Scope Ring/Base suggestions

[Extremesolo]

My .243 handi will be here this week and I bought a mueller 4-16x50 to put on it.  My question is should I use the NEF base that comes on the gun or should I upgrade to something better?  Also what ring manufacturer and height would you recommend?  Thanks,   Andrew

[Wlscott]

The base that comes with the rifle will work just fine.  You are going to need high to extra high rings with that large objective scope in order to clear your hammer spur.

[olredhead]

Solo-I have found that the NEF base is very satisfactory. Mine is steel and the slots are positioned to give plenty of eye relief. That being said I would remove it before mounting your scope and clean the screws and screw holes with alcohol and reset them using a small amount of loc-tite, I use a toothpick to apply the loc-tite to only the bottom 3 or 4 threads.
I use Burris steel rings and always lap them before mounting a scope, takes away any chance of stress on the scope tube. My 40mm scope fits fine with med rings but with a 50mm you may have to go to the high.
Know you;ll enjoy your Handi, goodluck!

[MSP Ret]

The scope rail that comes with the Handi's (5" long) and the Ultra"s (6" long) are excellent rails and have extra cross slots for a multitude of positions for your scope. You could not get a better rail. In fact all rails should be so good!!! If you changed to something else you would just be "downgrading" ....<><.... :grin:
(P.S. - go with olredheads suggestion, he is right "on target" with the suggestion of cleaning under the scope rail and the loctite. Use the purple loctite but if you cannot get any (hard to find) the blue is OK, DO NOT USE RED!!. I prefer Millett Angle Loc rings and with my 50mm scope the high rings are a perfect fit. I use the medium height Millett Angle Locs with my 44mm scopes.)

[quickdtoo]

For the rings I would highly recommend the Burris Signature Zee rings. They have polymer inserts that prevent scope misalignment and damage to the scope and eliminate the need for lapping. There is also a $10 kit that allows windage and elevation adjustments without the need to touch the W&E turrets on the scope so the scope can remain optically centered when mounted. I use these rings exclusively and have swapped out several scopes, none have had ring marks so the resale value of the scopes does not decrease. You will need the SIG Zee high rings for the Mueller, I have that scope on my .243 Ultra. The best price I've seen on the Burris rings is at Midway on sale which ends 7/31.

http://www.burrisoptics.com/rings.html

http://www.midwayusa.com/rewriteaproduct/612622

[Mac11700]

quickdtoo:

Who has this $10.00 kit for the windage and elevation settings...all I could find at Burris's site was the off set lit for misaligned scopes?

Mac

[quickdtoo]

It's the same kit, works well, I've used the 30mm set that comes with +/-.010 offsets on the Tasco Euro on my .223 UV. When the reticle was centered, it was several inches off center at 10 yds, the eccentric inserts allowed me to bring the reticle to center without touching the windage turret. The following is from the Burris web site.

"Signature Pos-Align® Offset Insert Kit
Signature Rings also accept Pos-Align Offset Inserts so you can virtually sight-in your gun without moving the scope adjustments. Lens systems perform at their optimum when all lenses are optically centered. By keeping the internal optics centered, you'll see through the scope all of the clarity, sharpness, and brightness that the optics designers intended for you to see. The offset inserts also correct for any mis-alignment caused by receiver holes drilled off center, or the bases or rings being slightly off perfect center. And for you 1000 yard and other long range shooters, the need for expensive tapered bases or shimming becomes a hassle and expense of the past."


Midway has the best price.

http://www.midwayusa.com/rewriteaproduct/712472

[sockeye3]

Along those same lines does anyone know if I will need Burris high (which they say is the same as everyone elses extra high) or something taller.  I'm mounting my Mueller 8.5 x 25 50mm AO on a Howa 1500 22-250.  The outside diameter of the bell is actually 63mm with the adjustable objective. I'm going to use burris dual dovetail mounts with the signature rings.  Just need to know if the Burris high will work or do I need to go with Leupold extra high?  Does Burris make an extra high?

Thanks,
Sockeye3

[quickdtoo]

Maybe these will help.
http://www.midwayusa.com/midwayusa/staticpages/charts/ring_height.htm

http://www.burrisoptics.com/rings.html

[Fred M]

Extremesolo.
Just bought a Bushnell Banner 4-12x42for the Ultra 25-06 it weighs 17.5 oz with the rings, a bit heavy. I had a Burris Z-mount about .300" high which worked well with a 36x target scope, but this med. mount didn't work on the Banner.

I changed the mount to a Weaver high mount to clear the hammer and had to put the hammer extension upside down to just make it. This scope has a very large eye piece and power selector.

The Weaver rings gave a good fit, don't know about the scope but it is very reasonable at $125Can. I hope it stands up on the 25-06.
There was a very good write up about this scope and Bushnell has a good warranty. This scope is made in Korea of all places.

It is a wide angle and is adjustable for parallax on the objective lens and has a quick adjustable eye piece rather than the lock ring? The high end scopes have it, but I think it is of debatable usefulness. Once you lock the eye piece in place it is there and solid. Fred M.

[quickdtoo]

This scope is made in Korea of all places.

FWIW, Korea is where Swift scopes are made, probably by the same OEM.

[De41mag]

Tim;

I've used the ZEE rings on my Ultra and 44 mag. barrel with good results.  Have been using the med height for the small scopes I use.
So a couple of weeks ago I bought a Simmons ATECH 2.8X10X44 because they were on sale So I had this so called Gunsmith  :roll:  mount the scope on the Ultra, and had to get high rings for the scope to fit. So he says he can mount the scope to be perfect with cross hairs properly. I said sounds great! Well when he put the rings on I asked him "What about the friction paper that comes with the rings." He said he never uses the paper. I think OK, but the instructions say use it. But what do I know.  :roll:  Well at the range yesterday, I FINALLY was able to get a jacketed bullet to shoot in my 44. Its a SPEER 300 SP.
So the first shot went about an inch and a half high from the orginal 265 gr. RNFP-GC. next two shots same place, WOW! So I let the barrel cool a little then shot again at a different target, First three shots a beautiful cloverleaf all three almost touching.... next two shots just a tad low to make an inch and a half group. Great!
Set the gun down to cool then pick it up to try another group. Man shots low and left all five no pattern. What went wrong... Looked at the scope and seen that the scope had shifted a half inch forward, just about took the coating off the scope where it was orginally.  :x  :x
Well needless to say the range time was cut short cause I took the rifle back to the store and told the owner that his so called GUNSMITH did not know what he was doing. If you want some thing done right.... do it your self as the old saying goes.

Just had to vent a litte frustration...Sorry.
Dennis  

[Fred M]

De41mag,

Most variable scopes are heavy maybe too heavy. That Banner scope at 17.5oz with the rings is more than I like. But I bought it for the price and I wont be the one to pack around.

It is sure frustrating when things fall appart on the rifle range. Beware of gunsmith in stores you better know him. I saw one in a store mounting a scope right on the counter it was disgusting.

These heavy scopes are hard on mounts and easily come loose unless they are put together with great care. I epoxy bed the bases and use blue lock tide inside the rings. So far nothing has come loose, make sure you use  release agent on the screws lest you be -------. :lol: Fred M.

[quickdtoo]

Dennis and Fred, I've been using the burris signature zee rings with wonderful results, and in reading the optics forum here and at other boards, they are truly loved by all that have used em, even those with heavy kickers. The polymer inserts really grab the scope, even before tightening the ring caps, it's hard to roll the scope to get it in final position and you can forget about moving the scope fore or aft when the caps are on but not tight yet.  I've not read even one post about anyone having a problem with them, only people that haven't used them that have doubts about their effectiveness have bashed them.  I've swapped scopes around a bit and a couple scopes have been mounted at least 4 times and they still have no ring marks or scratches. Until I read of anyone having a problem with them or have a problem with em myself, I won't be trying any other brand or style. I'll be mounting an S&W 1.5-6x38 shotgun scope on my .45-70 if I ever get it back from H&R, when/if the rings and scope will stand up to that, I'll be real happy. They are more spendy than a lot of other popular rings, but someone usually has them on sale for around $25-30 so that's not an issue, I buy em on sale so I always have some on hand for that new rifle that just happens to follow me home.... :lol:

[Fred M]

quickdtoo.
You are right the Burris ZEE rings are very good, nearly idiot proof I have one set to use here and there and like them. They are $58.00 where I live.

By the way Jewell makes SS rings for BR rifles like the Burris but the inserts are precision honed made of steel and designed to slide on a dovetail rail. These mounts are made like a Swiss clock and totally stress free.

However there are other very good mounts and rings, I use use a 1" ring hone to install scope mounts and I never crunched a scope or scratched them. Only inexperienced people do that.

The Weaver rings and bases when installed right are just as serviceable as any and will hold on the heaviest kicker like 460 Wby.

I am sure the Weaver rings on the Ultra will give no trouble.

I had one on a 300 Wby for 25 years and it never moved or gave any trouble what so ever. Man these rings have been around since god knows
when. Like the 98 Mauser they are hard to improve on and the price is right. Fred M.

[sockeye3]

Quickdtoo,
Thanks for the links about Burris ring size for my Mueller.  It looks like I'll need the biggest they make.
Thanks,
Sockeye3