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« Last post by allmanav on January 14, 2021, 09:49:34 am »
12
« Last post by allmanav on January 14, 2021, 09:45:24 am »
Lying there on the gun shop's counter is a used .30-'06 Sprg. bolt-action mounted with what is supposed to be a pretty good used scope. You're going with your buddies on a deer hunt out West and didn't want to mortgage the house to buy a new rifle and a high-tech scope. The friendly guy behind the counter convinced you to part with your hard-earned cash for the used rifle.
But now you're having second thoughts. You're thinking, "Was buying a used rifle and scope the right decision? Did I just get taken to the cleaners?" The answer to the first question is "yes," it is possible to get a good used scoped rifle for less than you can buy one new.
The answer to the second question is "Maybe." There are definitely things to know and things to look for when shopping for a used rifle. I ought to know, because I grew up as one of those friendly guys behind the gun shop counter.
My grandfather started the family gun shop: Hatfield's Sporting Goods, in the old river town of St. Joseph, Mo., in 1920. Mom helped grandma with the books and grandpa, dad and my uncle manned the counter. During my childhood, at any given time we had over 1,000 guns on the rack—trap, skeet, field-grade shotguns, .22s, varmint rifles, target rifles, deer rifles and even a couple of heavy bolt guns for African hunting—most of them used.
The men of the family were gun traders of the true essence and I was put to work behind the counter every day after grade school. Many of our customers brought in guns to trade, and I was taught how to methodically inspect a used gun, what to look for and what to avoid. Back then, trading was the easiest way to get value out of a used gun, but times have changed and there are now a number of options.
When buying a used rifle, cash is king and price is often negotiable, so if you have a trade-in, it's often better and usually more profitable to sell it. One of the best places to turn old guns into new cash is on the internet.
Several websites have recently been established specifically for selling used guns. GunBroker.com is a gun auction website where you can put your gun up for auction to web surfers across the nation. There's no charge, but if your gun sells, GunBroker takes a small percentage fee.
However, if you don't want to hassle with the internet, there are auction houses such as Rock Island Auction Company that specialize in auctioning guns. A third alternative to trading in is selling your gun on consignment. Most gun shops do consignment sales these days, putting your gun on their rack and taking a small percentage when it sells.
Now, you've cashed in that old shotgun and, with green-backs clenched in your fist, you're ready to go cut a deal on a used rifle...almost. The most popular centerfire rifles on the used market are bolt-actions, and the majority of them were produced in popular deer-hunting calibers such as .30-'06 Sprg., .270 Win. and .308 Win.
American manufacturers such as Ruger, Browning, Winchester, Remington, Savage and several others have been making good bolt guns for decades; there are a lot of good used ones on the market, but values can vary greatly depending on the company, model, year of production and even the caliber.
If you're not a gun trader, the best way to get a handle on current used gun prices is to buy a copy of the Blue Book of Gun Values, and take it with you when you go shopping. Along with the book, take a bore light. You may not be able to tell if a rifle's bore is really good by looking at it, but you can certainly tell if it's really bad.
Now you're ready; armed with the gun value book, bore light and cash, head to the local gun shop and get your feet wet. You don't have to buy a rifle on your first visit. Besides, shopping for a rifle is a lot of fun, so take your time.
I've found that most guys who work in gun shops are in that line of work more from the heart than from the head. They like guns, like to talk about guns and are usually more than willing to help someone less knowledgeable. Having spent decades on the other side of the gun shop counter, I can assure you that if you tell that helpful fellow that you're shopping for a used bolt-action deer rifle, you don't have a trade-in and you brought cash, you'll get his undivided attention.
Once you have his attention, he'll probably ask you how much you want to spend. At this point, don't lock yourself into too narrow a price range. A good answer might be, "I'm willing to spend up to X, but I want a good used bolt-action with a good scope, in something around a .30-'06 Springfield."
Once the shop owner lays out a few to look at, pick one and start checking it out in detail. First, though, with the rifle pointed in a safe direction, cycle the action several times and inspect the chamber and magazine to ensure the gun is unloaded. Then look the rifle over for general wear, cracks in the stock, burred screw heads, missing parts and general signs of abuse, amateur gunsmithing or neglect.
If the rifle appears to be in good overall shape, check to ensure it's not loaded, point it in a safe direction, then throw it to your shoulder and look through the scope. You'll immediately be able to tell if the stock has been shortened, if the stock's comb has been modified, if the barrel and action are straight and properly mounted in the stock, and if the scope is clear and the crosshairs perpendicular to the action.
Next, work the action. The bolt handle should lift smoothly without binding. The bolt body should slide rearward effortlessly, with no tight or rough spots. If the action works well, remove the bolt and inspect the bolt face. The firing pin hole should be perfectly round; the locking lugs should be concentric, smooth and free of burrs, chips and cracks.
Test the extractor spring with your thumb; the spring should be sufficiently stiff to not move under thumb pressure. Closely inspect the extractor claw for chips and cracks. An extractor flexes more than any working part of the rifle and is the part that fails most often, so inspect if very carefully.
With a bore light, inspect the barrel's chamber for any obvious irregularities such as pitting. Remove the bolt, place the bore light into the breech end of the barrel and look down the bore from the muzzle. Again, you probably won't be able to tell if the bore and rifling are really good, but you will be able to see if they are really bad.
If the bore is pitted or the rifling scarred, don't buy it at any price. Without an accurate barrel, you don't have a rifle. While you're looking at the muzzle end of the barrel, carefully inspect the barrel's crown. It should be perfectly concentric, smooth and free of dents, burrs or imperfections. A bad crown means poor accuracy, in most cases. If the rifle in question has passed these inspections, it's time to try the trigger.
The trigger can tell a lot about the rifle in many cases. First ask the clerk if you can dry-fire the rifle and test the safety. With the action cocked, if the rifle has a two-position safety, move it into the rear on-safe position and pull the trigger, the rifle should not fire. If the rifle has a three-position safety, the safety should be "on" in both the rear and middle positions. If the safety functions properly, push the safety "off," mount the rifle and slowly squeeze the trigger.
The trigger should have no creep and break crisply at a reasonable pull weight of 4 or 5 lbs. If the trigger pull is very light, the factory trigger has been modified or an aftermarket trigger installed. This can be good or bad.
A modified trigger might mean that the former owner of the rifle was more than just a casual hunter and perhaps the rifle has been very heavily used and doesn't have a lot of barrel life left. On the other hand, it might mean that the rifle has had a lot of loving care and the former owner just wanted something different.
In any case, most reputable gun dealers will guarantee their used guns; if they don't, shop elsewhere. Once you have narrowed your selection down by inspection and price range, the quality of the scope might be the factor on which you make your final decision.
Weaver, Redfield, Leupold, Burris and Bushnell have been the predominant quality scope companies in America for decades. If the rifle has one of these brands on it, chances are it's good—though there are plenty of other quality makers. However, question the clerk about the scope, find out if it's still made and what the new retail price is. Also make sure there is some kind of guarantee on the scope, because if the scope is bad, a new one can cost as much as a used rifle.
At this point you've been to all of the gun shops in the area and have a Model 77 Ruger, .270Win with a 3-9X Redfield picked out that the shop owner claims hasn't had a box of cartridges through it. You've looked up the rifle in the Blue Book of Gun Values, you know what the scope is worth, and the shop owner will guarantee the whole rig. With an asking price of just over half the price of a new rifle and scope, you've already got a great deal, but now you're not just an average customer, you're a gun trader, and it's deal time.
You'll need ammo, a good sling and possibly a soft case. Put these things with the rifle, and in your best poker-faced southern drawl, ask the merchant what he'll take for the works. Even if he gives you a good price, you might bid him something a little less. If he balks, show him your bankroll.
That strategy doesn't always work, but speaking from experience behind the gun counter, it always puts the negotiations on a serious footing and, what the heck, he expects it, because that's how you buy a used rifle.
13
« Last post by allmanav on December 06, 2020, 09:47:27 am »
Precision and accuracy shooting
I’ve always said you can’t buy capability. Only practice can turn you into an accomplished precision shooter. However, neither can you practice your way to great skill without certain critical equipment.
Whether you jump into the precision shooting scene with both feet and buy one of today’s excellent purpose-designed rifles or just want to stretch out your favorite deer rifle, you’ll need the right accessories. Let’s assume you’ve got the rifle or at least a foundation in the form of a potentially accurate barreled action. What do you really need to get the best out of it?
Appropriate stocks for long-range precision include (from l.) hand-laid fiberglass composite, laminated wood and chassis-type.
Stocks
Whether you prefer wood, or composite or a machined metal chassis-type stock, it needs to be rigid to promote accuracy and stable to promote consistency. It must be impervious to whatever nature throws at it. This means laminated wood stocks, hand-laid composite stocks and well-executed machined-aluminum chassis. Wood is too susceptible to moisture, and common injection-molded plastic just isn’t rigid enough, and it becomes malleable when it’s hot and brittle when it’s cold.
If you need a different stock, research the type you prefer and shell out the money. It’s worth it. Boyds Gunstocks offers usable laminated wood stocks, and McMillan offers some top-notch models. Stocky’s Stocks carries most of the good composite versions at good prices. And chassis stocks can be found at myriad online retailers.
Opt for a model with a somewhat vertical grip, which makes for more comfortable, stable improvised field positions.
Also, try to find a version with a lightweight adjustable cheek rest.Finally, be sure the fore-end is robust enough to accept your barrel profile. This latter particularly applies if your action has a heavy match tube or if you anticipate rebarreling it someday.LL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT
Action Bedding
Some experts hold that every rifle, even those with CNC-machined bedding blocks, will benefit from glass bedding. Other experts believe the opposite.
Pick your side. I’m something of a bedding anarchist. If your action is mated to a premium, machined surface—either chassis or bedding block in a composite stock—by a top-shelf manufacturer, and if it shoots well, I’m satisfied.
However, lots of today’s bedding blocks aren’t accurately machined, and lots of actions aren’t perfectly square, true and parallel. My 6.5-300 Wby. Mag. was one such gun. There was a discerniable bend in the action as the screws drew it into the skewed aluminum bedding block. Acraglas work performed by Roland Black—a bedding true-believer—literally halved the size of the groups that rifle produces.
Plus, no matter what a manufacturer’s literature says, all—and I mean all—composite stocks need bedding. A good buddy once spent $600 on a prime McMillan but mistakenly believed he could just drop his fresh Krieger-barreled action in. Groups were dismal. We bedded it, and it became a half-m.o.a. rifle.
Critical Scope Features
Gone are the days of capped elevation turrets and mil-dot reticles. Over the past decade, Nightforce and Vortex spearheaded a feature revolution in the optics world. The innovations they made standard showed shooters a new world of capability and forced other optic companies to up their game.
In addition to clear glass, maximum light transmission and minimum distortion, today’s savvy shooters want a certain set of features on their precision optics.First, the elevation turret must have durable, precision, repeatable guts. If it doesn’t dial predictably and last for thousands of repetitions, it doesn’t make the cut.
The turret must be equipped with a zero-stop-type mechanism that enables the shooter to dial down to his or her base sight-in distance without looking or counting dial revolutions. And if the turret has a zero lock button preventing it from inadvertently being spun off zero, that’s icing on the cake.
Lean toward turrets with easy-to-calculate rotation quantities, such as 20 m.o.a. or 10 mils per rotation. Second-rotation numbers on the dial are really nice, too.
If you’re trying to wring out precision from a hunting rifle, company-offered custom-engraved dials regulated to match your favorite load in yards are particularly advantageous.
A really important second feature is adjustable parallax. Precision shooting dictates the necessity of eliminating parallax, which is an optical anomaly that causes all kinds of grief if not eliminated. In the old days this feature was found on the front lens housing, but now the more ergonomic side focus turret is much more common.
If you want to shoot far, adequate internal adjustment is necessary. Typically, this requires the use of a 30mm main tube or even larger. Be aware that although the massive 34mm and 35mm tubes provide outstanding image quality and tons of adjustment, they are heavy, and rings are expensive and hard to find.
Bases & Rings
Scope rings are not all created equal. Neither are bases. For a precision rifle, install a one-piece cross-slot 1913-spec base. The one-piece design is not only more rigid but also squares up the two rings to one another. Apply thread lock and torque the screws to appropriate spec.
Purchase quality rings. They’re expensive, so plan to spend upward of $100. It’s worth it. Precision machined rings from Seekins, Nightforce, Leupold, Warne, Steiner, Hawkins and others typically offer perfectly round, true bearing surfaces. Cheaper rings need to be lapped to prevent scope body damage and consistency-robbing distortion when the screws are tightened.
A common tendency is to mount scopes in rings that are higher than they need to be. This exacerbates the struggle to attain a good cheek weld. Choose rings that position the scope as close to the barrel and action as possible¬—without actually touching. Try them first to be sure. Seekins makes arguably the best low-mount rings.
Torque scope ring screws only to manufacturer’s spec. Cranking them tighter will potentially compress the scope tube and compromise the mechanics of the erector housing and magnification adjustments.
Cant can be an accuracy killer at longer ranges. A spirit level like this one from Burris will ensure you’re holding your rifle true.
Scope Accessories
Canting a rifle isn’t a big deal inside 200 or even 300 yards. Past that, it can be a real headache, so get a scope level bubble.
A couple of years ago an old hunting mentor of mine lay behind a superbly accurate rifle and aimed at one of the biggest Wyoming mule deer he’d seen in a half-century of hunting big bucks. It stood 430 yards away, on a steep ridge that fell sharply off to the one side.
The buck also stood at a steep angle, his hindquarters dramatically lower than his shoulders. With one or two steps, the buck could vanish into heavy brush.
My friend dialed up his Nightforce scope, got steady and sent his bullet. Unfortunately, it was a whisker right—just enough to miss over the giant deer’s back. He later figured out he’d canted his rifle strongly due to the angle of the ridge.
My favorite economy-priced scope level is made by Burris and costs about $35. Mount it on the main tube just behind the front objective bell so you can see it with your non-shooting eye when in firing position. Calibrate it to the flat top of your scope turret.
Several competing models are available, too. Look for the offset versions; otherwise you have to lift your head from the stock and take your eye from the scope to see the level.
For a high-end product, serious shooters trend toward Accuracy 1st’s version, which costs a cool $100 but offers more precision and is less likely to get sluggish in very cold conditions. Another premium, innovative level is Warne’s $100 collapsible Skyline model.
Cheek Rests
Few modern scopes can be mounted low enough to allow a good cheek weld. This is especially so with precision scopes because of their large lens diameters and large main tubes, as well as the robust, cross-bolt type bases and rings precision shooters favor for their strength.
Stock makers have compensated as much as possible by designing high combs. However, there’s a limit, because the rifle’s bolt has to be able to clear the top of the comb when removed for maintenance.
A good cheek weld is critical. A while back, a good friend struggled with a fine new custom rifle. He was frustrated because he couldn’t get the gun to group better than 1.5 inches at 100 yards.
I cut some cardboard, rolled out the packing tape, and stacked shims atop his comb until he could lie prone with his neck completely relaxed, eye centered in the scope. His five-shot groups instantly shrunk to 0.75 inch.
For a price, shooters can order a precision stock with an adjustable cheek rest. That price comes in two forms—dollars and pounds—although recent cutting-edge versions from McMillan and Manners have shaved those pounds to ounces.
If you’re getting a new stock, and if you don’t plan to climb big mountains with your rifle, by all means get an adjustable cheek rest. If not, order an AccuPack strap-on by Spec-Ops Brand. Unlike most strap-ons, which add just a quarter inch of height and are basically useless, the AccuPack comes with closed-cell-foam shims and is adjustable for height. Weight is just four ounces. I use them on all my mountain rifles.
Bipods
Properly used, a bipod provides benchrest levels of accuracy. Modern technique consists of lying straight behind the bipod—rather than at an angle as many competitive shooters learned. This directs recoil straight back through the body, which minimizes muzzle jump and particularly sideways muzzle jump.
Additionally, the bipod is typically “loaded,” meaning the shooter puts forward pressure against it by scooting the body forward. You not only get increased stability with this method, loading your bipod provides superb recoil control as well.
Use the non-shooting fist beneath the toe of the stock to provide rear support or, even better, a bunny-ear sandbag or lightweight field bag. The instructors at the SAAM School at FTW Ranch recommend a padded shooting mitt for the non-shooting fist.
More Harris bipods are in use around the world than any other, and provide a great benchmark. They’re of high quality, attach to the forward sling stud, work beautifully and cost little more than $100. However, they’re also heavy, noisy, prone to snag in dense brush, and don’t have great amounts of adjustability.
Bipods that up the game and triple the price typically offer more adjustment, particularly in forward and rearward leg positions. Sometimes they’re lighter, too. Various interchangeable feet are available. Atlas, Warne, Modular Evolutions and Spartan Precision offer great options.
Timney and other manufacturers make great aftermarket triggers that can really improve your shooting.
Triggers
To get the best out of a super-accurate rifle, you’ve got to have a crisp, light trigger, ideally without discernable overtravel, which is rearward movement that occurs after the trigger releases the sear.
Heavy, gritty, inconsistent triggers interfere with clean shot execution. No matter how perfect your position, sight picture, and technique, practical shots from field positions unavoidably suffer from a poor trigger.
Thankfully, excellent aftermarket triggers are available for most rifle models. Cost runs from about $125 up to $250.
Jewell, Trigger Tech and Geissele are great manufacturers. Timney has a broad selection, including triggers for models infrequently pressed into service for precision work.
Many options are engineered for a specific task. Beware of accidentally ordering a two-ounce benchrest competition trigger. My favorites are adjustable to a crisp two pounds, which is heavy enough to prevent negligent discharges and light enough for really precise field work.
Whether you’re interested in getting into long-range rifle competition such as Precision Rifle Series or want to get a hunting rifle ready to handle any precision task, paying attention to these features will go a long way toward achieving your goals.
It’s not that difficult. Just think stock, bedding, optics and optics accessories, cheek rest, trigger and bipod, and you’re on your way.
Benedikt
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« Last post by allmanav on October 06, 2020, 02:41:12 pm »
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« Last post by allmanav on September 04, 2020, 06:48:26 pm »
This is my private forum, has nothing to do with ADSC. To answer your question, I personally feel that the challenges will be in our favour
Allman
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« Last post by allmanav on September 04, 2020, 06:45:57 pm »
If you have been involved with shooting in any capacity for any amount of time, you have likely heard the words “accuracy” and “precision” used a lot, probably even interchangeably. But do you really know the difference between accuracy and precision? Let’s take a deeper look at what these two terms mean and why they are important when it comes to any discipline of shooting. Once you understand this, you can use the knowledge to sharpen your shooting skills and increase the performance of your firearm.
Accuracy
Accuracy is perhaps the most misused term of the two, but is very easy to understand. Accuracy describes how close your measurement is to the target value. In shooter’s terms, accuracy describes how close your fired shots are to the point of aim. Seems simple enough, right? Accuracy is important because you want to hit what you are aiming at. This is always the goal and rings true for any discipline of shooting whether it be pistol shooting, shotgunning, precision rifle.
Precision
While precision is of equal importance, it is measured differently. Precision is a measurement of how close multiple values are to each other. In other words, when shooting at your target, how close are your impacts to each other? When it comes to precision, it is all about repeatability. If you cannot ensure that your shots will leave the firearm and travel in a consistent and predictable pattern to the target, well, you are just wasting your time. This concept is also applied to any discipline of shooting, but as the name implies, it is a major focus of precision rifle shooters.
Accuracy and Precision are not mutually exclusive
Though it may seem that way, accuracy and precision are not mutually exclusive and they can occur in any combination. Here are examples of how each of these scenarios will look.
Accurate and Precise
Accurate and Precise. All of the shots will be close together, preferably touching, and centered up on the intended point of aim.
Precise but not Accurate
Precise but not Accurate. All shots will be close together, but not centered up on your intended point of aim.
Accurate but not Precise
Accurate but not Precise. Shots will be near the intended point of aim, but will not be close to each other.
Not Accurate or Precise
Not Accurate or Precise. Shots are not near the intended point of aim and are not near each other. Shots appear to be randomly placed on the target.
Problems with Accuracy and Precision
Problems with accuracy can arise for many reasons, but there are a few obvious culprits to check first: the scope, the barrel, and the ammo. Before you decide that the rifle is the problem, always check your scope to make sure it is functioning properly. If the scope checks out, check to make sure that your scope bases and rings are tightened properly. If all of those items check out, move on to the barrel. Is it clean? If your barrel has not had a cleaning in quite some time, then clean it. If you are meticulous about keeping your guns clean, it probably isn’t the barrel, which brings us to our last culprit—ammunition.
All guns are not created equally and all ammo is not created equally. While some will eat whatever ammunition you feed them, others will not. No matter what type of gun I buy, one of the first things I do is purchase several types of ammo and see which ammo it shoots the best. Ammo varies widely from brand to brand, and even within the same brand there can be big differences between different ammo of the same caliber. Taking the time to figure out which ammunition works best in your gun is a simple step that can prevent a lot of heartache down the road. If you are reloading, adjustments can be made to the charge weight, bullet weight, bullet seating depth, type of powder used, case sizing and neck tension. When you roll your own, no detail can be overlooked.
While all of the aforementioned issues can also lead to poor precision in your firearm, there are a few other issues to discuss when it comes to precision. First and foremost, check yourself. We’re all humans, and we all suck at times. Just revert back to some of the most basic skills of good marksmanship—get into a stable position that can be repeated, have good sight alignment and sight picture, aim and hold, control your breathing, initiate a slow, steady trigger pull, control your recoil and proper follow-through. You should focus on all of the fundamentals every single time you take a shot. Poor fundamentals can lead to a lot of frustration, and it is super cheap and easy to take the extra time and make sure you are doing your part to make good shots.
One last thing to consider—the wind. While the wind may have little or no effect on your shots at times, depending on what and how far you are shooting, the wind can definitely be a factor. If, for instance, you are truing a rifle, and shooting groups at distance, then this is very important. Fluctuations in wind speed and direction combined with inaccurate wind calls is not a good combination. If shooting in this manner, always consider this possibility. In general, being aware of wind speed and direction when shooting is just a good habit.
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« Last post by allmanav on August 27, 2020, 06:25:45 pm »
In July, the OFAH wrote a letter to Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, Bill Blair, to express concerns with the backlog of firearm licence processing and the potential for it to prevent hunters and sport shooters from using their firearms.
We received a response from the Director General of the Canadian Firearms Program (CFP) informing us that “even though [firearms owners] may not be in possession of [a] firearms licence card their licence may have been approved by the Chief Firearms Officer and they could obtain proof through this online submission portal”. In a follow-up to clarify what is ‘proof’, we were told that the CFP was originally suggesting clients to print/display the online message stating "Your application has been processed and your licence has been issued" while they worked on the backlog, and noted that “the enforcement community can view the newly issued firearms licence via their online systems even if the client has not received their firearms licence card”.
The CFP also reported to us thorough e-mail correspondence that they are now currently up to date on the printing of firearm licence cards.
If you have not received your firearms licence card, and you get the message stating "Your application has been processed and your licence has been issued" when performing a licence application search through the CFP's online Individual Web Services, the CFP suggests you contact them by calling 1-800-731-4000.
This information should help clarify the uncertainty and confusion hunters and recreational shooters have been facing with their licence renewals during COVID-19. The OFAH will continue to monitor firearms licensing, inform the firearms community, and advocate for efficient and user-friendly renewal and application processes. Stay up-to-date at www.ofah.org/firearms.
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« Last post by allmanav on August 21, 2020, 07:16:43 am »
Mounting optics or repairing the mistakes of DIYers constitutes a significant portion of employment for many general-work gunsmith shops. Here’s a quick list with six of the most common optics mounting errors that can land your firearm on the gunsmith’s bench.
Using the wrong tools
Many manufacturers have moved away from slotted screws for scope mounting, instead favoring Allen or Torx types. Using ill-fitting tools of these types—say a metric Allen wrench on an Imperial-size head that seems “close enough” in size—typically results in stripping the head receptacle. Slotted screws are still abundant, and only hollow-ground screwdrivers of proper fit should be used on gun screws. Using the wrong size blade or an automotive type screwdriver on these can damage the screw heads—and if overtightened, often ruins the slot completely upon attempting removal. A torque wrench also numbers among proper tools for scope mounting, addressed below.
Tools for scope mounting
Most optics mounting errors can be prevented by using the right tools: hollow ground screwdrivers, proper-size tool bits and a torque wrench or torque limiter.
Overtightening ring and base screws
This is the most common error in scope mounting. Overtightening results in snapped-off screws or stripped threads, and sometimes screw heads so damaged upon attempting removal that they are not reusable and may require drilling out. Ring and base screws need surprisingly little tightening; for most rifles, ring screws need be torqued to only 15 to 17 inch-pounds and base screws only 14 inch-pounds, or perhaps 20 inch-pounds for magnum rifles. Specific mount systems will deviate from this general rule, such as with Leupold’s Mark 4 style rings, for which the maker recommends 65 inch-pounds of torque, and screws/nuts holding optics to Picatinny or Weaver rails (about 20 to 25 inch-pounds) but the above values apply, again, to most optics mounting.
Torque wrench (limiter) for scope rings.
A torque wrench or torque limiter will preclude failed fastener problems.
Thread locker on ring screws
For most rifles, thread locker—brand name “Loctite” for example—is not necessary on ring and base screws. Only the heaviest-recoiling rifles might justify thread locker on base screws, and then it should only be the blue, removable type. The red type is for permanently locking screws; combine red thread locker with overtightened screws, and when it comes time to remove a scope and bases, you’ve got a problem.
Rings not aligned
Rings out of alignment with each other applies unnecessary bending stress to the scope tube, which can affect its internal working parts and seals. Especially important to long-range competition rifles, any alignment error becomes magnified with distance, and a shooter may find an ostensible ⅛-inch windage or elevation adjustment at 100 yards becomes perhaps ⅜-inch at 600 yards and more at 1,000 yards. Alignment is checked with alignment rods, and can be adjusted with lapping, shimming and other methods.
Oiling rings/scope tube
It doesn’t make sense to lubricate two joining parts that you specifically don’t want to move. When rings fit properly to scope tubes, water intrusion between the two is unlikely, but cheaper ring/scope combos may not fit so well. If you feel you must have a corrosion preventative between rings and scope tube, apply a preservative type oil and then wipe it off completely with a dry cloth before assembling. There’s enough left behind to do the job.
Base screws too long
Receiver screw holes for scope bases on a great many firearms are typically drilled and tapped all the way through, into the channel where the bolt rides. Base screw length, then, is critical. It must be long enough to engage all the threads in the screw hole for proper grip, but not so long as to interfere with the movement of the bolt. Occasionally, rifles come to the shop with stiff or immovable bolts caused by a too-long screw protruding into the bolt channel.
Too long base screws in optics mounting
Too-long base screws will interfere with bolt travel.
Any DIY-inclined person can properly mount optics with a bit of knowledge and the correct tools. Utilizing both can prevent frustration, problems and downtime at the gunsmith.
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« Last post by allmanav on August 21, 2020, 07:09:05 am »
20
« Last post by Fillup82 on August 01, 2020, 03:56:15 pm »
I am just wondering if ADSC has got involved at all in the CCFR court challenge. Also what are your thoughts on it? Do we have a chance? Is there more we can do?
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