Where should a scope be mounted

I

Ian Robertson

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My $.02 for this quarter.

Very few scopes i see are mounted correctly, all back way to far. The correct position is the end of the scope roughly at the end of the action. Yes this will need a long scope base that hangs over the front of the action. I don't know who makes them other than Barnard.


If you hang around with TR & Palma shooters look at the position of their irons in relation to the rear of the action. This is like it should be to get proper head position. It is pretty easy to climb forward on a stock but its hard to get away from it except to have a foolishly long stock.


My .02$
 
You realize that eye relief between different scope makes / models varies - not to mention that changing the magnification changes the eye relief?
Also, shooting position will change where your cheek rests on the stock.
Not to mention that not everyone can afford a custom fit stock for every rifle, some are a touch long, some are a touch short - others fit just right.
And, i might add that the end of the action is kind of an irrelevant place. Different actions have different lengths, some have long tangs - whats important is that your stock fits you for Length of Pull (nothing to do with a scope), elevates your eye to be centered in the scope vertically, and allows your eye to be centered horizontally. Then you adjust scope for proper eye relief - at no time do you look at the rear of the action and decide to move it.
All of my hunting rifle scopes are set for proper eye relief at maximum magnification in an offhand shooting position - its not perfect at the bench / prone, nor do I want it to be.
Granted, a quick look at all my mounted optics shows that most of the scopes are within a couple inches of the rear of the action, but I'm not going to adjust any of them based on that measurement.
 
iu
 
I am correct in my statements but it is a lot of fun yanking some chains!! You don't need to believe me anyway. Come on out for a shoot at Connaught, that is if we get back on the range.
 
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This scope is too far back! The horror!

Ian Robertson said:
I am correct in my statements but it is a lot of fun yanking some chains!! You don't need to believe me anyway. Come on out for a shoot at Connaught, that is if we get back on the range.
Click to expand...

Correct with what? You didn’t even provide any evidence on your position. What kind of shooting are we talking about? Hunting, long range precision, bench-rest... what shooting positions? What’s the stature of the shooter? Short, tall, short arms, long arms, neck length, eye to cheek distance, wide or thin cheek bones... is the shooter right handed but left eye dominant? What is the comb height of the stock in relation to the butt... how long is the butt stock? What gun is it??? Etcetera, etcetera...
 
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Ian Robertson said:
My $.02 for this quarter.

Very few scopes i see are mounted correctly, all back way to far. The correct position is the end of the scope roughly at the end of the action. Yes this will need a long scope base that hangs over the front of the action. I don't know who makes them other than Barnard.


If you hang around with TR & Palma shooters look at the position of their irons in relation to the rear of the action. This is like it should be to get proper head position. It is pretty easy to climb forward on a stock but its hard to get away from it except to have a foolishly long stock.


My .02$
Click to expand...


Just do a quick search - pictures of scope on a rifle - and you will see that all scope are mounted with the eyepiece sticking out to the rear of the action.
This is to get the head properly on the cheekpiece and proper eye relief.
With the scope flush with the action, your head is not upright but canted forward and you are looking with the top of your eye instead of the middle of your eye.

The proper way is the way that for you - provide a steady - repeatable position on the stock.
In prone, some shooter mount the scope more forward. Position of the scope is what work for the shooter. My Benchrest 6 BR scope is not in the same position than my hunting Winchester 70. And who care as long as it allow accurate shooting ??
 
I agree with you Ian. I see many, many scopes mounted to far back, those fellows have to kind of lean back when they shoulder the rifle ...

The rear of the scope mounted about 1/2 inch to the rear of the tang on a 700 action is good for most people... leaning into it when shouldered...
 
Ian Robertson said:
I am correct in my statements but it is a lot of fun yanking some chains!! You don't need to believe me anyway. Come on out for a shoot at Connaught, that is if we get back on the range.
Click to expand...

Just so I'm clear in understanding your point of view, could you consider this example:

I have the perfect fitting rifle. Length of pull is exact, cheekpiece height is perfect, everything fits me exactly. I am going to mount a Leupold VX-Freedom 3-9x40mm that has an eye relief of 4.17 inches on it. I mount it, and it lines up perfectly with the rear tang of the rifle. This goes on for a while, til I have a terrible head injury and end up thinking, "What this rifle needs is a Vortex Diamondback!" So off I go and purchase a Vortex Diamondback 4-12x40mm. It has an eye relief of 3.1 inches. I notice when mounting it to fit my eye, it now sits back 1.07 inches PAST the rear tang of my rifle! Do I move it forward 1.07 inches? Do I cut 1.07 inches off my rifle stock?
 
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