How To Avoid a Common Scope Mounting Mistake 

An excellent refresher on mounting scopes correctly. I have encountered this problem as I'm sure many others have usually a high mount have been the problem solver. Not only to clear the front of the scope from the barrel but it has helped with handling the bolt by keeping the distance far enough from the back of the scope to make it more comfortable. Thank you!

What I have found with scope rings,is that each manufacturer has their own idea of what high,med & low is there is no standardization. One manufacturers High is another manufactures med

I'm new to hunting deer and target shooting..this is exactly what I needed to know. Thank you Sir. Hello from Texas USA

Thanks for the tip Randy! I am just getting into this sport and as luck would have it I do have to mount two scopes onto two mossberg patriot rifles I recently purchased. It was clear to me that the scope optics housing should not touch the rifle rig in any way but it is your point about the eye relief that really interested me. I am aware of the "getting scoped" phenomena having once seen it happen to another person so I am keen to avoid the same thing happening to me but I do find I am having problems with getting the full field of view in the scopes mounted on my air rifles. Have yet to do the mounting on my patriot rifles but it was clear to me I was doing something wrong. Now I know what that is!

I like to use 20 MOA rails and medium rings for big scopes. Also leupold rails and rings are some of the best you can get.

Don't forget, eye relief changes depending on what power you have the scope on. You're better off mounting your scope in prone on the highest magnification. Hi magnification = shorter eye relief, and low magnification = longer eye relief. In prone, you will normally be on high magnification because you're steadier and your head will be farther forward. So when you shoot off-hand, you typically will be on a lower magnification which will give you a longer eye relief and your head/eye will naturally be farther back from the scope anyways. So setting it up in prone on the highest magnification puts the scope at the perfect distance from your eye in all positions. =) ~Jared

My gunsmith buddy showed me a trick when I mounted a scope on my RPR and the scope was touching. He cut some brass shims, I don’t remember how thick for sure maybe 50/1000s, and put them under the scope in the rings and that was enough to create daylight clearance. Worked like a charm.

I have been guilty of leaning forward. Thanks for the excellent information.

I used high rings and a 20moa base and have just about 1/8 inch clearance. Perfect fit for me.

You chose a good topic and had a clear explanation. Thanks!

Randy’s videos are the best. Straightforward and very informative. Keep them coming sir.

Everyone needs a neighbor like this guy.

You can also add a spacer that will lift your scope. I had this problem with an AR ten and 50 bell scope. Bas pro shop has them.

This guy is cool. I could listen to him all day.

Thank You for this information. I have a Weatherby .257 I want to install a Vortex Viper 6-20X50 and with stores closed now it's tough to chose the right fit

Good video. I have a Weatherby in 270 with a Nikon 50mm objective scope on it. The rifle is devastatingly accurate at longer distance where it is a proven long range killer. At the time of set up, I chose the medium height rings & although I have the required gap from the barrel, however, frustratingly it is not enough to allow me to use an unmodified lens cap at the objective end...a real pain in the arse when it is raining or drizzling...

Definitely!... Great common sense when it comes to mounting a scope!... I have 56mm bell on my Strike Eagle (5x25x56) and did my measurements before buying the correct ring size, also planned for bubble to be on one of them to measure tilt!... Make's it easier to mount!... Set out 25 yards with bullet light in the chamber to zero in on the barrow!... Worked out beautifully on my POF-308! Mounts:Zeiss Precision Ultralight 1913 Mil-Spec Rifle Scope Mounting Rings with Anti-Cant Bubble Level 34mm X-High

THANK YOU RANDY. HOPE SEASON GOES WELL. I'LL BE WATCHING.

Good video. I was in a bit of a dilemma with going w/med Leupold BC rings or high for my 50mm. I know guys like to go as low as possible, but I jump on a stock high, plus the Remington Model 700 has a nice cheekpiece. I went with the high rings, and, although I have a good deal of space between scope and barrel, it seems to work for me. If you get too low it's hard to clean between scope and barrel and I have seen rust spots on a barrel of a LOW mounted scope.

The higher the rings, the higher the comb needs to be if you find you are lifting your head to see reticle. Howa rifles (as well as CZ, Tikka and Sako) have notoriously lower comb heights than more common makes. You will almost assuredly need to add some form of cheek riser if you're planning on using 50mm objective or more scopes.

Thanks Randy, I now understand it. I just ordered mounts for my new scope. Very informative.

Thank you for this video. I’ve always been shooting on iron site and new to scopes

Thanks so much for the video. I was working on my scope today and realized it was too low and wasn't sure of the best approach, so that's how I came to be here. Just wanted to say thanks for the clear n concise breakdown of proper mounting.

My old Marlin 30-30 and I have taken alot of whitetail over the years and I never noticed until I started watching videos about scope mounting that my scope is too high. I have medium rings and I need low I guess. I have to lift my cheek up a little to see through the scope so I don't get that weld on my stock but like I said I've taken my share of deer and hogs with it, never missed, so I might just leave it alone. Thanks for the video.

Thanks for this clear video, have been looking for a simple "chat" on the subject. Have a 3.5-10x50 and I can't get it back far enough for the 3.3" eye relief. Anyone have some thoughts on the battle between scope to bore distance vs eye relief/ring height? Should I just go to a 40mm or go to a higher ring and not sweat it?

Great advice, most guys just want their scopes on. I want to pull up and focus right away without adjusting back and forth. Thanks.

Great video Randy. Just did this for bear season this year. Moved up to mediums for my 44mm objective end.

Exactly what i was looking for much appretiated this is what youtube is for

A help with this if you are using a larger objective may be an add on, stock cheek piece that allows you dig in but maintain center eye to center scope alignment. Without that, I like to play with the un-scoped rifle, giving some serious thought to my scope choice.

Thank you I have a Swarovski z5i 2.4-12x50 and I also have a 25/06 HOWA model 1500 Is this also the reason I ran out of elevation adjustment because of the medium rings? Paper barely fits through

Weatherby Vanguard with a Vortex 4-16x50, Talley medium rings work. Left about an 1/8” between the bell and barrel.

Thank you for sharing your wisdom on this subject... this saves a lot of grief! And, since I'm kind of ADD, thank you for sharing it in a concise, straightforward manner.

Fantastic tip. Appreciate the straight to the point presentation.

I have a 1941 custom Mosin Nagant 91/30 and I installed a new scope mount (after I found the old one I installed years ago was falling apart and came loose) and I ran into the same issue except that the scope bell contacted the mount itself as the new mount pins into the rear sight. Since it was only a 2-3mm difference I opted to remove a small amount of stock from the mount itself, allowing the scope to sit with a few millimeters of clearance. However I ran into issues where I just could not get a consistent grouping and when attempting to bore sight the scope, I had to bottom it out however I was still inches below the reticle. For argument sake I then clicked the scope up and up to bring it to "center" to start over, however this brought the reticle down. I am assuming at this point my scope is trashed and even though there is millimeters between the bell and the mount, the scope had been banging off of the mount too many times while shooting. Would you agree with this assessment? I ordered a new scope and will be using taller mounting rings to test if that is what caused the issues I faced when attempting to sight in the rifle.

Good advice I mean it should be comon sense and I know most hunters and rifleman knows about this things I appreciate your input on what size of rings to use according to the size of your scope again ty .

Great video easy learning ..very informative

With large objectives, I prefer using a chassis or stock with adjustable LOP and adjustable cheek rise. This allows me to locate the scope optimally (bell clearance, etc) and then tailor my natural position to the scope. Given the cost of optics with these 50mm+ objectives, the cost of the chassis or stock is pretty tame. A big plus is the tendency to pick up additional rigidity and reduce overall weight slightly with these swaps.

3:03 Not only that, for picatinny rail users (and possibly standard) it would also allow the use of magnification adjustment on some scopes. Because it had "lock" them there because lack of clearance.

Im having issue with my browning x-bolt 300 win mag empty brass hitting the windage turret on my scope on ejection after mounting my scope low like youve explained... do you have any recommendations for me??

Good info. I use a Vortex 3-9x40 Crossfire II scope with medium mounts on my Ruger 10/22 and it is perfect.

Great advice! Very clear presentation and reasoning

Thanks Randy, great video. I’m having trouble picking out a scope and scope rings for my Remington 7MM Magnum. It was my grandpas and he had an old weaver scope with flip rings on it so you can shoot Iron sites as well. Trying to maybe find someone that will be tall enough so I can also shoot iron sites, is that a good idea? Currently looking at a Vortex Optics Viper PST Gen I 6-24x50 SFP Riflescope - EBR-1 MOA Reticle.

I mount mine using a plumb line and make sure the rifle/scope combo works when I aim the rifle upward at a 45 degree angle with medium amount of clothes on to simulate colder weather. VX3I scopes have horrible eye relief to begin with.

Thank you sir, great advice.

Is using the high or extra high rings needed for something like a Ruger 10/22? It has a way small diameter barrel then the rifle in the video obviously. Just wondering if that would be the same circumstances while using a 50mm objective lens on a 10/22.

Well im just getting into long range shooting with a scope for the 1st time at 55yrs old.My eye sight isnt as good as it use to be and i need the help.lol but i can still take our a flies wings at ....lol anyway i use to shoot all the time with irons only and now found it quite fun to get into the longer range shoots.I recently purchased a started Savage Axis in 6.5Creedmoor and tore it apart for a Boyds AtOne thumbhole chassis.I am looking into purchasing a nice scope and have decided id like a 5x25x56 sand would love any suggestions on any brands you would think worth the purchase?I hear from a lot of people that say Vortex is awesome and as many say Vortex scopes are junk.So i have looked into Mueller and Burris and other older brands but still dont want to waste the money on a mistake.Scope's in this mag. are not cheap.So any specific brands you could suggest would be a great help?

Randy, do you prefer 44mm or 50mm objective scopes? Or does it make that much difference?

Good tips. Medium rings were the ticket for my set up. ☝️

Randy, how much space would be minimum and recommended between the barrel and bell of the scope? I'm using 50 mm objective scope with medium rings and the closest point I have 1/16" between the curve of the bell and barrel. At the end of the scope, I have about 1/4" between the scope and barrel. I'm considering replacing the medium rings with high to get some more clearance but I would REALLY rather not since I've already taken the time to lap them.

Great video randy

Perfect perfect perfect and easy to set up!👍🏾

Good stuff thanks for sharing

Good stuff, Randy. Well explained. Going through the EXACT situation you attend to on a SAKO AV in 300 WEA. Fitted rifle with (rearward) extended Optilock bases and extra low Rings. Whoops, the scope bell now hits the front of the new base but clears the barrel. So, I didn't gain any actual rearward scope movement for more comfortable eye relief. Darn, I suppose higher rings would work better, despite their chart indicating X-low would work.

A lot of good information. Love the background music. Is a soundtrack available?

thank you for the great information. Good luck with the elk.

Randy whos stock is that howa using? (The 300 mag you are using to show proper scope mounting ) Thank you.

I built a custom thumb hole rifle, 270 Mauser bolt action, and mounted the scope too low. The heat from a sunny day would change the impact point at 100 yards. I raised the scope and installed an adjustable cheek weld and the heat displacement problem went away.

Wow glad I stumbled upon this video. I mounted a 50mm to my Browning BAR the other day and it's touching the barrel. This saved me from wasting ammo at the range. I've always hunted without scopes so I'm new to this. Good to know thanks for the video.

Just learned alot Thank you

Great info

I bought the vortex pst viper with 50mm objective from what u are saying I should get large (high) rise mounts

Great Video! i am by no means an expert. However, I've done well so far with my Vortex Viper 50mm bell. First on an M&P10; and just tonight changed from a cantilevered mount to vortex low pro series on my NEW Savage 110 Tactical. Leveled the rail in the gun vice, then leveled the turret. Maybe im a natural lol instinctively pulled the scope back to me. This maximized my eye relief. With the 2nd highest comb on my accufit stock im catching a great view of the reticle every time i shoulder the rifle. Now to zero this thing! Looking to break a record with my 308 lol now im dreamin'

great tips...very well done...thanks and more segments like this one...

Great info sir..might have solved my wandering groups with new scope..thks.

Great explanation. Thx.

Very informative. Thank you!

Burris Signature rings have interchangeable inserts. The inserts are available +- .005, +- .010 and +- .020. Give them a look!

I had the gun shop mount my new scope. It did not work at all for me, I had the black ring even at 2x, I think they mount then forward for safety, but really, it just forces the shooter's face to crawl up the stock. I remounted my scope, selecting bases and rings that provided good site picture, but also worked with my natural and most stable off hand position. The position you shoot from is something to think about, because eye relief changes a bit if you shoot prone or bench or off hand. Sometimes you have to compromise. The other thing is clothing. I mounted my scope in the summer in a t-shirt. I hunt up north in late fall with quite a few layers on. I calculated that my clothing was adding about 5/8 to 3/4 of am inch. I chose to deal with this with a slimmer recoil pad, taking 1/2 an inch off my length of pull. I shoot a 7mm 08, and it is quite mild in terms of recoil, so this worked out fine and I did not have to chop up my nice walnut stock!

Thanks for taking the time partner

Thank you for the video much needed

I have the 6x24x50 Diamondback Tactical. Am using the Burris XTR Signature rings. Started out with the 1.50 height. Was to high so I went to the 1.25. As stated, each ring Manufacturer is different as I had leupold rings before these

so simple when well explained. +100

Great tip! Thanks

Great tip. Thanks.

Simply purchased a 44 objective and used low rings... love my 3 x 18 B&C illuminated Leupold

Any suggestion for rings on the Rem 700 .308 with a 44mm lens and a 30mm tube?

Just a small physics tip (and you can verify this pretty easily with a pen or pencil in your hands): where possible, mount the rings such that the distance between them is maximized. To demonstrate why you do this, hold a pen level in front of you placing your fingers as close to the center as you can - then making some small back-and-forth motions note how much the ends of the pen move. Next, do the same but with your fingers our toward the ends of the pen, i.e. with your fingers at a near max distance away from each other, make similar back and forth movements. You should be able to see that the ends of the pen move much less when your fingers (the "rings") are further apart relative to the movements made when your fingers are closer together. Unless you are using el cheapo rings or an action with misaligned taps, the greater the distance between your rings, the straighter your scope will be relative to the action (and barrelm if the action and barrel are mated correctly). Vibrations from shooting will also have less impact on POI, etc, when the ring distance is greater.

Helpful thanks

Thank you very much for this scope mount height info.great demonstration and solved my issues.keep it up sir

Great advice 👍

Great explanation of a common problem. Thanks!

Just bought a Ruger precision rifle and a vortex diamondback tactical scope with a 50mm lense, I didn’t see any videos so I went with vortex medium rings... hope they are high enough 🤞but at the end of the day, I might be sending them back for higher rings.

Wouldn't it depend on the type of rings and rail? I just mounted a Leupold VX6 4-24X52 on my 7mm with low rings and it has more than enough clearance. Maybe because I use a picatinny rail or that the tube is 34mm. I ran into some issues with Tally rings that look similar to what you have. Thanks for the vid!

Thanks for helpful video. What’s your estimate for minimum clearance between barrel and scope?

Good advice Newberg! Like your videos....

Randy, what type of Bore Sight Equipment do you use?

Thank you this video help me a lot

Very cool video sir

99% of my rifles have med rings. i usually use 40 mm. i like metal one piece mounts if i can use them. I like the one piece dove tail mount. but have a couple rifles that have aluminum mounts too. the thing to remember is metal to metal, mount to rings, dont use aluminum rings on metal mount. good video. having a cheap line up tool works good too. and torque too

You can put a shim in there as well and then you are still low as possible but it wont be touching. A shim made from a pop can works perfect I've done it many times and it does not flex or lose accuracy.

GREAT explanation and understanding....you are a definite pro!!!!

I have a vari x 3x9x40 on my 300 win mag that you can't slide paper between the scope an barrel since 1989 and the only time I have ever had to adjust my settings is between weak and hot loads.

Useful information. Thank you.

I put medium ring on my 50mm scope. I can fit 1 sheet of paper but 2 sheets not passing, it's not touching but really close. It's that gonna give me some problems?

hey i just bought my first gun and leopold 3x9x40mm what scope rings do you think would fit my gun i’m a smaller shooter so i have a small cheek

45 years ago I built a custom 270 from a Mauser action and custom stock. I mounted a Burris 3-12 x 50 fullfield and had this exact problem. I switched to the tall mounts and installed an adjustable cheek rest to compensate for the extra height. (dimes @ 200 yds.)

randy, thanks for doing what you do!

Very good information, straight to the point instructions! Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for info

Discovered this yesterday the hard way 🙁🙁 So I'll be ordering the high rings