New Rifle at Mac's House

[Mac]

Well I sold a .22 pistol at the weekly gun show and bought this in .308 with the proceeds.

Now I need some advice.

It is tapped for scope mounts and I do not have a clue about installing them. With my AR anything that gets screwed into someplace hot (no, Bo, that's not what I'm talking about) gets some Loktite purple - which takes butane torch to loosen up later. Same deal here? This thing will supposedly accept two model 700 rear mounts, or I can buy a set packaged for it.

Also, what is a good quality scope nowadays? I don't want a budget scope - I've got an NRA 3x9 that will serve temporarily - but I don't want to break the bank either. Any suggestions?

[Independent Voter]

Since you are asking for advice, it is plain that you are not capable enough to be entrusted with the responsibility of a firearm. So, if you would give me a call at BR 549 I will gladly send my address. You could then insure and send the offending rifle to me and I will take good care of it.

No need to thank me. Just doing my civic duty.

[Mac]

Would it be easier for me to deliver it?

I'll send the bullets first. ~2700fps fast enough?

[Kevin]

Depends on what you want to do with it the gun.

Long range shooting - I can't help you. I'm a hunter.

If you are going hunting, though, I use a rule of thumb that the glass should cost about half as much as the gun, new. Nikon, Leupold, Bushnell - all make good scopes in the hunting gun line, with the first two offering more variety in terms of quality and price.

It also depends on where you plan to hunt. My 7600 pump carbine cost about $700 new but I put a $250 scope on it because I needed a low power variable for thick stuff. I have a 35 Whelen pump with a better scope on it because it is used for shots in the under 200 yard range. My best shooter, a Savage 30-06 has a scope that cost as much as the gun and my very first gun, a Winchester Model 70 .270 has a scope appropriate for bean fields.

[Dave Grubb]

I just saw this

First---I use red locktite when I am sure I will not want to remove a screw in the future. It can be done but has to be heated rather high.

For applications that might need to come apart I use blue.

In general for mounts I use red and for rings I use blue.

For the scope---I use almost universally variable power scopes. I tend to stay with 40 mm objective lenses. I have some larger and some smaller. The give and take is the larger the objective lens the better they are in poor light. The down side is it forces the scope higher to clear the bell on the objective lens---and I don't want my check lifted off the stock. There is also a secondary issue and that is weight.

As for brand---I have a variety but the most common is Leupold.

My advice is to go to a good dealer and look through different scopes--you will see the difference.

[Mac]

Thanks Dave! Blue it is. I got the mounts on Sunday but have been laid up. After some reading I learned Redfield is now made by Leupold in the same factory by the same guys. Don't know if that is accurate, but the Revenge 3x9 40mm I saw at
Academy seems to fit the bill.

[Dave Grubb]

That is correct about Redfield. They went out of business about 15 years ago and eventually Leupold bought the rights to the name.

BTW---if you are close to Red Oak TX there is a company there that I have done business with for years and couldn't even count the number of scopes I have bought from them.

It used to be South West Fire Arms but now is just SWFA. It is pretty much family---and great folks---despite the fact they are Texans

Someday I am going to stop in there just to say hello and shake their hands

[Mac]

Thanks Dave! Joined their mailing list. That is one of the best single purpose websites I've seen. Love how they show the reticle view.

[Mac]

Ok, this past weekend I installed my mounts and dug out my NRA (I learned this is actually a Brunton product) 3x9x40mm and stuck it on the mounts. Did a poor man's bore sight and will take it out to Ben's old place to try out their relatively new 100 yard indoor rifle range. Will report back on my results.

[Dave Grubb]

Ok, this past weekend I installed my mounts and dug out my NRA (I learned this is actually a Brunton product) 3x9x40mm and stuck it on the mounts. Did a poor man's bore sight and will take it out to Ben's old place to try out their relatively new 100 yard indoor rifle range. Will report back on my results.

You have done exactly what most people, including many gunsmiths do---but not what I do.

I thought I had some pictures of it but apparently not. I have a tool which I made but you can buy them which amounts to a 1" diameter steel tube about 12" long with a handle attached in the middle.

I place Prussian Blue on the rings, place the steel tube in the rings and then close the rings--snug but not tight. Then take the tube back out. Seldom will you have full contact which means the center axis of the two rings are not in the same plane and often not aligned. occasionally you might have to shim one of both rings--but that is seldom. What you can do and makes a significant difference is to lap the rings.

I turned a piece of DOM steel tube down to exactly one inch OD and intentionally left lathe tool marks on it. I use valve lapping compound (NAPA) and reassemble the rings with the tube in place. Using the handle I turn the tube back and forth and slide it front and back in the rings. Very quickly you will remove the bluing on the surface of the rings and you can see when you have all the bluing removed; at that point you have centerline alignment of the two rings.

The result is that you will not put the scope into a stressed condition when you mount it.

That said---understand I am anal about things like this; as you can see here.

[Mac]

I did remember that pressure on the scope tube affects accuracy but I used what I had, which was nothing more than a light touch and a wild guess. I'd did have the Remington plastic inserts but not sure if they help or hurt.

[Mac]

Took the new rifle out to the range and sighted her in. Shoots like a dream! I tried out a new range (for me) and really liked it. It had 25, 50, 100, and 200 yard target rows. They were all on an incline so if you bought a lane, you got to place targets on any or all of the distances. It is called the Gum Emporium in Conroe and they had a fine, full service shop with many new and used weapons (gun smithing as well). The owner even bore sighted my rifle for free.

One lesson learned though. I can't see the holes in the target reliably at 100 yards with a 3x9 scope or my 10x monocular. I had to borrow a spotter scope