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Mounting a scope on a rifle with iron sights
- Thread starter pckeen
- Start date
- Location
- Western Manitoba
On some rifle/scope combinations, you might run into interference with that rear sight - can not get scope to mount lower without front end of it hitting the sight. Some rear sights fold over to accommodate that - I do not know what you have. Often see scoped rifles with that rear sight removed - not sure if your's is dovetailed or screwed to barrel - dovetail blanks are available; so are plug screws. Leaving the front sight. Again, not sure how your's is mounted. I have a mid 1980's Model 70 in 338 Win Mag. The scope is mounted in the Leupold dual dovetail mounts, so no reasonable way to remove them, without screwdrivers, etc. I rely on my Leupold scopes absolutely, so decided the iron sights served no purpose for me, especially with the dual dovetail mounts, and removed the iron sights - in this case both front and rear sights were attached with screws, so just required 4 plug screws to protect the threads in the holes. On lower powers, can often see the front sight in the scope - often not appearing "lined up" with the cross hair - some people find that annoying and so want the front sight gone.
Mounting height - seems to be a lot about the stock comb height related to the bore line. Quite hard to get a comb height perfect for check weld with iron sights, and then perfect for check weld with a scope. So lower scope height tends to help a bit in those circumstances - but I would say most of my scope hunting rifles are more of "side of jaw" weld, rather than a "check bone" weld. One exception is my Ruger No. 1 in 275 Rigby. Very nice looking express style iron sights, but just no way I can get my fat face down low enough on that comb to use them. But that same comb is absolutely perfect for me to use with the scopes that I have tried on it - very comfortable, fits very well, but only when using a scope.
Mounting height - seems to be a lot about the stock comb height related to the bore line. Quite hard to get a comb height perfect for check weld with iron sights, and then perfect for check weld with a scope. So lower scope height tends to help a bit in those circumstances - but I would say most of my scope hunting rifles are more of "side of jaw" weld, rather than a "check bone" weld. One exception is my Ruger No. 1 in 275 Rigby. Very nice looking express style iron sights, but just no way I can get my fat face down low enough on that comb to use them. But that same comb is absolutely perfect for me to use with the scopes that I have tried on it - very comfortable, fits very well, but only when using a scope.
Last edited:
- Location
- Western Manitoba
I also have a 1955 Win Model 70 that still has the front sight hood. I installed a Lyman #16 (I think) rear sight that does hinge forward. I have bought Quick Detach rings for that rifle - I deliberately want to mount an older, more period "correct" scope, and I do not trust scopes of that era to be as "good" as the "newer" Leupolds that I have - older scopes often were not sealed, or have leaking seals - can fog, can break reticles, etc., so that one is being set up deliberately to be scope sighted, but with a functional, field ready "back up" iron sight system that will not need tools to get the scope off, if or when it decides to die on me... I have another rifle to which I mounted an older Redfield "flip up" aperture sight to the rear scope base - that one has Quick Detach rings as well - but an "aperture" back up, so no rear sight on the barrel. I would buy another one of those little Redfield flip up sights in a heartbeat - I think a really tidy system as a back up to a scope that you do not completely trust - but still makes you live with a front sight - often that is within the view through the scope.
