Before ordering scope rings for your rifle, it is crucial to ascertain the correct height. This article will show you just how to determine the scope ring height of your rifle and remove any guessing or trial and error.
Easy and Accurate Method for Finding Out the Correct Scope Ring Height for your Rifle!
#1 The first step is to set up your scope mount in your rifle. Be sure that you follow the manufacturer's directions carefully.
Before you set up your scope mount, remember to grease all female and male threads thoroughly. Now, thoroughly torque each screw to the recommended spec with a top-quality Torque Wrench graduated in Inch pounds. Some prefer the Vortex Optics Torque Wrench as it is perfect and comes with a Calibration Certificate.
We also highly suggest that you use some BLUE Loctite 242 on every male thread. This will remove your scope mount coming loose. A tiny dab does ya!
#2 Using shims, washers, coins, etc., make two equal stacks on top of the bracket, approximately where your rings are. Check the height of the stacks by setting your scope on the top of the stacks. Adjust the stacks' height by adding or removing spacers, ensuring that you maintain enough height for scope covers and clear functioning of the bolt, if applicable.
#3 Check the height of your spacer stack, essentially with calipers. You can use the RCBS Dial Calipers since they're accurate and relatively cheap. They come in handy for a lot of different projects. If you don't have calipers, the ordinary penny is .0593" thick.
This measurement will provide you the desired "saddle height, "that's the measurement from the surface of the scope rail/mount towards the base of the scope tube. In the case below, the saddle height is named "B."
Ordering Your Scope Rings
When ordering rings, ensure to read the heights carefully. Don't go by Low, Moderate, etc. This is an absolute term and differs greatly from one manufacturer to another. Also, some firms list their ring lengths using saddle height ("B"), and a few use a dimension from the top of the scope rail to the middle of the ring. From the below illustration, that's labeled as "A."
If you're looking at rings measured by the “A" height, you want to incorporate the below figures into your "B" dimension.
- Add .5″ for a 1″ scope tube.
- Add .59055″ for a 30mm scope tube.
- Add .66929″ for a 34mm scope tube.
- Add .688975″ for a 35mm range tube.
Naturally, you might also subtract those amounts from the "A" height of the range rings, which would also give you the"B" height.
Once you have purchased the appropriate rings, it is time to install them and mount your scope.
If you follow these instructions, you should wind up with scope rings, which are the proper height for your rifle scope.
Professional Firearm Training
You can also take the help of a professional firearm training course.
Getting Into the Specifics
The height of your scope is dependent upon your objective lens. The typical objective lens will be around 42 millimeters. Around this dimension, the scope provides excellent clarity without an excessive amount of light interference. Most common hunting scopes contain objective lens diameters ranging from 30 mm to the 40'ish mm dimensions.
If you're going with this dimension, you should position your scope and scope ring at lower altitudes. If you are working with a bigger lens, like a 50 millimeter one, you will need higher scope rings. This will be true if you like to use a scope to take 1,000 yards outside.
But with bigger size comes larger complexity: rifles with a larger scope have to be adjusted to various heights based on the sort of weapon you are using to achieve your job's most appropriate height.
Fundamentally, the lower the scope ring, the smaller the scope and vice versa.
