Scope mounted too high?

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mcorbei3

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Hi CGNers,

Looking for some quick advice here. I'm mounting a scope for medium/long range shooting, and picked up some "high" rings from my local gun shop. They look to give almost too much clearance IMO, so I'm considering moving to the medium or small sizes. What do you think? Is it already at the right height (and I'm crazy), or is lower possible/better?

Cheers,
Mcorbei3
https://photos.app.goo.gl/qBCe6Fh9KL8AgCsD6
https://photos.app.goo.gl/RA5Qt9m2T75S72jq7
https://photos.app.goo.gl/jZpc15jdNazcoSfP8
 
Way too high. Go lower. That objective cap should almost touch the barrel. Like this:



fSs4vhE.jpg
 
Some seem taken with what it "looks" like?? I see it as a function thing - close your eyes and shoulder the rifle - your hold and stock design will tell you whether too high or low when you open your eyes. Very likely different if you are off-hand silhouette shooter or prone bullseye shooter, or whether you want something "do all, but none quite perfect - just good enough". Also, I have had to alter a couple bolt handles on my rifles - get scope height set to what I want for the comb height, and then find I do not have appropriate bolt handle clearance.
 
Potashminer said:
Some seem taken with what it "looks" like?? I see it as a function thing - close your eyes and shoulder the rifle - your hold and stock design will tell you whether too high or low when you open your eyes. Very likely different if you are off-hand silhouette shooter or prone bullseye shooter, or whether you want something "do all, but none quite perfect - just good enough". Also, I have had to alter a couple bolt handles on my rifles - get scope height set to what I want for the comb height, and then find I do not have appropriate bolt handle clearance.
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:agree: He gave good advice.
 
Are you comfortable with it?, try going to the majority of your shooting position and look into your scope, after adjusting your eye box, stock( cheek rest) , then you can decide if its high or low, personally I want my head horizontally a line with the glass, not head up or down,.. you can’t just tell its by looking at it outside. Its all about comfort for me, and not everyone has the same physique
 
What you can do is measure the saddle height. Measurement from the bottom of the ring ( where it sits on the rail ) to where the tube sits. And I think the biggest issue would be determining the height that you can still operate the bolt. I mounted scopes low, but I only could use 2 fingers to pull the bolt back. Then if I ran a scope with a magnification dial, it hits.

Like I'm running a 32mm scope on my 22. It is sitting way too high for my liking, but I cannot go with any other size rings, because my bolt.
 
Potashminer said:
Some seem taken with what it "looks" like?? I see it as a function thing - close your eyes and shoulder the rifle - your hold and stock design will tell you whether too high or low when you open your eyes. Very likely different if you are off-hand silhouette shooter or prone bullseye shooter, or whether you want something "do all, but none quite perfect - just good enough". Also, I have had to alter a couple bolt handles on my rifles - get scope height set to what I want for the comb height, and then find I do not have appropriate bolt handle clearance.
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Good advise.

IMG_3236.jpg

Is this scope "tall"? By consensus, yes... but it fits me so that is where my gear is set.

Asking someone else what size of shoe you need to wear is equally as silly.

Jerry
 

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As mentioned above, the height should be relative to you, your body dimensions which allows you to secure a good cheek weld to your rifle stock, and have your eye centered behind the scope, from your most common shooting position. IF this set up fits you best when shooting prone or off the bench, then it is fine. If you hunt using a standing or kneeling position with field rests or shooting sticks, and you do not have a good cheek weld and your eye is not centered behind the scope, then you will need to change your rings to a more appropriate height. Take your rifle to the store and try a few different setups to find what is going to work for you. Or buy a couple of different used to try at home or at the range or in the field.

For me, I prefer a lower mounted scope for hunting, as it is less likely to be bumped. But I also limit my scope objective lenses to 40-42mm so as to be able to keep my hunting rifles as slim and compact as possible, while still providing good exit pupils for hunting conditions. While that 7mm exit pupil is the best, as we get older, our pupils will not dilate as much, and 4 to 5mm exit pupils will be more in line with my aging eyes in the years to come (too soon I'm afraid! LOL). My top magnification is 14 power for target shooting with my 7MM STW, as I rarely shoot at overly long range when hunting, so do not use higher magnification scopes nor use scope with larger objective lenses to provide larger exit pupils at those higher magnifications. Most of my scopes top out at 10 power magnification, so maybe different than your needs.
 
1-trident-1 said:
you need good cheek weld
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Really???

Some people do and it's the standard school of thought, especially when it comes to long range shooting.

Take a look at many of the European scopes mounted for shooting off hand. The scope rings are high on purpose, so that you don't have to duck your head and make a cheek weld, when acquiring a target quickly.

Potashminer gave the OP good advice.
 
1-trident-1 said:
you need good cheek weld
Click to expand...

While it’s nice when the right combination results in a good cheek weld it’s not the be all, end all if it’s doesn’t line up that way. I’ve done well with a scoped Enfield whit a comfortable chin weld.

I’ll try to get an optic as low as I can with it being comfortable or clearing the bolt handle but it’s never the same, if it fits that’s what’s important.
 
Depends what shooting discipline its used for. I like high scope rings when shooting benchrest, i don't want my cheek even touching the rifle. Go for confort over looks.

I kind of like the advice of closing your eyes the shoulder it. That is if its used for off hand shooting.
 
Chin weld...overlooked that one! LOL
The key here would be a good, consistent anchor point to provide consistency in shooting form, dependent upon shooting position or style. Cheek weld or chin weld, either will work in the end!
 
bWONGER said:
Definitely way too high. Bring your rifle and scope to the store with you and see what size fits best.
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Good call. I took it in today and ended up going with low rings, since the picattiny rail height provided more than enough clearance. I'll get a better feel for performance once I put some rounds downrange, but from a standing position it felt really good, with decent eye relief. Thank you all for the advice!

https://photos.app.goo.gl/oaQojYkSVKUCukjp8
 
OP, what you need to check is the parallax on your reticle.

If you have a decent quality scope, it likely won't be moving enough to make a difference from most shooting positions when hunting.

If that scope height you show is comfortable for you and you get a full target picture in the lens, stick with it.

One of the reasons cheek weld is so stressed is that it helps your neck absorb felt recoil and place your eye in the same position behind the "ocular" lens, to keep parallax to a minimum.

There are a lot of disadvantages to cheek weld, including movement from heartbeat.

One answer here was concerning bench rest use. High scope rings are a common practice when the rifle is rested and you want to eliminate as many variables as possible.
 
Many people have no clue what proper cheek weld is.
You want the full weight of your head supported by your cheekbone.
You will not get proper cheek weld with a conventional stock without adding a riser or building up the stock with foam and duct tape.
 
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