Do you guys use any fancy tools or gadgets for installing scopes or do you just toss on your rings and snug them up? I guess the reason I'm asking is because every once and a while the wheeler deluxe scope mounting kit pops up on dvor for 77 bucks is it worth it? It includes the fat wrench, the level level level and the ring lapping and alignment kit. At what point does a guy get one of these kits.
Scope mounting question
- Thread starter jdawg
- Start date
IMO all you need to mount a scope is the provided tightening tool, a level, a mirror and a bright flashlight. Just find a level table, place rifle on the level table, point rifle in the direction of a vertically lined object (cabinet door, drawer, etc.) and make sure the scope's vertical crosshair aligns with the object you're viewing. Now your scope is well skewed. All that's left to do is give it a rough zero.
Place rifle back on level table, point rifle at a mirror (indoors probably 10m away). Remove bolt from the rifle. Point flashlight down the bore of the rifle at the mirror. Now look through the scope towards the mirror and align crosshairs with the well illuminated reflection found in the mirror.
This is very high tech stuff guys.
Place rifle back on level table, point rifle at a mirror (indoors probably 10m away). Remove bolt from the rifle. Point flashlight down the bore of the rifle at the mirror. Now look through the scope towards the mirror and align crosshairs with the well illuminated reflection found in the mirror.
This is very high tech stuff guys.
I like the FAT wrench...it's an easy-to-use torque wrench in a firearms-appropriate range, and is useful for lots of things besides scope mounting. The level-level gizmo is a total waste of time. It gets your turrets level, not your crosshairs, and the two are not always the same!
Lapping the rings is a good idea, super easy to do. If you mount more than a couple of scopes, try putting on your lower rings and then dropping the scope tube into them. They are often so poorly aligned that you can see the uneven gaps with your naked eye, or the scope tube won't even drop right down to the bottom in a lot of cases. Instead of just jamming the top rings on and tightening them up, thereby twisting the crap out of your precision optical device, lapping the rings will remove the uneven stresses and protect your scope. It also improves the grip the rings have on the scope, minimizing the chances of the scope moving in the rings on a rifle with heavy recoil. Plus, it keeps your scope tube from getting marked up by the rings.
You're not just screwing a handle onto a barn door. Do it right.
Lapping the rings is a good idea, super easy to do. If you mount more than a couple of scopes, try putting on your lower rings and then dropping the scope tube into them. They are often so poorly aligned that you can see the uneven gaps with your naked eye, or the scope tube won't even drop right down to the bottom in a lot of cases. Instead of just jamming the top rings on and tightening them up, thereby twisting the crap out of your precision optical device, lapping the rings will remove the uneven stresses and protect your scope. It also improves the grip the rings have on the scope, minimizing the chances of the scope moving in the rings on a rifle with heavy recoil. Plus, it keeps your scope tube from getting marked up by the rings.
You're not just screwing a handle onto a barn door. Do it right.
