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Mail Call Mondays Season 2 #12 - Scope Ring Height

We show you how to figure out the proper scope ring height for your rifle. SEND US YOUR QUESTIONS!!!!! Mail Call Mondays is our weekly Question and ...

User Comments

CR Rains commented on 03 Apr 2013

JM Why not take a caliper and actually show these newbies by measuring the scope & penny stack (great technique) i.e. take them thru each step. It is the KISS principle of instruction and I am sure the Marines use it...the Air Force did. Don't take my suggestions as anything other than trying to correct the 3% human error and get your presentations to the perfection they approach. Thanks for sharing what I know did not come easy, with those that might be competing against U. Sign of a great MAN.

8541 Tactical commented on 02 Apr 2013

As far as I can tell the SS 3-15x42 is not part of the HD lineup. I think this is part of the reason it uses the "classic" design. However the glass does look very nice in our initial experience. I am working on a setup that will allow us to do some better "through the lens" views.

Matt W commented on 02 Apr 2013

John, Great video as always. Your show is always informative and a great source of entertainment as well as knowledge. I'm looking forward to an in-depth AI AX308 review and I'm about to pick up a S&B 3-20x50 thanks to your show. Keep up the good work, brother. S/F, Matt

DontTredOnMe2012 commented on 03 Apr 2013

The only thing the 60D has thats better is a faster auto-focus and afull 9 points of ref. but that doesnt justify the fact that its 2x as much. Check out DigiatlRev TV's channel. they do good reviews onelectronics and have a bunch on the Canon cameras.

dominiqui Archuleta commented on 08 Apr 2013

So I've just got into longrange shooting about 6 mos ago and I go to the range on a regular basis. I don't have to worry a range finder when I'm st the range an was wondering what u would suggest for a good rangefinder when I go out hunting???

8541 Tactical commented on 02 Apr 2013

The sensor in the T3i is the same as in the 60D. The real magic happens when you stick some high end lenses in front of it. The worst thing you can do is buy a Canon "L" series lens. It just gets more expensive from there.

silversniper22 commented on 02 Apr 2013

great video.. very inormative.. you didnt disscuss the scope's ocular clearing the bolt in boltaction guns.. some bolt actions have a wider bolt open than the R700 and that needs to be taken into account.. good luck. :)

El Terrible SoCal commented on 02 Apr 2013

I wish this video was out when I built my 700. I built it blind and didn't do too bad. The Weaver medium height rings might have been better but, I just slapped on a cheek pad to bring my eye up.

KDavidson commented on 02 Apr 2013

Thanks so much for this video! Just today I was searching for how to do exactly this and was about to ask this question to be done as a mail call Monday. Keep up the great work!

ian howell commented on 02 Apr 2013

John I was looking at actually buying a Bradley Cheekrest (adjustable) for my R700. Would you recommend it or the old fashion way of building up the height using foam etc?

TheJfdksl commented on 02 Apr 2013

I'm interested in the AR you showed this week. Can you give us the barrel specs and what muzzle device you have on there? Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

8541 Tactical commented on 02 Apr 2013

Tipton "Best" Gun Vise. I need to get a review out on it. I broke it out because I was lazy and didn't want to swap bipods around for each of the rifles.

usmcsniper84 commented on 02 Apr 2013

What do you think about this. I have a Rem 700 .308 175 gr. I'll be shooting out to 1000 plus yd. I want to put a 40 moa base on it. What do you think ?

TheEndlessVariables commented on 04 Apr 2013

John, when it comes to ballistic calculators, how important is the "sight height" ? Is it from the center of the bore to the center of the reticle?

8541 Tactical commented on 02 Apr 2013

The Bradley Cheekrest is so much better than the old foam and tape method. It's very firm and allows for a dead repeatable cheek weld.

RayzorBlade Gunnery commented on 13 Jul 2013

John...I have you ever used Warne rings? I have a set on my Ruger american in 30-06 and for the price to appear to be great quality.

arreshavoc commented on 03 Apr 2013

What cheek riser do you have on it? I have been looking for something similar for my bell and carlson light tactical.

SNIPER 101 Part 57 - Scope Mount and Rings Installation & Discussion

There are many different scope mounts and rings available for you to use on your long range precision rifle. Which ever choice you end up making, there are ...

User Comments

Joe Anderson commented on 14 Oct 2015

I know you have a huge following, but I am going to give my opinion in over 45 yrs experience in firearms. Saying you can tell the Torque needed is false. We proved that a million times over with our torque simulator setup in the Air Force. 100 percent of the people who claimed they could tell the needed torque by feel were off by large percentage. Is this application super critical? No, but I want the best setup I can get. The same with the leveling. People naturally tilt or have the rifle canted slightly. I have had customer argue their scope was not level. I can put the levels showing the rifle is level and the scope is level to the rifle and they still think it is off. The reason they think it is off is because they are holding the rifle on a tilt. Levels are absolutely needed.Lapping--- those bases are not aligned and that is why the scope was sticking in them. Lapping is very important.Take it or leave it, either way I enjoy your videos.

Larry Taylor commented on 06 Dec 2015

+Joe Anderson I agree 100%...torque and level both need precision measuring.

TiborasaurusRex commented on 17 Oct 2015

+Joe Anderson Thank you for the excellent commentary, sir! That seems about right... upon reflection... many folks struggle to get stuff level and don't have the torsional discernment necessary to reach the target torque level. I guess its worth recognizing that although some experienced folks know what "snug" should be, a more quantifiable method may be advised for the less "torquey" of the species ;-)

Roland Hildebrant commented on 26 Sep 2015

You said this rifle was for your wife, yet no discussion of her length of arms, shoulders and neck... Scope placement for sight picture and eye relief set for you, will unlikely fit her. Also, a one-piece rail base is vastly different from a two-piece in aligning the rings, without twisting the scope tube...Great video.

Virul Kusanagi commented on 21 Oct 2015

+Roland Hildebrant NO

MJ Cunningham commented on 27 Jun 2015

Do you feel it is critical to insure the rings are as far forward on the mount to compensate for recoil? What is the brand of rifle stand you were using? It looks much better than what I have.

Derek Smith commented on 01 Sep 2015

+MJ Cunningham Rifle is a Remington 700; the chassis system is AICS Classic

TheBamidd commented on 25 Apr 2015

Hey Rex, thanks for all the information and teachings you've put out there man. I have a quick question for ya. Do you ever bother to lap your scope rings for extra grip and inline precision, and do you ever bed your scope base to the receiver to form a perfectly smooth contact surface between the base and the receiver?

TheBamidd commented on 24 Jun 2015

+taggert gibbs I have personally bedded my own scope bases to my rifles, and tried the rings with a weaver lapping bar and compound. It hasn't made a hugely noticeable difference on my .223, .308, or plain Jane 7.62x54r, however it made a noticeable difference on my 338 platform as my scope has stopped turning in the rings and is trued perfectly to the bore now.

tagert gibbs commented on 24 Jun 2015

+TheBamidd he discusses,, glass bedding your rifles action,, but i dont know about the scope

CessnaacePVP commented on 10 Mar 2015

Hey man what would you say are the best budget scope mounts for say under $50? I'm mounting an SWFA SS fixed 12...

SA Bjork commented on 13 Apr 2015

+CessnaacePVP Zeiss $45

Gunsmithing - How to Lap Scope Rings Presented by Larry Potterfield of MidwayUSA

For the full length version of this and other MidwayUSA videos visit the MidwayUSA Video Library: //bit.ly/MrFT9n Lapping the rings on a rifle is a quick and ...

User Comments

James Franklin commented on 28 Nov 2014

Hey Larry, why is not practical or necessary to achieve 100% contact between the scope and rings? I'm just a curious perfectionist, not second guessing your expertise...

Methadras commented on 23 Dec 2014

Because you in order to achieve 100% contact means that you may have over-lapped your rings and have created a loose condition instead of an aligned condition. You are looking for as near perfect alignment as possible, not as much contact as possible. However, the lapping process will get you anywhere from 50% - 90% contact surface depending on the quality of the surface finish and machining alignment of your rings when they are at stock. It is very rare to get 100% and still not have lapped off too much material.

How to Choose Scope Rings

Learn about the different scope rings and how to mount scopes properly onto your firearm.

How to tighten your scope rings.

I've seen lots of questions asked on this, and a lot of different answers. Often I see people strip the screw before they figure out they've bought low quailty rings ...

User Comments

zippy5081 commented on 04 Dec 2015

Bless that Dog... :-) The dog is so sweet. Thanks Sir, for the info.... :-)

Ryan's Range Report commented on 04 Dec 2015

+zippy5081 Thanks, we lost here about a year after the video. I just recently rematched this video and forgot my baby girl was in it. She was a great dog/friend/family member.

A Zed commented on 02 Dec 2015

Nice GMT2

Ryan's Range Report commented on 03 Dec 2015

+A Zed Thanks, I've got it on as I typed it. I wear it pretty much every day! Even cleaned two deer with it on today!

Ruger 10/22 - Scope Mounting

Here I show you how to correctly mount a scope onto your Ruger 10-22 rifle. Scope rings I used were Burris Signature Zee Weaver Style: ...

User Comments

rickwalkerjr commented on 07 Nov 2015

very informative and excellent video quality, thanks for sharing!

nsz85 commented on 08 Nov 2015

+rickwalkerjr Sure thing :)

FeelThePunkBlast commented on 29 Jul 2015

What makes the Ruger scope mount inferior to the Weaver one?

Matt In Illinois commented on 01 Aug 2015

+FeelThePunkBlast I don't yet have the weaver on my 10/22 but from what I can tell from the way rings mount to it is that they do not get a real solid grip. The base is pretty thin and only the ring tips actually grip it. I am using the standard rings that came with a Simmons scope though. Other rings may be better. Hope this helps.

Riaan Kruger commented on 29 Jun 2015

What torque wrench are you using?

nsz85 commented on 03 Jul 2015

+Riaan Kruger Wheeler FAT wrench.

Luc Fougere commented on 11 Jun 2015

Is lock tite really necessary for a .22? Just curious. Thanks!

Luc Fougere commented on 27 Jul 2015

+The human shrug.Makes sense. Just wasn't sure initially if a .22 cartridge had enough shock to loosen screws.

The human shrug. commented on 27 Jul 2015

+Luc Fougere yep, I have a pistol that gets dry fired quite a lot. Several of it's screws need constant tightening up. This from nothing more than the shock pulse of the hammer striking a snap cap.

Luc Fougere commented on 15 Jun 2015

Fair enough, thanks!

nsz85 commented on 15 Jun 2015

+Luc Fougere Necessary? Maybe, maybe not. It doesn't affect anything in a negative fashion so I always use it.

Mark Neyens commented on 15 Apr 2015

You didn't lock tight your scope rings to the rail, unless i missed it. Like the gun though.

Braden Smith commented on 25 Apr 2015

Dud thats impossible they dont physically screw into the weaver mount they screw together to create a tightning force on each side so they can move locktightning them would mean to you never put a different scope on.

Mason Hamby commented on 04 Apr 2015

your gun looks awsome

nsz85 commented on 10 Apr 2015

+Mason Hamby Thanks!

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