is it totally necessary for you to get your scope put by a professional and also bore sighted? can't you just put your scope on and make your adjustments accordingly with windage and elevation?

kevin

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kj, just make sure that all screws and screw holes are clean and oil free before installing. Install the base and snug it down securely. set the rings in the base, loosely tighten the rings and then align the cross-hairs for vertical - look at those about 20 times to make sure you have it right - and set the eye-relief. With your setup (if it's what I'm thinking of), eye-relief will probably be best with the scope's adjustment turrets as close to the front ring as you can get it. And, if we are talking the Leupold QRs, I wouldn't lock the rings with the latches until you have the scope set in the rings and partially tightened - then lock them in place and finish tightening. Tighten the ring screws in small amounts switching from one side to the other and finally snug them down good. Check your reticle alignment periodically as you tighten. Some folks like to add a bit of Loc-Tite to the base and ring screws but I've never found that to be of much benefit so long as you snug them down good.

You can do a simple bore site by removing the breech plug, set the barrel such that it won't easily move, then look through the bore at a distant object, centered in the bore. Then see where it is in the scope. Without moving the barrel, adjust the scope until the object is centered on the reticle. Might save you a few rounds when sighting in.

Start at 25 yards or so when sighting in.

kjclark7,

You can do it yourself, and if you are like me, you enjoy doing the work yourself. Like they say, preparation is half of the hunt and just as much fun. Let me offer a few tips that will ensure your hunt will be as fun as your preparation.

1.) Whether or not your base and rings use slotted or torex headed screws make sure your tools properly fit or you will end up doing more damage than not to the heads of the screws. Also get yourself a hand driver, like screwdriver, they work better than the small, usually cheap, allen-wrenches provided.

2.) When mounting your base/bases, make sure any and all oil is cleaned from the gun surface and threaded hole, Gun Scrubber or Remington Action Cleaner, from Walmart, work great for this. On your base screws go ahead and use loc-tite, these screws are no longer accessible after you mount your scope and you don't want them coming loose. Use the blue loc-tite and not red, the red is permanent. Key Tip, assuming we are working with a steel gun receiver and steel screws here, run the base screws down hand tight with your driver. Then, while still applying pressure tap the butt of the driver with a hammer, you are simulating an impact wrench and will get about another 1/16 turn. If you receiver and screw are steel you will not strip the holes or screws. Do not use the impact tip if either of these two pieces are aluminum.

3.) If you are using Leupold style rings that have a windage adjustment then you will need a scope alignment tool. A 1" doll rod or broom stick will work but recommend getting a better toll if you are going to continue mounting other scopes. This tool is crucial. If you mount a scope in rings that are not aligned you will bend the scope tube and which could result in scope failure.

4.) Remember, when bore sighting from the gun barrel, you scope adjustments will be backwards vs. adjusting from an actual point of impact on paper.

5.) I almost forgot, do not overtighten your rings. No more than hand tight and that is even more than required in some case. You do not want to dent the scope tube.


Edited by - Toby from MO on 12/22/2002 12:48:57

so heres my setup for now: tc encore, leupold qd base and medium rings and for a scope i have bushnell banner 1.5-4.5x32. it seems when bore sighting it i would have to adjust it a lot. what kind of distance should i look down the barrel at? is it just worth going out at 20-25 yards and getting a big piece of card board and just go for it. the gun shouldn't have much oil on it when i get it out of the box or will it? why is that so critical that i get all the oil off? i'm probably going to get the high rings, i just have to make it out to the gun shop. thanks again.

kevin

kjclark7,

Since your actual bullet path should cross your line of site somwhere around that distance I would say 25-50yds would be ok. Before I bought my bore sighter I would do it from the 100yd mark just before sighting in. I would use something about the size of a paper plate, if not an actual paper plate, as it could be easily seen from that distance and would be just about the size of the bore I was looking through. But for all intents and purposes bore sighting is not rocket science and shouldn't be dwelled over.

When a gun comes from the factory it usually has a pretty good coat of a thick oil coating on it, inside and out. They use it as a preservative for storage in the warehouses to prevent premature rusting. You clean this oil out of the mounting holes/area because it would act just the opposite of loc-tite. In the barrel, you can either clean it out or even snap off a few primers and burn the majority of it out prior to cleaning.

With the scope you mentioned I would doubt you need high rings, unless of course, the high rings were more comfortable for you.

Hope we are steering you in the right direction...have fun with you new ML.

Toby

Edited by - Toby from MO on 12/22/2002 21:42:01

I've ALWAYS mounted and adjusted my own scopes!! Except for one time I had a "professional" replace the scope I had mounted on a German double-barrelled rifle in a claw mount. The joker broke the rear base loose from ist soft-soldered seat on the barrels, and I had to have the base put back on the gun!! So much for the "professionals"!!

Keep yore powder dry!!

Simple enough to just set the scope in the rings on the bases and check his clearance, but I've essentially the same setup and the high rings are much better. Cocking is a real chore without them.

I believe someone on another forum mentioned the one shot method. A big piece of cardboard at 25 yards would certainly work for you in that case, but it's critical not to move the barrel from the position it was shot from. That can be tough as most folks don't have a shooting vice. Just pick something way out there like a tower light at night, center it in the bore and move those hairs to the light. Then go to the big cardboard at 25 yards. Save you some time and frustration.

BLUE Loc-Tite on the base screws probably is a good idea, but I've never used it. I do use the tap and torque method on the base screws though.

When I boresight my muzzleloader I stick a mini-mag light in the breechplug end and make the necessary adjustments.

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