Scope mounting question...

[A930Rocket]

Is it possible to mount a scope on a 1” spacer/riser and zero it in? I imagine once it’s zeroed in for 100 yards, it will be off for any other distance. But 100 is all I shoot.

I know it’s best to have it as close the barrel, but I’m really uncomfortable trying to look through the eye piece.

I added the 1” riser mount and zeroed it in at 50 yards, but had to leave before I could go further out. Between the riser mount and the Magpul PRS GEN3 stock, the spoon is very comfortable now.

[nzporsche944s2]

The answer is that yes you can but you shouldn't.

Think of it as two intersecting lines - one is the barrel and one is the scope. You want the angle between the two as small as possible hence mounting the scope as close to the barrel. If you are strictly shooting at exactly 100 metres and that is all you do (e.g. at a range) then you could probably get away with it if you zero it at 100.

This guy is gold for information;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COoXVpGfXQE

He basically says you should hold your rifle with your eyes closed and let your head fall forward until your cheek is on the stock then open your eye. If your eye isn't directly in line with the scope then you need to build the stock up with a riser until it is. Otherwise you will unnaturally move your head into the correct position when shooting. It sounds like you have the opposite problem though in that your stock is too high for your scope. Have you considered a different stock?

[Jeff Higgins]

Originally Posted by nzporsche944s2

The answer is that yes you can but you shouldn't.

I disagree. As you point out, your eye must align with the scope without unnaturally straining to make it do so. As you also point out, there really are only two options if it doesn't - alter the stock or the scope mount.

The scope mount is the cheaper of the two, and the easiest to play around with. That, and it's not necessarily advantageous to have the bore and scope as close as possible. A higher mounted scope, within reason, has an almost "magic" affect of "flattening" the trajectory.

Of course the height of the scope has nothing to do with trajectory, but (without drawing pictures and getting into the geometry of the whole thing) a higher mounted scope will result in the bullet's trajectory remaining closer to the sightline for a greater portion of its flight. Zeroing a typical varmint gun at, say, 200 yards - one with the lowest possible scope and one with the scope raised a bit - will make the one with the higher scope be noticeably more forgiving of mistakes in range estimation, giving the appearance of shooting flatter. It's an old trick that shooters have used for years.

[flipper35]

There are a few ballistics programs out there that will graph the path for you. Remington Shoot is, or used to be, free and will give you a general idea where to zero your scope for optimal point blank range for whatever you are shooting at based on your sight above bore height.

My uncle and I argued on this for a while because my dad has a 760 Carbine in 30-06 and for white tail it should be 1" high at 100 yards because he has a low profile flip off mount on his scope. My uncle said he set his 1" high at 100 yards and it was way off at 200 but he has his on a set which allows him to see the iron sights through openings under the scope. He should not be at 1" high at 100 yards because his height above bore is an inch higher making his bullet another inch higher above the bore at 100 yards than dad's.

In other words, dads rifle places the bullet 2.5" above the bore at 100 yards by hitting 1" above the point of aim and my uncles rifle hits 2.5" above the bore by hitting dead on the point of aim at 100 yards.

[Flat Six]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

Zeroing a typical varmint gun at, say, 200 yards - one with the lowest possible scope and one with the scope raised a bit - will make the one with the higher scope be noticeably more forgiving of mistakes in range estimation, giving the appearance of shooting flatter. It's an old trick that shooters have used for years.

Fair enough, but on the other hand raising the scope relative to bore axis compounds sensitivity to scope cant and as a result can open up group width. IMO, pick your poison.

[A930Rocket]

I understand the two intersecting lines, but it's just not comfortable to get my head that low to see through the scope. As the two ranges I go to have a max 100 yard range, I'm ok leaving it once dialed. I can always remove it as needed.

Instead of a 1" rise, it's 2".

The Magpul PRS GEN3 stock is adjustable for the cheek and feels better. It’s also a little longer and I’m not bunched up.

The butt plate at the end of the stock is also adjustable. I felt like the very bottom of the original stock was almost on top of my shoulder. It’s now in the lowest position.

That said, I’ve got a long way to learn to shoot properly, but it feels good to spend money on the spoon.

[Jeff Higgins]

Originally Posted by Flat Six

Fair enough, but on the other hand raising the scope relative to bore axis compounds sensitivity to scope cant and as a result can open up group width. IMO, pick your poison.

Yes, it certainly will compound this problem.

That raises a very important point. I have lost track of how many rifles I have seen with canted scopes. Very obviously canted scopes. And the shooter completely oblivious to the problem. It's so easy to get them level, but so many don't seem to notice or care. It's like nails on a blackboard to me, though. Drives me nuts.

[sc_rufctr]