AStone
Member
I'm seeking some very general guidelines and advice about how to best care for a scope. This one's mounted on a .22 LR rifle in what feels like a very good connection (more below).
Specifically, I'm curious about whether handling the gun by the scope will be deleterious to it. I'm not talking about regularly handling it, like carrying it, but in taking the receiver/barrel assembly out of the stock during take down and cleaning (which I just did to a new gun that it's on). I find that my hand just automatically wants to grab that "handle" on top to insure a safe grip. (I do not have a rifle stand.)
And -- again, in a general, not-expecting-precise-answers way, how much bumping can a well-mounted, well-made scope take. Obviously, I'm not talking about dropping it -- God forbid ever -- but falling over when propped up (yes, I know, don't let that happen) or an accident in the shop while taking it down.
Do those of you with scopes handle them with kid gloves, or no different than if your rifle wasn't scoped?
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Some background. Last Friday, I mounted a scope on a rifle for the first time in about 30 years. And by that, I mean I haven't used one since I was a kid. I had one then on a Remington Nylon 66 .22. Likewise, this one went on a Remington 597 HB (click on "22" in my sig line for that story).
The scope is a good one that I purchased 5 years ago for another rifle (that it never went onto; I sold the rifle recently): Leupold VX-1 2x7x28 mm, mounted directly to the groves in the receiver of the 597. (Had to remove the piccatiny rail for the narrow clamps, but I'm happy about that; resulted in a really low mount.)
Now, I want to make sure that I care for it well, since I'm used to handling rifles without scopes.
Specifically, I'm curious about whether handling the gun by the scope will be deleterious to it. I'm not talking about regularly handling it, like carrying it, but in taking the receiver/barrel assembly out of the stock during take down and cleaning (which I just did to a new gun that it's on). I find that my hand just automatically wants to grab that "handle" on top to insure a safe grip. (I do not have a rifle stand.)
And -- again, in a general, not-expecting-precise-answers way, how much bumping can a well-mounted, well-made scope take. Obviously, I'm not talking about dropping it -- God forbid ever -- but falling over when propped up (yes, I know, don't let that happen) or an accident in the shop while taking it down.
Do those of you with scopes handle them with kid gloves, or no different than if your rifle wasn't scoped?
_______
Some background. Last Friday, I mounted a scope on a rifle for the first time in about 30 years. And by that, I mean I haven't used one since I was a kid. I had one then on a Remington Nylon 66 .22. Likewise, this one went on a Remington 597 HB (click on "22" in my sig line for that story).
The scope is a good one that I purchased 5 years ago for another rifle (that it never went onto; I sold the rifle recently): Leupold VX-1 2x7x28 mm, mounted directly to the groves in the receiver of the 597. (Had to remove the piccatiny rail for the narrow clamps, but I'm happy about that; resulted in a really low mount.)
Now, I want to make sure that I care for it well, since I'm used to handling rifles without scopes.