Now that you’ve purchased a new rifle scope, you must begin the process of actually installing it to your firearm. The moment has come to consider scope bases and/or scope rings. Although bases and rings have different meanings, they both have something to do with attaching a sight to a rifle.
The word “Rings” is used to refer generally to the physical attachments that secure the sight to the weapon. While some ring mounts attach the scope directly to the weapon, others call for an additional mount to be installed on the weapon before the scope rings can be connected to the base or base mounts.
Not all firearms are built with an integrated scope mounting system. Therefore, to connect the scope rings to such rifles, a specific attachment often referred to as a base, must be placed on the weapon.
Before going too further into a discussion of scope rings, it’s critical to comprehend the part rings and bases play in accuracy. The only places where the sight is mounted to the gun are the rings or bases, and if that installation or attachment isn’t tight enough, the scope may slide or shift.
The accuracy will suffer if there is even the tiniest movement or shift since the guns current zeroing is no longer at the impact’s initial position.
Size Of The Scope Ring
The height of the scope rings, which affects how high the scope rides above the barrel, varies. There will be fewer adjustments (holdovers or holdunders) at different differences the closer the scope rides to the gun’s barrel. The scope should ideally be positioned as near as possible to the gun’s barrel.
There are many well-known producers of scope rings (and bases), and each one provides rings of various heights. However, the majority of ring manufacturers only provide rings in two heights: low (also known as standard) and high. Low rings are sometimes referred to as low-profile scope rings by some ring manufacturers.
The necessary ring height must be increased for bigger ocular bell sizes to prevent the scope from touching the barrel and maintain proper operation of the rifle action. For instance, the sight on a bolt action rifle must be placed high enough to prevent the bolt from contacting the scope while the rifle is in operation.
The Appearance of Rings and Bases Varies
Rings can be arranged in a variety of ways; they are not always two distinct rings. Sometimes the rings are made of a single piece, while other times bases and rings may be joined into a single object. The actual architecture and style of rings and bases vary significantly between various ring makers.
To further complicate matters, several rifles and shotgun companies created models with proprietary systems that call for unique rings or mounts that are available exclusively from that particular rifle or shotgun brand or manufacturer. Bolt action rifles from the Ruger 77/22 series, for instance, can only use rings produced by Ruger and actually won’t function with any other aftermarket bases or rings.
You’ll also need rings designed to match a Picatinny rail if you own a rifle, shotgun, or AR with one. For use on Picatinny rails, several ring manufacturers produce 30mm and 1-inch scope rings. Various manufacturers provide 30mm and 1 tactical scope rings if you’re looking for AR-based rings.
Which rings are best to use with a 56mm objective of your scope?
Typically, you’ll need between 1.1″ and 1.2″ of rings for a 56mm objective. Because of the design of the rifle at hand or because you need that height for ergonomics, you may occasionally get away with 1″ rings while other times you truly need 1.3 or 1.4″ rings.
Buying all the sizes and returning the ones you don’t need is the only method to ensure you get the correct size rings. By the way, the standard measurement is from base to ring center. Anyone who denies the existence of a standard is allowing the absence of the standard. The ring can only be measured using that reasoning.
A 20MOA base is completely unneeded unless you are shooting from distances greater than 600 yards (or even 800 yards). In actuality, the 56 mm objective scope you want to purchase for your hunting rifle is probably not essential. Anyhow, a scope with a 56 mm objective will probably also have a 34- or 35-mm tube, so unless you’re buying a piece of junk, you should have enough elevation adjustment to reach at least a little over 800 yards.
Common Problems with Scope Ring Height
You could wish to start by installing those vintage attachments on your rifle, but buying new, unused accessories that come with all the necessary screws out of the box will provide better results in the long run. Purchase some new bases that are appropriate for the kind of rings you desire, and for the greatest fit, attempt to match the brands of your rings and bases.
You only need to be aware of the type of mount whether it is a dovetail, Weaver, or Picatinny if it is machined into the receiver of your long rifle. Weaver and Picatinny rails can accept Weavers, but only dovetail mounts can accept dovetail rings. Dovetail for dovetail is the simplest route to go; if not, see if your mount has a Weaver or Picatinny rail.
Too High of a Scope Ring
Having the scope placed too high might result in several problems. To acquire a sight picture, you have to adopt an uncomfortable stance, and this bad posture makes your shoulder feel more recoil. If it’s a higher-recoil caliber, a shooter may take one on the chin if they are that far away from the cheek weld and their head is up to look through the scope. Unnecessarily high scopes will eventually sustain damage or failure due to the additional recoil. No of how many times they had zeroed their scope, several owners still reported accuracy problems.
Even if there are techniques to lessen these effects, it is preferable to focus on keeping your rings from being too high. When your scope is as low as it can be on the gun without contacting any other parts, it will provide you with the best precision.
Learn More: How to calculate scope ring height.
Scope Ring Height is Insufficient
Scopes that were simply positioned too low were the most frequent problem we observed coming through the doors. The front scope rings couldn’t be fully screwed down without crimping the scope tube because the objective lens was touching the top of the barrel.
In the shop, measuring scope height was primarily done by eyeballing, applying past knowledge, becoming comfortable with the task, and making a few mistakes. As soon as we inserted the scope into the bottom of the rings, it became clear if we had chosen the incorrect scope ring height. Then we would simply take the next larger size off the wall and make the necessary repairs.
The ideal mounting position for a scope is as low as feasible, but the objective lens shouldn’t come into contact with the barrel. You also need to be aware of clearance on the bolt handle when using a bolt-action. Nothing is worse than finishing a task and attempting to replace the bolt or operate the action only to discover that it is impossible because the bolt struck the scope.
How high should my scope rings be for a 50mm objective?
With a 30mm tube length and a 50mm riflescope, like the ZeroTech Trace Advanced, a decent height would be approximately 0.300 inches.
How much space should there be between the barrel and the scope?
Here is Nightforce’s response: We advise leaving at least 1/8th of an inch between the top of the barrel and the bottom of the target. You will have sufficient space with your second choice (0.160) for the scope base height.
Are scope rings important?
Accuracy and creating consistent groups are improved by using high-quality scope rings.
Should the scope rings match the brand of the sight?
Receiver mounts and scope rings are not all made the same. A few well-known scope manufacturers also produce rings and mounts for their products. If you possess a Leupold scope, for instance, you should anticipate that Leupold’s mounting method is the greatest one available.
Conclusion
Eye relief and cheek height while mounting the rifle are the components that vary and are the most individualized to each shooter when choosing scope rings. This is due to the fact that each person is unique. When you get to this stage of the choosing process, you can do more with the rifle’s firearm and cheek weld than you can with the rifle’s scope.
This is still crucial, though, since if your gun doesn’t have a cheek weld that can be adjusted, you want to make sure that your scope is as near to the gun’s barrel as possible without touching anything because that will need the least amount of modification to the gun’s cheek weld.
This part’s objective is to guarantee that the shooter’s eye always travels in a straight line through the scope when the rifle is positioned to be fired in any situation. It is crucial to measure the proper scope ring height for this.