Scope mount recommendation

Leupold Backcountry Aluminum. Just fitted 2 of my rifles with them and love that they can't rust and are 1.5 pieces.

Just have the local sporting goods store mount the scopes (if they can) as they can do it with boresight in about 15 minutes and you won't have to worry about it not being done correctly. The 2 I just had done were done this way and they didn't even charge me for it.
 
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Leupold Backcountry Aluminum. Just fitted 2 of my rifles with them and love that they can't rust and are 1.5 pieces.

Just have the local sporting goods store mount the scopes (if they can) as they can do it with boresight in about 15 minutes and you won't have to worry about it not being done correctly. The 2 I just had done were done this way and they didn't even charge me for it.

If they have one they use a collimator. Boresighting is different. You remove the bolt and look down the barrel. Position the gun so that the target appears centered in the bore. Adjust windage and elevation until the crosshairs are on the target. Works better at closer distances and should get you on paper. For your sighting in, pin your target up on a large piece of clean cardboard. If you miss the target, you'll most likely at least hit the cardboard. Shoot at 50 yards if that's available.
 
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It certainly shouldn’t be bending things enough to get from the elastic region to the plastic region. I like the way those mounts have worked for all my hunting rigs thus far. I guess I can live with a little stress on the tube as long it works great.

As far as centering a used scope goes, if you fixed all the focus issues related to trying to see something mounted to you objective(ask a friend to hold a quarter over the center of your objective and look at the target) the guts would have to be so perfectly centered to show you your scopes center that it would be incredibly difficult to implement.

Super easy method
Turn the adjustment all the way down, and count clicks or marks until it’s all the way back to the top, divide your clicks by two, and return to that location. Now do the same with windage, and if you noticed that either had started a long way from center, then do it again from this point because you probably got shortchanged a little.

Not quite as easy method.
Grab a flashlight and look through the objective. With a little shifting of your head and light position as well as your focus and figuring out what you can see in there, find your erector tube. In most scopes you can see the interface between the adjustment knob and the erector tube as well as the return spring/springs. If you can see them, you can see if the scope will follow a linear or hyperbolic path, and if the erector tube has any chance slipping or binding on the return spring at extreme adjustments. Both things are nice to know if you plan on dialing rather than setting zero and holding off, especially the linear vs hyperbolic path issue. You can also see if the erector tube is approximately centered on the adjustment. If you can’t see erector tube/adjustment knob interface you can still tell if the erector tube is approximately centered in the scope tube. Get it near center. Now dial the elevation all the way one direction, and count clicks until it has traveled as far as it will go in the other direction, and recenter. Repeat for the windage adjustment. If you dial around while watching the erector tube move inside the scope it becomes extremely clear why being a long way from center can cause problems, especially when dialing up or left where instead of hitting resistance when you think you still have adjustment(as in going down and right) you can continue to dial, but the POI won’t change.

I didn’t mention why the new scopes never look like the crosshairs is off-center. In really old scopes, they moved the crosshairs. If you moved the crosshairs left, your shot moved right, just like with iron sights. Newer scopes, although still a LONG WAY BACK, have a fixed crosshairs that is centered over the objective, and adjustments move the image, so now knobs turn the opposite direction as when they moved the crosshairs. There are parts of the image outside your field of view. If all other things are equal, a scope with more adjustment range has a narrower field of view. Changing power, lense diameters(and thus tube diameters), tube length(I think) also change field of view though. It’s all a trade off.

If I ever buy a used scope I'd want it mechanically centered before I took it out to sight in. Generally the closer you can stay to mechanical center, the better off you are. I'm aware of turning it all the way left or right and up or down and getting total clicks from the manufacturer and moving it back half that number.
 
For my newest and likely project which involves a Rem 700 action and a Leupold VX-5HD scope I'm using Leupold 49842 QRW Weaver style bases and the Leupold backcountry 30mm medium rings.
 
If I ever buy a used scope I'd want it mechanically centered before I took it out to sight in. Generally the closer you can stay to mechanical center, the better off you are. I'm aware of turning it all the way left or right and up or down and getting total clicks from the manufacturer and moving it back half that number.

You just need to go through it 2-3 times or look through backward because if you started a long way from center, then you’ll bottom out early, and upon halving the number and dialing to it, you could still be a fair amount off. You will get close enough the first time though that doing it again should pretty much put you right there.
 
You just need to go through it 2-3 times or look through backward because if you started a long way from center, then you’ll bottom out early, and upon halving the number and dialing to it, you could still be a fair amount off. You will get close enough the first time though that doing it again should pretty much put you right there.

If Leupold says that scope abcd has 300 clicks lock to lock and you turn it all the way to one side, shouldn't 150 clicks the other way land you pretty much in the center? Assuming that you can count that many without futching it up.
 
If Leupold says that scope abcd has 300 clicks lock to lock and you turn it all the way to one side, shouldn't 150 clicks the other way land you pretty much in the center? Assuming that you can count that many without futching it up.

Well of course! But what if you couldn’t find that information?

Also, you don’t have to count to 150. Count how many clicks are in one turn, or if you have target turrets, you don’t even have count that, you just read the dial.
 
Well of course! But what if you couldn’t find that information?

Also, you don’t have to count to 150. Count how many clicks are in one turn, or if you have target turrets, you don’t even have count that, you just read the dial.


There's more than one way to skin a cat then. For me it would be an issue only if I was buying or selling a used scope; neither of which is likely to happen any time soon.
 
These type question's get me. I'd tell you what I like and think I will come to think of it. I like mount's designed and made for the rifle they are going on. Now if you find a set that is inexpensive and you don't like inexpensive, don't get them. No matter how well they may work, you won't like them. Scope mounts have but one job, hold the scope on the rifle where it was installed! Most the base's on the market have been around for a long time. That doesn't happen with junk product's! Inexpensive and/or ugly does not mean they are junk, unless of course you think so. I find the easiest base's and ring's to find wherever I've lived have been those inexpensive Weaver's! I've had a number of different type base's and rings. Control I really like the look's of same with Leupold. Old Redfield rings I liked really well but then again I like old Redfield scopes too. Have gone through a bunch of Weaver's and none of them ever failed me. Shoot the ugliest' set I ever had were a set of Tasco's back in the late 60's maybe early 70's, they worked well but were definitely butt ugly! Two piece base's or one piece. Well one piece is supposed to stiffen the action, got my second set on now. Haven't got a clue if that is true or not but I bet the idea helped sell lots of them. Shoot, I bought into it two time's!
 
Bought a FAT wrench and I went with a EGW one piece base and Burris Zee signature rings for my new scope ti make sure everything is straight and tight without having to get into lapping kit. Hoping this is a winning combination
 
Bought a FAT wrench and I went with a EGW one piece base and Burris Zee signature rings for my new scope ti make sure everything is straight and tight without having to get into lapping kit. Hoping this is a winning combination

Lapping increases the surface contact area between the scope tube and rings. The assembly can look straight, but only 25 percent of the ring surface could be in contact with the scope and you can't tell by looking. To most it may or may not matter but to the anal or persnickety person it probably will matter.
 
For what it’s worth I did end up getting the Talley rings. I borrowed a lapping tool from a buddy of mine so I’ll be doing my first scope mount. Found out today that my Howa is in, can’t wait to get it all together
 
Lapping increases the surface contact area between the scope tube and rings. The assembly can look straight, but only 25 percent of the ring surface could be in contact with the scope and you can't tell by looking. To most it may or may not matter but to the anal or persnickety person it probably will matter.

That's why I chose the Burris zee signature rings. They have a nylon compression type insert that contacts the scope to eliminate the need for lapping. From what reviews I have read they have been performing as advertised.
 
That's why I chose the Burris zee signature rings. They have a nylon compression type insert that contacts the scope to eliminate the need for lapping. From what reviews I have read they have been performing as advertised.
Hope they work for you.
I have some of those as new without insert # 420086 high version for $30 TYD if anyone is interested.
 
I’d say go with a Talley or DNZ products make a one piece mount, Leupold started making one piece mounts recently but I haven’t tried one
 
I noticed nobody posted exactly what they bought. Here is what I bought from Optics Planet.
Howa 1500 .308

Leupold Dual Dovetail DD Base, 2 Piece, Rem 700, Matte Black - 50042 $24.89
Leupold Dual Dovetail DD Rings - 30mm, High, Matte Black - 49958 $36.89
Leupold Scopesmith Ring Wrench - 48762 $12.95
One could get by without the wrench, but this way it will stay with my other gun tools.
 
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