The Firing Line Forums

Go Back   The Firing Line Forums > The Skunkworks > The Smithy

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old October 30, 2000, 10:45 PM   #1
kray
Junior Member
 
Join Date: October 28, 2000
Posts: 9
I am having a problem that I hope you can help me with. I recently bought a
3x9 50mm VariX II scope and Leopold mounts for my Ruger Model 77 (integral base). I just finished sighting the scope in, and I have run out of elevation adjustment.
Now that might be fine if I were trying to zero in at 400 yards, but I was
zeroing at 100 yards. I wanted to zero at 200, so this is not to my liking to say the least. Can you provide any tips or ideas on how I can fix this. Is shimming or grinding the mounts alternatives? Is there something I personally can do?
I could really use some advice.
Thanks
kray is offline  
Old October 30, 2000, 11:38 PM   #2
Art Eatman
Staff in Memoriam
 
Join Date: November 13, 1998
Location: Terlingua, TX; Thomasville, GA
Posts: 24,798
Yeah, it's readily fixable. If you still have your paperwork for the scope, it should tell you how much adjustment YOu have. (Weaver, for instance, builds 40" of travel in their 9X variables.)

You can get a rough idea of your problem by boresighting the rifle on some object 100 yards or more away, and looking through the scope when the crosshairs are centered in the reticle. (Center by going all the way to top and to right--or bottom and left--and moving halfway down and left, etc.)

Roughly and approximately: 0.001" of shim is one inch at one hundred yards. A beer can is 0.003" in thickness.

I haven't a clue as to how much angle you can build in with shims before there is some harm to the scope. It would *probably* take more to hurt the scope than you'll need to fix your problem. Of course, boring the rings is easy, after you get things all settled.

FWIW, Art
Art Eatman is offline  
Old October 31, 2000, 12:31 AM   #3
4V50 Gary
Staff
 
Join Date: November 2, 1998
Location: Colorado
Posts: 21,824
Contact Ruger for different height rings?
4V50 Gary is offline  
Old October 31, 2000, 10:15 PM   #4
kray
Junior Member
 
Join Date: October 28, 2000
Posts: 9
Thanks for the tip. I swung by my local gun dealer and bought a shim (cheap, blued, and safer than me cutting down a beer can because I would have had to empty it first). You mentioned "boring the rings". Explain please. Thanks again.

[This message has been edited by kray (edited October 31, 2000).]
kray is offline  
Old October 31, 2000, 10:16 PM   #5
kray
Junior Member
 
Join Date: October 28, 2000
Posts: 9
Thanks for the advice, but I was hoping to save a few $$, especially after paying what I did for these.
kray is offline  
Old November 1, 2000, 10:39 PM   #6
rr41mag
Senior Member
 
Join Date: June 25, 2000
Location: Biloxi, Miss.
Posts: 180
you take two separate pcs of round bar that have points turned down on them. You mount them in the scope rings with the two point together. If the don't line up the one of the bases needs to be shimmed.

------------------
A son is the best friend you'll ever have!
rr41mag is offline  
Old November 1, 2000, 11:24 PM   #7
weegee
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 24, 1999
Posts: 195
Is it possible that the two rings you received were not a 'matched pair'? (I.E. that someone at the factory or at the store put two identical rings, or two rings for another Ruger model, into the box you bought?) (Ruger 77's take two rings of different height.) I can't imagine there would be any way the receiver could be mis-machined enough to cause the problem as you described. And there's no way to shim Ruger integral mounts that I'm aware of.
Just my $0.02. Best, weegee.
weegee is offline  
Old November 2, 2000, 08:37 PM   #8
kray
Junior Member
 
Join Date: October 28, 2000
Posts: 9
Thanks for the help. Been in contact with Leopold, and they tell me just to shim the scope. I find it hard to believe that a Ruger is out of "square" this much too, and believe it is probably a mount issue, but haven't gone that far with Leopold yet. 'preciate all the help I'm getting off this forum.
kray is offline  
Old November 3, 2000, 08:27 PM   #9
Al Thompson
Staff Alumnus
 
Join Date: May 2, 1999
Location: South Carolina
Posts: 3,611
Kray - not sure if anyone has pointed out that the shims on a Ruger can go inside the appropriate ring.

If your rifle is hitting high, it's the bottom of the rear ring.

Giz

[This message has been edited by Gizmo99 (edited November 03, 2000).]
Al Thompson is offline  
Old November 3, 2000, 08:55 PM   #10
weegee
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 24, 1999
Posts: 195
If you shim the inside of a ring, that makes the inside diameter of the ring smaller on that half. So it won't fit the radius of the tube. Wouldn't that create some bad stress on the tube? (Not to mention bad ring marks if it doesn't work.) The only shimming procedures I'm aware of involve placing shims under bases--maybe there's something I'm missing.

I still think either the mounts (most likely) or the gun are out of whack. Best, weegee.
weegee is offline  
Old November 6, 2000, 11:04 PM   #11
kray
Junior Member
 
Join Date: October 28, 2000
Posts: 9
I want to thank all of you who have responded to my little problem. Although the source of the problem still isn't clear, at least I have some treatments for the symptoms. Kinda like treating a cold.

Anyway, I'm going to shim between the scope and base--my local gunsmith sold me one for 0.70. It isn't so large as to change the inner diameter of the ring, only lift the scope out of the bottom of the pocket. Although concerned about the torque on the scope tube, Leopold backs this plan as a safe and effective treatment.
Thanks again.
kray is offline  
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 04:02 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
This site and contents, including all posts, Copyright © 1998-2021 S.W.A.T. Magazine
Copyright Complaints: Please direct DMCA Takedown Notices to the registered agent: thefiringline.com
Page generated in 0.05598 seconds with 8 queries