So, you got yourself a brand new bolt action rifle, a scope, and a set of rings for that scope as well. Let’s also assume you mounted the scope on your gun and fired a couple of rounds to see if it was accurate or not. Lo and behold, your shots are all over the place.
You might be thinking that’s because your scope is broken or adjustments are not working. While those can be the case as well, they aren’t the issue most of the time. Often we forget to mount a scope properly and just lash out at the scope by calling it bad.
How about we find out how to properly mount a riflescope instead? Sounds good, right? Let’s start.
Gather Your Tools
First thing first, you will need a bunch of tools that are a must for the process. You can’t just mount it on a plain field and call it a day. Let’s see what kind of tools you will need for the process.
- A bench with gun-vise. A lot of people think they can do without a gun vise, don’t be like that. You need a gun vise for the process. Good quality hand tools to fasten the nuts and screws of your scope rings.
- A torque wrench.
- And a bubble level to see if the scope is leveled or not. You can head over here to learn a bit more about how to level your scope.
Mount Up
Assuming you have all the tools and the firearm ready, it’s time to install it on the vise and start the process of the ring installation.
Step 1
Secure the scope rings to the base of the scope at the torque value recommended by the manufacturer of your scope rings. If your ring didn’t come with any information, then the standard rating is around 35 to 44-inch pounds.
Step 2
Place the scope at the highest magnification and slightly tighten the screws a bit. But don’t secure it yet as you will need to see the leveling and eye relief. Make sure that the rings are not butting up against your mag ring either. Also keep the turret, saddle, and objective bell away from the grasp of the ring as well.
Step 3
Make sure that the scope magnification is at maximum magnification. Now shoulder the gun and see through the scope to see if your magnification is perfect and you are seeing your target with 0 hindrance. If you are happy with the direction and see that your scope isn’t twisted or anything, then you can move on to the next step.
Step 4
The next step is the easiest. Place your gun back on the bench and secure it. Now place a bunch of bubble levels and see if the scope is leveled or not. You can also remove the turret cap and allow you to put the levels closest to the scope level.
Step 5
Implying you are happy with your readings and level, it’s time to finalize the process. Slowly and steadily tighten the scope rings recommended by the manufacturer. Don’t over-tighten it. You can strip the screw if you tighten it too much.
Conclusion
See, that wasn’t hard, was it? Sure, without the proper tools, the process is a bit hard and complicated. But with the right sets of tools and instructions to work with, it’s one of the easiest things you can do.
With that said, that’s all for now. Thanks for reading and hope you found it useful. See you on the next one.
Hi, I’m Brent Hansford. A writer turned hunter & now sharing my love for the sport through writing. As I practically breathe weapons, I firmly believe I’m capable of providing you with new knowledge about firearms and hunting. My mission is to help more people get better at hunting & master the weapons. Let me help with unleashing the beast within you!
