How do I know what size mounts & rings to get for 50mm scope & stay low to barrel

[ACES&8S]

I have a 10 year old model 70 Winchester 7mm mag long action of course with 26 " contoured barrel which is a great hunting rifle for the 100 to 300 yard shots we get here.
I have gone from a Nikon BDC 3x9 40mm to a Leupold VX-R 3X9 50mmFireDot. The original
is great but will go on another rifle of mine soon enough. The reason for changing is not relevant
to the question.
The Leupold is a 30mm tube so original rings wont work of course.
I have always had trouble getting the correct set up for 30mm tube scopes especially the 50mm
throws me for a loop as to how high the rings will raise the scope with weaver type mounts under
them.
Weaver style one piece with lots of options are a must for me. Or were till now.
Now I find out Winchester model 70 long action full length weaver mounts are hard to find &
even get what you order! I ordered just that & it came in a short action which tells me they probably
didn't have any long action versions in the first place.
How do I know what the clearance will be with the 50mm & the barrel without it ending up way too
high or to close?
I have put scopes on all my life but 300mm stump me for some reason.
I have gone brain dead on this one.
I have all the Wheeler stuff for scopes.

 

[greyling22]

Only successful way I have ever been able to get the correct height is to test mount in a cheap set of rings, preferably highs, then look at how much I am too high or low, and find a good set that gives me the height I need. Noother method works for me because until I get the scope test mounted, I don't know how far forward or backing have to mount, and that can drastically change the height needed on a tapered barrel.

 

[Axis II]

Each ring makers high and medium IMO change drastically! I was trying to setup a 44mm on a savage rifle and a 32mm on a single shot to clear the hammer and weaver medium were too low for the single shot to clear the hammer but burris z medium fit perfect. I tried burris medium on the savage rifle and it was a no go but leupold medium work fine. I'm talking like thousands of an inch clearance but each ring did make a difference. Some may not agree with this but this last time trying to find rings for my marlin and that single shot I just got a set of medium and low of burris and whatever didn't fit was returned. When I was setting up the two savage rifles I purchased medium, low, high burris and I could only use high so the others were returned but on the other rifle medium leupold worked go figure.

 

[LoonWulf]

Well if you have amazon prime or brownells edge memberships i would suggest ordering medium and high rings in the brand you want, check them and send back which ever dosent work.
Brownells also lists this chart
https://www.brownells.com/firearms/...remington-magnum-24in-3-1-7121-prod92963.aspx
And most ring and base manufacturers list the actual heights of the rings and bases.

Ive been able to get away with medium rings on all the 50mm scopes ive owned besides ones with adjustable objectives.

 

[243winxb]

https://www.leupold.com/scope-mounts

 

[ACES&8S]

https://www.leupold.com/scope-mounts

It almost got it. And I really do thank you for your effort.
The trouble is I am not an expert on Winchesters, which is what I would have to be to know which
model 70 I own! Mine just says model 70 on the barrel & knowing all I saw on the site, there are over
a dozen versions of the model 70.
I just know it is about 10 years old & the mounts the site told me would fit were not the ones at the
final page.

 

[ACES&8S]

Only successful way I have ever been able to get the correct height is to test mount in a cheap set of rings, preferably highs, then look at how much I am too high or low, and find a good set that gives me the height I need. Noother method works for me because until I get the scope test mounted, I don't know how far forward or backing have to mount, and that can drastically change the height needed on a tapered barrel.

The height of the scope is one thing & another problem is the Leupold VX-R will NOT FIT A Long Action rifle without a full length
mount or at least one side extended back over the bolt.
Just another half an inch inside the scope would have made it fit both long & short action rifles.
So much stuff these days is made to draw AR options, more than half the stuff for firearms now is
for AR & similar rifles parts & accessories. I use them myself but -wow- it must be booming!

 

[ACES&8S]

Each ring makers high and medium IMO change drastically! I was trying to setup a 44mm on a savage rifle and a 32mm on a single shot to clear the hammer and weaver medium were too low for the single shot to clear the hammer but burris z medium fit perfect. I tried burris medium on the savage rifle and it was a no go but leupold medium work fine. I'm talking like thousands of an inch clearance but each ring did make a difference. Some may not agree with this but this last time trying to find rings for my marlin and that single shot I just got a set of medium and low of burris and whatever didn't fit was returned. When I was setting up the two savage rifles I purchased medium, low, high burris and I could only use high so the others were returned but on the other rifle medium leupold worked go figure.

Looks like I'm going to have to hunt & peck the same way you do.
I just get something on my -to do- list & I need it out of the way, my health varies from week to week
& I may not need this in my way.

 

[Axis II]

The height of the scope is one thing & another problem is the Leupold VX-R will NOT FIT A Long Action rifle without a full length
mount or at least one side extended back over the bolt.
Just another half an inch inside the scope would have made it fit both long & short action rifles.
So much stuff these days is made to draw AR options, more than half the stuff for firearms now is
for AR & similar rifles parts & accessories. I use them myself but -wow- it must be booming!

Check out Warne mounts they are very good and might have something. Not sure if the link will help but their base finder shows only one long action selection. When you say full length mount do you mean like a rail? I wouldn't imagine a 2 piece base and that large of a scope having any issues mounting on a 2 piece base but then again I have no experience with the rifle your talking about.

https://warnescopemounts.com/search-result/?mount[type]=base&mount[manufacturer]=Winchester&mount[firearm]=Model+70+Std+w/.860RHS,+Long+Action&mount[tube]=&mount[objective]=

 

[Axis II]

Looks like I'm going to have to hunt & peck the same way you do.
I just get something on my -to do- list & I need it out of the way, my health varies from week to week
& I may not need this in my way.

Do you do online purchases such as amazon? If so find your base and then order a set of burris signature zee rings in medium and high and try them and if one doesn't fit then request a return with amazon and they email you a label and you send it back no cost or at least I haven't had to. With 50mm obj I would imagine you would nee high rings as I look at my 44mm on my savage in high rings its got about a pencil diameter gap under the scope. I need high to clear the bolt.

 

[LoonWulf]

Is your rifle push feed or controled?

I looked up the specs on your scope and its objective bell is about 1/10" smaller than the bell on my Argos 50mm. Id put money on it that youll be fine with a weaver/picatinny rail, and Warne medium rings.
Ill also endorse Warne rings, i like em!
That being said rings from any of the majors should be pretty good.

Ohihunters suggestions are excellent also! I havent used Warne bases, just the rings.

 

[cdb1]

Echoing what LoonWulf said, mediums work the vast majority of the time with 50mm objectives. If you will call Warne and talk to their engineer Randy he can tell you which scope mounts you need. You can then interpolate which mounts you need using other brands of scope mounts.

‭(503) 657-5590‬

 

[Stubert]

Leupold has a mount finder on their web site.

 

[Varminterror]

Absolutely no reason to guess and no reason to waste time or money with junk stand-in rings...

All of the specs are online. You own the rifle, you have the mounts. Lay a level across the mounts, either measure or eyeball an approximate location for the objective bell, and measure the gap between the barrel and the level. Diameter of the objective/2 minus 15mm gives you the depth of the bell beneath the tube, subtract the gap height measured above, that tells you the minimum height for the rings, beneath the tube. For brands which measure base to centerline of the tube, add 15mm back to that number.

Or....

You own the scope and own the rifle, Cut an old deck of playing cards into skinny strips, half inch wide. Stack up an even number of strips, set them on the front and back of the mount rail, set the scope on top. Take out strips or add, until the scope has the clearance you want. Once you have the height you want, measure the stack. That’s your ring height. Again, if the brand you’re buying measures rings from base to center tube, add back 15mm to your measured number.

Or...

In general, a 50mm objective on a 30mm tube, on a bolt gun without an AR type handguard will use medium rings.

 

[Skylerbone]

Your scope has approx 9.4 mm of bell located below the saddle or .4” for easy reference. I’d recommend something .55” or higher especially if you intend to use covers. Bolt clearance isn’t generally a problem with Leupolds. You’ll need to of course account for the height of your rail. SWFA has numerous 1-piece picatinney rails in stock for long action 70s starting around $33. With rail, you’re probably safe with .4” but most rings in medium center around .5” Warne rings are a great suggestion.

 

[edwardware]

I have a 10 year old model 70 Winchester

In the same situation, my approach was to call Winchester and ask. Their OEM rings are manufactured locally by Talley, so I bought the non-OE-branded rings.

For something as common as a Win M70, any mounts manufacturer should know. Call and ask.

 

[ACES&8S]

Do you do online purchases such as amazon? If so find your base and then order a set of burris signature zee rings in medium and high and try them and if one doesn't fit then request a return with amazon and they email you a label and you send it back no cost or at least I haven't had to. With 50mm obj I would imagine you would nee high rings as I look at my 44mm on my savage in high rings its got about a pencil diameter gap under the scope. I need high to clear the bolt.

Thanks for the info !!!!

 

[ACES&8S]

Absolutely no reason to guess and no reason to waste time or money with junk stand-in rings...

All of the specs are online. You own the rifle, you have the mounts. Lay a level across the mounts, either measure or eyeball an approximate location for the objective bell, and measure the gap between the barrel and the level. Diameter of the objective/2 minus 15mm gives you the depth of the bell beneath the tube, subtract the gap height measured above, that tells you the minimum height for the rings, beneath the tube. For brands which measure base to centerline of the tube, add 15mm back to that number.

Or....

You own the scope and own the rifle, Cut an old deck of playing cards into skinny strips, half inch wide. Stack up an even number of strips, set them on the front and back of the mount rail, set the scope on top. Take out strips or add, until the scope has the clearance you want. Once you have the height you want, measure the stack. That’s your ring height. Again, if the brand you’re buying measures rings from base to center tube, add back 15mm to your measured number.

Or...

In general, a 50mm objective on a 30mm tube, on a bolt gun without an AR type handguard will use medium rings.

That sounds valid I will try it.
I got spoiled in the scope mounting deal because , years ago I bought all the stuff a gun shop had when they were going
out of business, for sad reasons. But none of the scope stuff is for 30mm tubes or long action Winchester, now I see why.
All the mounts & rings have been a blessing thru the years, especially for my sons & friends of course. We just try
various ones till they fit. Now we are just about to run out of the easy stuff.

 

[ACES&8S]

Thanks everyone, I've got it now, your advice has been priceless.

 

[ACES&8S]

I have a 10 year old model 70 Winchester 7mm mag long action of course with 26 " contoured barrel which is a great hunting rifle for the 100 to 300 yard shots we get here.
I have gone from a Nikon BDC 3x9 40mm to a Leupold VX-R 3X9 50mmFireDot. The original
is great but will go on another rifle of mine soon enough. The reason for changing is not relevant
to the question.
The Leupold is a 30mm tube so original rings wont work of course.
I have always had trouble getting the correct set up for 30mm tube scopes especially the 50mm
throws me for a loop as to how high the rings will raise the scope with weaver type mounts under
them.
Weaver style one piece with lots of options are a must for me. Or were till now.
Now I find out Winchester model 70 long action full length weaver mounts are hard to find &
even get what you order! I ordered just that & it came in a short action which tells me they probably
didn't have any long action versions in the first place.
How do I know what the clearance will be with the 50mm & the barrel without it ending up way too
high or to close?
I have put scopes on all my life but 300mm stump me for some reason.
I have gone brain dead on this one.
I have all the Wheeler stuff for scopes.

Thanks for all the info, it worked out great.
Stacked pennies & measured from mount to scope at working height then got the rings. Sort of a
version of Verminterror's instructions.
Used a full length Warne mount & medium Warne rings per LoonWulf's advice.
Would post pics but --- I --- have become just like a fellow I used to criticize at work for talking so much
during meetings. I would say : 20 people in this room & you are every other person that speaks!
I will listen here instead of asking more questions. I can learn either way.

 

[LoonWulf]

I will listen here instead of asking more questions. I can learn either way.

No, no, we like questions....gives us something to argue about

 

[ACES&8S]

Here is the result of our conversations:
Win Model 70 in 7mm Mag - 30mm tube - Leupold VX-R 3x9x50mm FireDot // Warne Mount -- Warne Rings
all done with Wheeler eq// Thanks everyone!!.

 

[doubleh]

Only successful way I have ever been able to get the correct height is to test mount in a cheap set of rings, preferably highs, then look at how much I am too high or low, and find a good set that gives me the height I need. Noother method works for me because until I get the scope test mounted, I don't know how far forward or backing have to mount, and that can drastically change the height needed on a tapered barrel.

That's my method. I really wish the ring manufactuers would adopt a standard so you could just pick out the brand you want and know it would work. I guess they sell more rings when you have to buy something to see if it fits and then something else because it doesn't. I save every set of rings I decide not to use just to try to cut down on this problem and expense.

 

[LoonWulf]

Looks good!

 

[ACES&8S]

That's my method. I really wish the ring manufactuers would adopt a standard so you could just pick out the brand you want and know it would work. I guess they sell more rings when you have to buy something to see if it fits and then something else because it doesn't. I save every set of rings I decide not to use just to try to cut down on this problem and expense.

The front ended up 5/16" off the barrel, perfect!
I stacked pennies where the rings would go & set the scope on them until it
cleared the barrel & mounts using all 5 of my hands. Then measured the stacks
in mm & inches then had to assume by the pics of the warne medium would
work & I did.