Spirit of '76
Mounting a Scope on your Rifle

Introduction

Preparation and Setup

First, use a cradle so you can work on the rifle. It may seem obvious to some of us, but it is important to have something to hold your rifle fairly level and steady while you work on it. It's next to impossible to properly mount a scope without something to hold your rifle in a 'prone' position. I put bipods on most of my rifles - which creates a "de facto" level cradle for my rifles.

Gather the following materials:

• gun cradle - or some method of holding your rifle level and steady
• clean rag
• spray solvent (either pump or aerosol)
• gun oil
• box for holding small parts
• chemical 'screw lock' substance, like Lok-Tite^TM -- use the REMOVABLE type
• gunsmith screwdriver set
• Allen wrenches - a.k.a. "hex keys"
• carpenter's level
• cardboard and tape - if you don't want to write on the wall
• pencil

Note: The last two items are optional if you have a "level base" to sight your scope on.

Wash your hands of all dirt and oils. Then clean the grease from all screws, screw holes, rings and bases - and then wipe them dry.

Mount the Bases

1. Place the rifle in the cradle, or set it up on the bipod, with a sandbag (or reasonable substitute - books work fine) under the butt.
2. Lightly oil the top of the receiver.
3. Carefully place the base(s) on the receiver.
4. Put a drop of medium strength and removable Lok-Tite^TM on each screw, and lightly screw them in. Very Important -- use the PROPER SCREWDRIVER or HEX KEY. Many screws have been BURRED because the wrong screwdriver was used. Get a set of gunsmith screwdrivers - they fit the screw slots EXACTLY, and do not SLIP and burr screws.
5. With the screws SNUG, place the screwdriver in the screw slot, and gently RAP them with a hammer. This will align the screw threads with the hole threads. You will find that you can now turn the screw a little more. This makes for a STRONGER mount, as more threads are in better contact with each other.
6. Tighten the screws, starting from the center ones, working your way out to the ends. Tighten them progressively, so they get equal tension (much like you would the lug bolts on your car's wheels).
7. Wipe off any excess 'anything'.

Mount the Rings

1. Install the bottom halves of the rings. If your rings need to be turned 90 degrees (like Redfield, Leupold, and some others do), DO NOT USED YOUR SCOPE to do this !!! You could literally ruin your scope. Temporarily (snugly) attach the top part of the rings so you can turn them. I use a 1" - 1+" hardwood dowel to turn the rings.
2. Lay the scope in the bottom halves of the rings. Make sure that they lay SQUARELY in the rings (look for gaps of light, etc). If they don't, you can adjust the rings with the dowel, or lap the rings, if necessary.

Mount the Scope

1. Lay the scope in the bottom halves of the rings. This sounds silly, but make sure that the scope is facing the proper direction. Also make sure that the WINDAGE knob is to the RIGHT and the ELEVATION knob is on top.
2. Set the eye relief. Place your cheek on the stock where you would when firing the rifle and move the scope forward and back. Most scopes have about 3-4" of eye relief. This means the scope should be 3-4" away from your eye with your cheek mounted on the stock. You should see a clear, full field of view with your cheek firmly placed on the stock.
3. Now take a small piece of 600 grid wet/dry sandpaper, and fold it in half with the rough sides OUTWARD. Slip it under the scope in each of the bottom halves. This will help keep the scope from sliding or rotating once tightened down.
4. Now place the top halves over the scope and insert the screws loosely.
5. Now level the rifle. I put bipods on most of my rifles - which creates a "de facto" level of my rifles once the surface I rest them on is level. This is easily checked and adjusted. You can also use a small level (like a torpedo level) to make sure your rifle is level in a cradle.
6. Now adjust the cant. You want to make sure that the crosshairs in the scope are as nearly perfectly VERTICAL and HORIZONTAL as possible. Place a level across the room on a windowsill or other fairly level object - then LEVEL it - or, using the level draw a visible horizontal (or vertical) line on the wall or something attached to the wall. This will be your reference line for your scope's crosshair.
7. Carefully adjust (rotate) your scope so it is aligned with your reference mark.
8. Tighten the Rings - front and rear:
   • IF you have split rings with a screw on each side of each ring:
     1. Check the scope's crosshair alignment with the reference line
     2. take up the slack in the screws by holding the top half of the rings so there's an even gap on both sides, and rotating the screw down until just snug.
     3. Carefully tighten the ring screws, a half turn at a time, alternating between right and left screw, checking for crosshair movement after both sides each get a half turn so the gaps on each side are even and scope rotation is eliminated.
   • IF you have only one tightening screw per ring:
     1. "Cheat" the scope rotation, by turning the top of the scope AWAY from the side that has the screw. When you tighten the screw, it will rotate the scope BACK toward level. Note how much you "cheated", in case you need to make adjustments later.
     2. Carefully tighten the screws down.
     3. Check your crosshair, if it is level, you're home free. If it is not, loosen the screws, and "cheat" either MORE or LESS, depending on how much rotation your scope experienced during the last tightening.

HINT: I also installed "scope levels" on my scopes. While cant is not a big deal at ranges under 100 or 200 yards in hunting situations, it makes a difference for precision shooting at all ranges, and at LONG ranges.

30 January 2001