Friday, December 08, 2006

Savage 110 - .30-06

Mounting a scope is frustrating sometimes because a lot of it is a "try and see" procedure. Manufacturers make rifles in all shapes and sizes and scope builders make scopes in all shapes and sizes. The key is to throw the rifle to your shoulder in firing position and have the reticle come sharply into focus. That is easier said than done.

Then there is the esthetics of the mount itself. When you mount the scope, you want it to look right. Until yesterday, I wasn't happy with the way my scope was mounted to the Savage. Back 40 years ago, or longer, the scope mounting companies settled on one of two systems. The Weaver system (which is a takeoff from the 1917 Picatinny system) and the Redfield system, which uses dovetail joints to attach the scope to the rifle.

I've always preferred the Redfield system. So, when I was mounting my scope to the rifle, I tried to get Redfield mounts that fit the rifle and scope. The only problem is that the Redfield system doesn't lend itself to adjustment. It locks up rock solid. With a standard front mount and standard rings, the front of the scope was too far forward, which meant that the rear of the scope was too far forward and eye relief suffered. In short, I couldn't see through the scope. That wouldn't work.

My next step was to send call Brownells and see what the techs had to offer. They recommended extended rings, which I ordered. When I installed those extended rings, the eye relief was almost right, but I had to crane my neck slightly forward for proper viewing. I sighted the rifle with that system, but after a number of range sessions and a couple of hunts, I wasn't happy with the scope mount.

So, I started looking for extended bases. The base mounts to the rifle, the rings mount to the base, the scope sits in the rings. After a great deal of searching the Brownell's catalog, I clicked on my old standby, Midway USA, and found a set of Burris extended bases. I mounted them yesterday after work, and set the extended rings in those bases. Voila. Everthing came together.

So, this morning, I can throw the rifle to my shoulder in street clothes and the reticle comes immediately to my eye. With a hunting coat on, it is still almost right. With the rifle snugged in tight on a bench, I don't have to crane my neck forward to see through the scope. And it's only cost me, what? Two sets of bases and two sets of rings? The scope itself is a Weaver K6, a classic fixed power scope. I will probably never take it off that rifle.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

When I installed a 3-9 scope on my Turk Mauser and made it a pipeline rifle, I was wearing a t-shirt when I set the eye relief. A fellow needs to wear hunting clothes when setting eye relief on a hunting scope! Remind me of that next time, ok?

Pawpaw, me and the General sure are having fun deer hunting almost every day. You should hunt with us at least once this year.

The general bought himself a new Marlin 336 in 30-30, but we can't catch the wind in the right direction for him to redeem himself on the miss he made on a BIG buck in the river bottom last year. He's been using his BAR 270 on the pipeline. Two shots offhand @ 175 yards and two dead deer. I'm sick of hearing about it!!!