Installing and uninstalling a riflescope.

[coyote trapper1929]

I want to take my riflescope off my rifle and just use the iron sights for sighting in because I think the scope I have is not working properly> If I want to reinstall the riflescope, will that affect its accuracy?

[Keith L]

Any time you remove scoope or scope and mounts from your rifle you will need to re-zero it.  Some mounts are made to have  minimal change if you just remove the scope, but all should be shot prior to hunting to make sure it is truly back to zero.  If you remove the mounts which often has to happen to be able to use the iron signts then for sure you have to sight it in completely again.  Small changes in mounting position have large impact downrange.  

Good luck!

[victorcharlie]

I want to take my riflescope off my rifle and just use the iron sights for sighting in because I think the scope I have is not working properly> If I want to reinstall the riflescope, will that affect its accuracy?

In all likelyhood yes.......the point of impact will change........I'd check and be prepaired to rezero after reinstalling the scope........ :-)

[gunnut69]

The is almost certain to be some change in zero but in many cases the difference would not preclude using the rifle to hunt with at closer ranges.  It would be interesting to shoot a group (several actually) then remove the scope and remount and repeat the shooting.. This done with some different mounting systems would produce info that would be interesting..

[Zeke Menuar]

On my guns there is a small but noticable change in zero, when scope swapping.

Case in point.  Just bought a Howaby.  That means another round of musical scopes.  Moved the Mueller from my M700 Tupperware Special, rings bases and all.  Didn't need to adjust the rings on the Mueller to fit the Howaby.

Bought rings and bases and robbed the 4x Buckmaster form the BC and put it on the Tupperware Special.

Even though the Mueller was bore sighted and dialed in to the Tupperware Special and I didn't need to loosen the rings to fit the scope to the Howaby, once on the Howaby, the Mueller was low and to the right.  This is using the same rings and bases off the Tupperware Special.

So, if you play musical scopes, you will need to do a cursory bore sight and pop-off a few rounds to dial things in.

Do a search.  I got very good instructions on how to mount, and boresight a scope.  No fancy gizmo's needed.

ZM

PS.  For the handi-holics.  After robbing the scope off the BC, I put a Williams FP on it.  The BC just felt wrong with the scope sitting on it.  Things are much better now.

[gunnut69]

Actually what I was considering was just scope removal and reinstallation. Not the removal and reinstallation of the entire mount system. I'm interested in the actuall movement encountered when a scope is removed and reinstalled on the same rifle. I could allow a hunter to carry a spare scope in the chance a sccope should fail..without the expense of special mounts.