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tools and equip needed for scope mounting? |
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pass-thru
Optics Apprentice Joined: February/20/2009 Location: Hubert NC Status: Offline Points: 109 |
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Posted: June/23/2009 at 16:47 |
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I'm planning to start doing my own scope mounting, boresighting, etc.
I have no experience with this. What equipment do I need to do it properly? Any suggested publications?
Thanks.
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silver
Optics Master Joined: November/04/2005 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 2291 |
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How "right" do you want to do this? You can buy some of the lapping and reaming kits. You could just get a piece of round bar stock trued to 1.0000 from your local like minded machinist. There are a thousand guys that would tell you that, that is not needed, but you never know until you check the rings. A small machinist square, a reticle level, a small torque wrench, a *Flat* piece of metal (used for a gauge and to lay some sand paper on to true), machinist blue, some taps and stud extractors would round out the deluxe kit.
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"If we weren't all crazy we, We would go insane." Jimmie Buffet
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RifleDude
MODERATOR EVIL OPPRESSOR Joined: October/13/2006 Location: Texas Status: Offline Points: 16337 |
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Plus, to add to Silver's list of tools, I would add a gunsmith screwdriver set with HOLLOW GROUND screwdriver bits, a good set of Allen (hex head) wrenches, and a good set of Torx head drivers. If you get a nice professional screwdriver set as described above, they will often include some Allen and Torx bits in the kit.
Also, I would highly recommend one of these "EXD" reticle leveling tools, available from Brownell's:
Thanks to forum member "Sakomato" for turning me on to this tool. I bought one, and it is the best device I've seen for helping you orient scopes so the reticle is perfectly level.
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Ted
Money can't buy happiness... but it's much more comfortable to cry in a Porsche than on a bicycle. |
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RONK
Optics Master Extraordinaire Joined: April/05/2007 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 3199 |
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Good recommendations above.
Also- as Rifle Dude suggested but I need to underscore- don't use L-shaped Torx or ALLEN wrenches unless you absolutely have to.
Get good screwdriver-handled ones, such as Brownells carries,
They are twice as fast to use and five times less awkward than the L-shaped cheapies.
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sholling
Optics Professional Joined: May/24/2008 Location: Hemet CA Status: Offline Points: 944 |
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Just off the top of my head.
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NRA, SAF, & CRPA life member
Member Madison Society & Revolutionary War Veteran Association (Project Appleseed) Old age and treachery will always overcome youth and skill. ;) |
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John Barsness
Optics Optimist Joined: January/27/2009 Status: Offline Points: 785 |
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I would only emphasize that if you do use Torx screwdriver heads then you should definitely get a torque screwdriver handle. It's too easy to over-tighten ring screws if you don't know how much torque you're applying. This is one actual advantage of the L-shapped Torx wrenches. They are designed so you can't apply too much torque to the ring screws. Also, if you're going to buy a collimator get the best one possible. The cheaper ones aren't as god as bore-sighting. |
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RONK
Optics Master Extraordinaire Joined: April/05/2007 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 3199 |
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You must not know the same farmers I do, John!
Point well taken though....
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300S&W
Optics God Joined: January/27/2008 Location: Burlington,WV Status: Offline Points: 10592 |
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I read somewhere?? when using the L-shaped wrenches you alternately tighten the ring screws until when pushing on the wrench with one finger the wrench flexes. This puts them in the appropriate torque range. I've been doing it for yrs this way(since reading the article)and have had no slippage or damaged scopes. Maybe I can locate that article in my junk room. SOMEONE told me they had read the same thing,said they had a torque wrench and would test this out.
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"I ain't got time to bleed!"
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John Barsness
Optics Optimist Joined: January/27/2009 Status: Offline Points: 785 |
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RONK,
Yeah, some farmers might those L wrenches in a Vise-Grip so they can really tighten 'em down! |
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Kickboxer
MODERATOR Moderator Joined: February/13/2008 Status: Offline Points: 23679 |
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three pound hammer, electric metal saw, acetylene torch...
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Opinion,untempered by fact,is ignorance.
There are some who do not fear death... for they are more afraid of not really living |
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helo18
Optics Jedi Knight Joined: December/02/2006 Location: Montana Status: Offline Points: 5620 |
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Why not a little c4 while you are at it KB? I second Rifledudes suggestion of the EXD reticle leveling device. I have one and love it. Easy to use. Great investment. A torx driver in inch pounds is an absolute must. I also find the lapping kit very useful. |
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One Shot
Optics Apprentice Joined: January/25/2008 Location: Alabama Status: Offline Points: 50 |
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I am a gun smith Its good to know there pepple that know how to mount a scope, because I seen some bad scope mounting, If you dont know how ask good first step pass-thru
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one shot one kill
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Sandracer
Optics Apprentice Joined: January/11/2009 Location: Eastern Oregon Status: Offline Points: 141 |
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I like to use a piece of shafting the same diameter as the scope tube to slide between the rings and make sure they are on the same plane! Also I have these turned down to a point and use one in each ring to make sure the points align. I have seen scopes put in a bind from not having the rings aligned. The shaft will also work well to turn in the front ring on the Redfield type. A guy brought me his rifle with the complaint " I can't turn the power ring on my new VXIII". He turned in the ring with the scope, then tried to adjust windage with the rear ring. When I took loose the rear windage screws the power ring would adjust! Another thing you can do is tap the shafting and mount a handle in the middle to use with valve grinding compound to lap in the rings.
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jonoMT
Optics Master Extraordinaire Joined: November/13/2008 Location: Montana Status: Offline Points: 4853 |
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With most things, I'd be inclined to say if you don't do it often, take it to someone with the tools. But every scope I ever had mounted at a gun shop or sporting goods store always had uneven gaps on either side of the rings, although they did a decent job of reticle leveling and boresighting.
If you have a Rem 700 action and a 30mm scope you can take the lazy and expensive way out and get a one-piece mount like the NightForce. I went that route last time and it fit like a glove and no worries about alignment or lapping the rings. |
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John Barsness
Optics Optimist Joined: January/27/2009 Status: Offline Points: 785 |
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One Shot, I am sure we would all appreciate hearing your comments. Good to have a pro here! One addition I wanted to make is that I have tested using a screwdriver with Torx heads along with a torque driver to see what happens. In my case if I grip the screwdriver handle only with the thumb and first two fingers of my right (strong) hand, the torque applied usually is around 15 inch-pounds, the normal minimum advised by most mount manufacturers. |
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Kickboxer
MODERATOR Moderator Joined: February/13/2008 Status: Offline Points: 23679 |
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Opinion,untempered by fact,is ignorance.
There are some who do not fear death... for they are more afraid of not really living |
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Urimaginaryfrnd
MODERATOR Resident Redneck Joined: June/20/2005 Location: Iowa Status: Offline Points: 14964 |
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I've often wished I had a better set of tools for scope mounting. I bought one of these last year and like it so far.
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"Always do the right thing, just because it is the right thing to do". Bobby Paul Doherty Texas Ranger |
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supertool73
Optics God Superstool Joined: January/03/2008 Status: Offline Points: 11814 |
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These are great kits for lapping and making sure your mounts and rings are square.
John is a great guy to do business with as well. http://www.kokopelliproducts.com/acckit.htm Edited by supertool73 - June/24/2009 at 21:25 |
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John Barsness
Optics Optimist Joined: January/27/2009 Status: Offline Points: 785 |
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Of the tools so far discussed I would rate a good collimator first, as it makes aligning a scope with the reticle centered a lot easier. This is pretty much essential--though if you can bore-sight a scope this is almost as good. Trouble is, most of us can't poit a scope (with the rifle in a vise) toward something 100 or more yards away. And some rifles can't be bore-sighted. Centering the reticle is essential. If it's off much in some scopes then not onloy the adjustments but parallax will be a problem. I recently tried to center a scope in the collimator that didn't have much adjustment range. While turning the vertical adjustment KI could see the crosshairs make a snake-shaped turn! A collimator reveals many faults in mounting--and adjustments. But one thing not often mentioned is that many collimators aren't lined-up right. The better ones are adjustable. Once you get a good rifle sighted-in, you can also "sight in" the collimator, which believe me makes things a lot easier.
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One Shot
Optics Apprentice Joined: January/25/2008 Location: Alabama Status: Offline Points: 50 |
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Thanks John I dont know abought the pro part silver and rifle dude are right abought the tools needed most hunters dont have the right tools you could spend as much on tools just to mount scops as what a nice scope would cost. |
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one shot one kill
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