My Scout Rifle Setup

[Tamlin]

Finally got her back from the gunsmith today. Had my EMF/Hartford (Rossi) .357 levergun (16" bbl) fitted with a Burris 2.75 Scout scope. Gunsmith had to drill and tap to put the base on, and also had to do some machining work, and it ended up costing a bit more than I had planned, but I'm very pleased with how it turned out. 'Smith said he bore-sighted the scope dead-on at 100 yards. Got the scope from fellow THR member Red State - Thanks again! (good guy to deal with - has integrity). Haven't shot it yet with the new setup. Hope to take it out this weekend, but wouldn't you know it, it's supposed to rain. Btw, this is my plinking/hiking/camping/rabbit+varmint hunting rifle.

 

[Haemon]

Man, I've been looking for a stainless .357 or .44 for ages now. Good for you for finding one! Looks great, and should shoot nice and soft. Lots of fun to be had with that set-up.

 

[For Freedom]

Those are pretty advanced optics for a lever gun....

 

[taliv]

now that's interesting

can't wait to hear how it shoots

 

[nipprdog]

Sweeeet!!!

However....

'Smith said he bore-sighted the scope dead-on at 100 yards.

You can't come close to "dead-on", or, "bore sight" a rifle at 100 yds without knowing what load you intend to shoot.

My .02.

Pick your load, and physicaly zero it for 50 yds.

Btw, big fan of .357 Levers, and matching pairs;

 

[Tamlin]

Yeah, I know it won't be "dead-on" when I actually shoot it - but hoping it will only need minor fine tuning for the loads I'll be shooting. Which will be, standardly, Fiocchi 142 gr .357 (picked up a dozen or so boxes for relatively cheap).

 

[Kentucky_Rifleman]

I like the looks of the setup, and I'm a fan of pistol-caliber carbines in general. I hope you'll give us a detailed range report after you've had time to shoot. I'm especially interested in how the forward-mounted scope setup works out for you.

I've seen other guys use the same setup - mounting a pistol scope further along the gun's barrel (I'm guessing it's called a scout scope?) but I've never shot one.

If it works well, I'll seriously consider trying to set up something like yours. It would be a dandy tractor gun to pop coyotes when I bush-hog.

KR

 

[Tamlin]

FINALLY got to the range today. Here's the report:

First off, the scope sight-in done by the gunsmith was not "dead-on balls accurate." I set up at 50 yards using Fiocchi 142 gr .357 factory loads and a bench rest. Wasn't even getting on paper! Eventually discovered the gun was shooting about 14" lower than the point of aim. (gunsmith said he had boresighted it dead-on at 100 yards). Messed with the vertical settings for a while, but still couldn't get anything to hit close to point of aim. Caveat: this is my first scope, ever, and was my first time making scope adjustments. I didn't know if I was doing something wrong, or if something was wrong with the scope/setup.

Hopped over to the 25 yard lane. This time (after a lot more adjustments) I was able to get on paper, get it dialed in, and ended up with sweet perfection! Got it to consistently hit inside the red, pretty much dead on. Prior to putting the scope on it, I had never shot it farther than 25 yards, so based on that, the scope was a huge improvement. I was going to go back to the 50 yard lane to see how it did after getting it to where I had, but there was a long wait for that lane (Range only has two 50-yard lanes), so I'll have to go back another day. (darn!) Next time I'll bring different loads to try, too, but I'm feeling really good about the setup now.

As far as the scope itself: I like it. Great clarity, even in low light, and the eye relief is perfect. Of course the gun itself is a little heavier now, but it doesn't feel unbalanced. The 2.75 magnification is perfect for this rifle.