Scope installation?

Josey1

Well I got my Bushnell Elite 3200 5-15x50 and man is it a nice scope,I am going to install it myself.Is there any tips anyone could offer to get scope on rifle correctly and easily the first time?Also what do I use as a thread lock for mounting the weaver bases onto rifle?I am mounting it on a Remington PSS .308.Oh I almost forgot,when it says to mount scope forward in the rings does that mean all the way forward just before the scope flares out to the eyepiece?Thanks to all for your help,Josey

He Dog

Josey the position of the scope in the rings is determined by its' eye relief. You want it forward but you want the exit pupil to fill the field when you are looking from your shooting position with cheek on comb. Takes just a bit of fooling around to get it in the right position. You want it forward so that the recoil does not put the edge of the tube in your eyebrow. Somewhat painful I am told. I do not use thread locks on scope mounts, but you could use lock tite if you feel it is necessary. I just torque them down fairly well and that does it. There is a neat gadget from butler creek for about $20 that fits on the bolt and allows you to get the reticle square with the bore. Works more easily for me that a Scope Levelor which does much the same. The main thing is to line the rings up so that both are exactly perpendicular to the bore. Brownells has some nifty aluminum bars that fit the rings and allow you to line them up perfectly, again for about $20 as I recall. Go slow, be careful and have fun.

roundball

A couple extra tips:1) The eye relief should be about 3" with normal centerfire rifles;2) Adjust the eye relief wearing typical clothes you would be wearing while shooting...ie: If you adjust eye relief, then put on a thick coat for winter hunting, your eye relief will be longer, typically causing a lot of strain to reach forward enough for a clear picture without parallax;3) Same holds for a recoil pad...if you're going to use one, install it before you install the scope and adjust eye relief;4)If you use any Loc-tite at all, be sure it's the blue color variety, and only use a slight trace on the first couple of threads;5) When you go to sight it in, set up your first target at no more than 25 yards to get it roughed in first, then move the target out to 100 yards or whatever you're going to zero it at, etc;Good luck

Josey1

Thanks a bunch guys,your help is invaluable.I was only considering using thread lock on the weaver mounts,not the rings would that be OK?[This message has been edited by Josey1 (edited 10-23-2001).]

luger01

Josey,Use blue Locktite on the scope base screws, by all means. If a rifle will remain scoped, there is no harm in using it on the ring screws either. Depends on what rifle you're scoping. If it's a heavy recoiling rifle, you'll want the ring screws locktited, too. .30-06 and similar rounds, it's not usually necessary.Place the scope where it's comfortable for you to shoot, in the position you will be shooting in. Scope placement for a bench rest rifle is forward of where you will want it for standing shots. A heavy recoiling rifle, with the scope placed back too far will earn you a nice 'badge' above your eye while shooting on a bench at the range.Make sure the rings are aligned before you tighten up things. Rings that aren't, can damage a scope. A good idea is to let a gunshop mount the scope and bore sight it for you. Most I know of do this free for customers.

cpermd

JoseyVery good choice!Mount it correctly and don't phoughkk with it and it will outlast the two of us.Which Granddaughter are you leaving it to?cpermd

He Dog

Hi Josey1, you are going to have to forgive He Dogs poor fading memory. The item I mentioned for squaring the scope to the bore is not made by Butler Creek, but by Stoney Point. It is called the Sight Lines Lens. You can take a look at: http://www.stoneypoint.com/ It is a useful item. Having a gunsmith mount and boresight the scope is not a bad idea if you are going to do it every few years. If you are going to be doing it frequently because ya just got a new one, might as well learn how to do it. The rifle magazines like Rifle and Rifle Shooter have an article about once a year on how to mount and sight in scopes. That can be helpful for your first couple of times. If you don't want to shell out for a columnator (bore sighter) or a laser bore sighter, it is probably better to let the gunsmith do this one. At most he will charge $10-$15 and may do it free. Good luck, have fun, be safe!

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Founding Father:Secret Select Society of Suave Stylish Smoking Jackets

JustC

Josey' As you may have discovered, the 700 Rem receiver is somewhat flat on top. Take a small level and set the rifle in a vise (gun Vise). Now level the rifle with the small level on top of the action cross ways. Once the rifle is level in the vise, put the scope in the rings and lightly tighten them so you can still move the scope. You should have maybe placed a piece of tape on the scope somewhere before you started when you held the rifle in your normal shooting position and found out where you needed it mounted for proper eye relief. The tape is placed up against one of the rings but on the scope tube itself. Now when you get the rifle in the vise and set the scope in the rings, you can slide it until the tape hits the ring just as it was when you held it, this is your proper eye relief that you figured out earlier. Now with the rifle in the vise, set the level on top of the elevation knob and level the scope with the level cross ways. This squares the rifle and the scope together, as long as the rifle is still level in the vise. Occassionaly a rifle will be cut slightly off of square and once you have completed this operation the crosshairs will be noticably cocked when you hold the rifle but most of the time this works well for me. Or just spend the 20 for the leveler, just thought I would give you another way to mount one.

salzo

JustC- I do the same thing, but I use two levels. One on the rifle in the rest, the other on the top turret of the scope. The second level helps me by making sure the gun did not move while tightening down the scope.

JustC

salso, glad to see I'm not the only one doing things this way. Ever notice that every once in a while a rifle will still be off even when doing it this way? I think some are just cut out of round at the factory.

cpermd

Please show me a single flat surface on any 700 receiver.You are mistaken .

drawn

Before you start completely remove all grease/oil from all parts especially the inside of the rings