Mounting scope yourself vs at store

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I get some folks take their shooting casual. And if somebody doesnt want to learn how to do something, is willing to pay others to do it......great.

Just wish people entrusted to do a job actually knew how.....and cared. It aint rocket science to mount a scope. But a little thought and skill can make it a worthwhile effort.

I liked being the fix it guy in the back room of a shop. Troubleshooting etc. But then it was " can you get the phone" which morphed into being behind the counter.

Old guy.....big shop......good gunsmith too

...he hid in the back room of his place. Learned why after a short stint behind counter.
 
Note: cant get crosshairs right first try like i used to. Dunno what the hell thats about. Close....but not perfect like in the old days.

Takes me another run or two.
 
Like somebody mentioned a page back.....have seen salemen push funky stuff onto customers.

Personally.....if they have see through rings on the wall......im skeptical lol.

Went to some big shop and they had very few items to chose from.....ring and base wise.

Sad.

I took my rifle to my local shop and played w display scopes and brought a few sets if rings.....to mock up/ test. I did not put ring halves on or crank screws.....just set scopes in. Didnt leave a mark.

But i did see what would work and what wouldnt. The lack of headache was worth it to me. So i ordered my new scope and rings from them. Yup.....coulda saved 50 bucks by ordering myself.

But they were kind enough to let me check stuff there. IMHO that obligates purchase.

Their selection isnt half bad ring and bases. Conaiderably better in variety than most shops ive seen recently. Maybe the majority of scope/ ring purchases these days online.

FWIW if somebody buys a scope and rings at my LGS.....they mount and boresight for free.
 
Personally.....if they have see through rings on the wall......im skeptical lol.

I use see thru scope rings pretty regularly.

For me they are the right height for ARs and other guns with in line stocks. The weaver quad locks are significantly lighter than most "standard" options for very high scope mounting.
 
I use see thru scope rings pretty regularly.

For me they are the right height for ARs and other guns with in line stocks. The weaver quad locks are significantly lighter than most "standard" options for very high scope mounting.

I never thought about using see thrus for that application.
 
  1. I've used see thrus with AR's in the past. Before I could locate a proper mount at a good price. They look funny, but do work. But as far as using them to sight under a scope and use irons there is no way I'd use them for that. And the Weaver 4X4 or quad rings WORK as well as anything and are among the lightest mounts. Not the best looking, but functional.
About the only time I'd consider letting someone else mount my scope is if I were using dovetail mounts. If the scope isn't mounted properly you can damage the scope in those rings. And the best way to ensure they are mounted right is with special mounting tools most people don't have. Some gunsmiths do, but almost no one in gun shops. My solution is to simply avoid dovetail mounts.

Most of the other mounts are easy DIY projects. Even if the scope were to be mounted I'd need to loosen it in the mounts and experiment with it at different eye relief settings after I get home to find what worked best for ME rather than the guy who mounted it.
 
This is a hoot. One set of Weaver see through with the double straps were salvaged of another rifle. Installed on a Savage 93R17 using a 50mm scope. There no way those rings will work on that size scope. Worked OK for what I wanted but not as a see through.

The old original style see through pot metal rings had to be bent into shape to zero the scope. This was particularly true of the Leupold's of forty years ago with limited range on the adjustment. Using real mounts there was no problem.
 
Quick n dirty AR scoping.........

Burris riser blocks and Zee rings.

No need for that see through stuff.
Besides, they're against my religion ;)
 
My buddy bought three Remington 760's.
All in .35 Remington. Think one from PA, another OH and one southern IN.
All three had see through rings LOL.
One did have a Leupold on it.
It would not zero in the rings it came with.
Not sure what that was about.

Maybe why it was for sale?
Reg Weaver base, Burris Zees and it dialed right in. Shot well too.
 
View attachment 846710

Rifleman lows work OK. 4X Leupold.
Deer shot on the run through thick brush (saw him nearing a hole and slid one through it).
Don't need see throughs.

This rifle came with em though. Promptly removed and trashed. Not saved. Trashed.
Were like the other rifles my bud bought used.............had the "ironsighter" type of see throughs.

.35 rem and see through rings...........a sickness of Eastern US.
Many afflicted before Lyme disease popped up.
Cure is inexpensive and wonderful, yet many refuse to seek treatment.
 
I’ve also seen scopes mounted at Cabela’s that were a travesty too.

Have yet to hang out around the gun counter at a Cabelas.
Smaller one about an hr drive away.
Bigger 2 hrs or so.
Did visit the smaller ones gun library, overpriced but a couple of neat rigs.
So worth the visit (Duluth nearby- the ol lady hit that one and burned my toy money).

Might go to the bigger one this weekend if raining, the entertainment value of the scope mounting might be worth it.

Note: when laid off I applied to the bigger one (online deal).
They asked me to come up for an interview.............but I had gotten on at a manufacturing facility.

One of my coworkers did a stint at Cabelas.
He enjoyed it.

Dunno if I missed out. Pay is way better where I am.
But zero job satisfaction.
 
Back in the day the rage was to get a Redfield low profile 3x9 scope. This scope was mounted high on the 742 with the pot metal see through rings. The idea was to use the scope to see if the deer had antlers. I would make a point customers by having them look through the scope as I push on the scope with my thump. They were astounded how much those aberrations would flex. How would you like to be in the woods to see Bubba pointing his rifle at you working the power ring to see if you had horns? We would try to tell them about mounts and ammo that would strip extractors on 742's. They'd accuse us of lying to them to make money. Bore sighters of that day did not account for much. Bubba would decide it was OK and head for the woods.
 
Interesting on the 742............

got a pristine carbine in .30-06.

Scoped it w Leupold 3-9X.
First shot was 1" high at 100.
Next 3 or 4, whatever the mag held...........were in a nice group, 7 or 8" south of the first cold bbl shot.

Since the bbl would heat up it'd wander. But the aiming system didn't track w the bbl.
Iron sights I bet it would still hit where pointed.

Wonder of the 1st shot on the see through ring guys was for scope and followups irons.
Maybe they didn't know what exactly was going on but found a kinda sorta work around?

My beater 742 regular didn't wander cold to hot.

Not sure how many of that model so afflicted.
Know guys that cursed their Mini 14 Ranch rifles for the same ailment.
 
BTW, never liked TV view scopes or the lo pro eye pieces.
Regular round is my preference.
 
There is a gunshop where one salesguy still claims see through are wonderful, irons up close, out a ways scope.
He pushes that crap all the time, esp for muzzleoaders.

The added height did make easier capping on some inlines.
Guess some folks like to cap their guns while wearing a baseball glove.
I ran my Knights w reg Weaver bases and rings.
No probs, and didn't have a capper either.
Got my fingers in there no prob.
 
I always had a strong preference for Leupold scopes to this day. Back in the day a citizen came in with a 742 that would not shoot. The nut that retained the barrel in the receiver had backed out.

I had salvaged a 4x wide view Redfield scope off a Bubba wrecked Knight LK-93. Bubba had put pipe dope on the caps for the adjustments. Not all this mess is the fault of the store clerk.
 
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Quick n dirty AR scoping.........

Burris riser blocks and Zee rings.

No need for that see through stuff.
Besides, they're against my religion ;)
personally id prefer to use a decent mount specifically for that type or rifle.
I dont like adding risers to make regular height rings work.
It adds 2 sets of things that can be out of alignment, or miss installed (tho very rarely are), doubles the cost, and doubles the weight.....roughly

For the same cost and weight as using brand name risers and rings, you can buy a good one piece mount.

Ive never had an alignment issue with the 15 dollar weavers, and they weigh significantly less than the other options.

Again nothing wrong with doing it the other way(s), personal preference and all that lol. Much like having someone else do your scopes, make sure everything is within spec and it should be good to go.

oh JMs right the seethru weavers do look a little wierd lol. They probably wont give enough forward mounting distance if your a stock crawler, or use a scope with really long eye relief.
 
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Back in the day there was information of height of Weaver bases. If one needed more height this information allowed to match correctly higher bases for your rifle. For ordinary people, Weaver was the "go to" company for getting scopes attached to rifles. In that day there many fewer choices than in this day. Most anybody that sold Weaver's had a metal box full of bases. Also, there was a parts box with parts for bases and adjustment caps and the like. The bubble pack had not been invented yet.
 
I have spare Burris Zee rngs around. Usually a couple sets. Riser blocks were $15 each.

As with any scoping.....check w long bar before dropping scope in.

I think most 1pc mounts to be on the cheap side. Maybe worth it if going higher end type and on a dedicated varminter. Or $$$ QD stuff on something tactical.
 
On my Burris riser blocks. I had the two shorter length ones. The rear up against my Rock River rear sight.

Pop sight off and slide scope n rings on. Easy to reverse. Never tested for zero hold.
Kept scope off til yote season and then slid it on...zeroed and hunted
 
Buddies run big money QD stuff w Aimpoints and NightForce. Too rich forbmy blood.

W scope off the Burris riser blocks didnt look bad No short pic rail riser at the time....so just used those.

Suppose somebody makes one i could chop if going that way again. Liked the RR rear sight.

Current AR has DD A1 and its shorter
 
I've done it numerous ways; Cabela's back room, my gunsmith, and myself. Luckily I've never had a problem. Only thing close was when I did one myself that came out slightly canted. Easy fix though and I've done several that came out just fine.
 
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