Congrats for posting your tribulations and then getting all the advice. You are getting good advice. I have seen nothing I would dispute - an unusual occurence when so many people have posted.
I bet we have all gone though a situation not unlike yours and have learned from it. I know I have. Based on my experience:
Take the scope off, and LokTite (blue) the base screws. This is important because once the scope is installed, you can't check them for tightness. If you don't have LokTite, a drop of nail polish in the threads will suffice. Don't over tighten the bases screws. They can snap. (Go ahead - ask me how I know that. or ask me how I know that if the base screws are too long, the bolt won't close. etc.)
When the scope is off, give it a shake and see if you can hear anything. A Banner scope should work fine for your application, but any scope (any price) can be broken.
This would be a good time to clean the rifle. Leave some solvent in the barrel, and store it over night, muzzle down on a wad of paper towel. If there is a puddle of blue stain the next day, repeat. The rifle may as well be cleaning while you are waiting for the next chance to shoot. Wipe the barrel clean before going to the range.
The scope will reinstall real easily. You can do this at the range, so why not leave it off and fire three shots at 25 yards with the iron sights, so you can make an adjustment, if needed. A set of zeroed iron sights is a wonderful 9 and cheap) Plan B. Everyone should have a Plan B.
Reinstall the scope. I tighten the knobs with a quarter, because that is what I will have in the field if I have to take the scope off and revert to iron sights (if scope gets broken or fogs). Make sure the little scope ring screws are tight (but don't break them).
You have not mentioned rings, but I assume they are Weaver type, and a low set, not see-thru. See thru would be very high, uncomfortable, have a different trajectory from what the posters have assumed, and dangerous. The danger is that if you use the iron sights, the scope might be very close to your skull. While most of us have been kissed by a scope, and wear the little scar as a badge of honour, getting whacked in the head when in a tree stand can lead to nasty consequences. (Go ahead – ask me how I know that? No, I did not do it but heard all about from a guy who did and I have chosen to learn from HIS experience.)
Ok, now you are at the range, ready to fire the rifle. Your jacket on top of the block of wood is fine. But, you could take an old wool sock and fill it with 2 pounds of dried white beans or split peas and tie it closed with a knot. A light shooting rest to sit on that block of wood. With a light hunting rifle I suggest you rest the back of your forward hand on the bag (or jacket) and hold the forend so it more closely resembles how it will be in the field.
I like the idea of shooting 3 shot groups. The group can shift as the barrel warms. You want a hunting rifle zeroed for a cold barrel, not a warm one.
The bullet has to rise from below your line of sight through the scope, pass through the line of sight, go higher then drop back down to hit the target at 100 yards. An inch low to bang on at 25 yards is about right. I would fire a group at 25, see how much movement is required (16 clicks to the inch) make the adjustment and fire again. The new group should be in the right direction and about the right amount of change. If a clicker is broken or if you cranked it the wrong way, the problem should be obvious.
If it moved in the right direction, then you can fire 3 shots at 100 yards. Bt the time you get back from posting a target at 100, the barrel should be cool. It is usual to have to make an adjustment after the first 100 yard group.
Most guys will suggest a few inches high at 100. My experience in the East is only twice have I fired a shot over 100 yards. Most have been at 20 to 60 yards, so I would zero for bang on at 100. Your choice.
Hopefully you will have a chance to shoot again at 100, before you go hunting, to make sure the rifle still works. If it does not, the scope is pooched. A fixed power 2 ½ to 4 is an excellent, durable and reliable hunting scope. More money gets you more durability, better gas sealing and more repeatable clicks. At the cheaper end of the spectrum I prefer a fixed power to a zoom.
Here is a piece of trivia for you. Assuming a normal scope height, the 25 yard zero is the velocity of the rifle, in yards. 2000 fps? Zero at 20 yards. 2500fps? Zero at 25 yards. 3000 fps? Zero at 30 yards. A good rule of thumb, in case you don’t have a laptop and ballistics program with you at the range.
Let us know how it works out. Don't be embarrassed to report a loose scope base. We have all been there.
