to drill and tap something on my actual gun? It doesnt come with some dove tail type things? I cant just slide everything on and tighten it can I? Also, how do I know how far forward or back I mount the scope? I am assuming the tube slides through the rings forward and back.
well if your action isn't drilled & tapped from the factory, then yes you must have this done to mount the base.
Here's how it goes: action has threaded holes on top, these are used to secure the base to the action. The rings then go on the base, whether its a weaver base, piccantiny rail, or some other method. You adjust the scope forwards or backwards to get the right eye relief (you'll know this when you hold the rifle normally and have a clear/full view through the scope). Some actions do have dovetails etc machined into the action itself but not your sako (to my knowledge).
From the sounds of it I think you would be better off taking it to a gunsmith.
Here's how it goes: action has threaded holes on top, these are used to secure the base to the action. The rings then go on the base, whether its a weaver base, piccantiny rail, or some other method. You adjust the scope forwards or backwards to get the right eye relief (you'll know this when you hold the rifle normally and have a clear/full view through the scope). Some actions do have dovetails etc machined into the action itself but not your sako (to my knowledge).
From the sounds of it I think you would be better off taking it to a gunsmith.
No, you don't need to have your rifle drilled and tapped (I'm not certain about your Sako, but my Tikka is drilled and tapped, plus has the dovetail rail. I'm guessing your Sako is the same.)
With the OptiLock rings / bases, you screw the ring to the base, then screw your base to the dovetail. There should be a small, shallow hole drilled on the top of your rifle's action. One of your bases should have a pin sticking out of the bottom of it, which goes in the hole in your rifle to stop the bases from being able to slide forward or backwards.
Once you have your rings / bases installed, you can put the plastic inserts around your scope and mount your scope in the rings. Don't tighten the screws on the rings all the way because you'll need to make some slight adjustments with your scope. Shoulder your rifle and see what your sight picture is like (you may need to move your scope forward or backwards). Ideally you'll want to have your scope as far forward as possible while still being able to see the "full view" through it. If you mount your scope too far back you might get the dreaded recoil eyebrow. The distance from your eye to the scope should be about 3.5 - 4 inches.
You also need to be aware to make sure that your reticle is completely horizontal, otherwise your scope adjustments will be out. I found that putting a rifle on a flat surface such as a table helps make sure that the crosshairs are level.
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- Location
- Calgary, Alberta
If you use the dovetail rail just make sure your pin or recoil blocks lock in ( depending on ring manufacturer).
rommelrommel
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
BTW use BLUE Loctite anything else will be too permanent.
Ugh, I just removed a scope from a rifle my dad bought a while back... apparently the previous owner thought red loctite was metal glue...
I sheared off the screws in the rings and spent a good while taking the excess off between the bases and the gun.
Reminds me of a story... some of my family runs a small sporting goods/gun shop... sell a used model 94ae to a guy, buys a scope and base too. Comes back 3 days later, saying the gun was jammed. No scope or base on it. My grandfather and myself (visiting) take the gun apart, and the action is just friggin DRENCHED in this pink looking plastic crap... takes me a few minutes to grasp what this smacktard did, but he basically POURED loctite into the base mounting holes, and then took the scope off once he realized what he did. So, we clean it all out, and my grandpa being a good guy refuses to charge the guy (even tho he was quite willing to pay.)
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