I have a Remington M700 PSS in .300wm. I mounted a Nightforce NXS 5.5-22x56. I was in sniper team for three years and I just got out of the Marines. I decided to build my own Rifle, The problem that Im having is that I have mounted this scope with Leopold locking rings and zeroed my rifle for 100yrds. But to attain this I had to use 60+ min. up which leaves me with about 20+ min. I have tried to shim the rear of the scope between the ring and the scope body and it helped but not much and I dont dare to shim it any more. Im not shure what to do at this point and Im asking for your help. Please help. Thank You Noah

-- (longrange@dmglobal.net), January 27, 2004

Answers

IT LOOKS LIKE YOUR RECEIVER MOUNTING IS NOT PARALELL WITH YOUR BORE.. MOUNT YOUR SCOPE, BRING ALL ADJUSTMENTS BACK TO CENTER OR ZERO, MOUNT RIFLE SECURELY, BORE SIGHT THE RIFLE AGAINS A TARGET AND THAN LOOK THROU THE SCOPE AND SEE WHERE THE CROSSHAIRS ARE. I USE SAKO MOUNTS WITH THE FIBER RINGS THEY AUTOMATICALLY ADJUST FOR ANY MISALIGNMENT. THE 2 PIECE BASES ARE CUSTUM MACHINED WITH THE 1 1/2 DEG. TAPER. THIS COMBINATION MAKES FOR A RIDGED MOUNT AND BESIDES IF YOUR ELEVATION IS OFF YOU CAN CORRECT IT BY MACHINING ONE BASE HIGHER OR LOWER. HOPE THIS WILL HELP YOU.

-- DIETER MILLER (DIETERMILLERS@AOL.COM), February 11, 2004.

Slope 2 pc steel Weaver style bases.(Leupolds are just fine) Use an alignment fixture to assure your screwholes are co-axial with the receiver (assuming, of course, that you know the bolt race, receiver threads, and exterior to be co-axial), and redrill the holes to tap 8-40. Re-drill the bases accordingly, checking square with the receiver axis. Clean the receiver and bases. Dry mount the bases with your new 8-40 screws.

Use QRW Leupold rings (good steel, great return-to-zero, friendly price). With a 30mm Manson reamer, true the rings to alignment.

Set the scope up temporarily and index the tube to the bases for eye relief.

Pull it all apart, clean the bases and receiver with acetone, then alcohol, re-set the bases with red Loc-tite in the screws and Marinetex between bases and receiver - no release compound on the matching surfaces.

Once that's set, remount and finally lap the rings to a dull sheen removing any reamer marks. While you're at it, moly lube all the mechanical contact points on the ring/base QR mechanism.

Coat the scope tube with release compound.

Set up your rest for the barrelled action with a square - just to be sure. Set up your plumb line or laser level and check it against the action in the rest one more time.

Clean the lower ring halves perfectly with acetone, then with alcohol. Paint them with a good stripe of Marinetex, set the scope in, plumb and square the reticle, Loc-tite the holes, and carefully replace the upper halves, checking as you go to maintain the reticle plumb and square.

When you're done, you will have a setup that will put your reticles at center 0 for windage and 20 MOA above LOS for elevation - at least that's what you get from a Mk IV or a TSS Navy Contract scope. The axis of the scope and the receiver will be the same, the scope won't be in a bind, and you will hear songbirds gently saluting your cleverness and craftsmanlike work. It will take a bit more than a hair dryer to remove the bases from the receiver (325°). And, despite the release compound, it will take a sharp rap to free the scope from the lower rings - which is why you're using QRW's in the first place. This rig won't shoot loose or shake loose in carry situations. Since you can reliably dismount and remount the scope without losing zero, you can transport the rig separately if the situation requires.

And if you do the work correctly, the scope will be damn near zero on another gun, if you please. This means a lot if you have one day scope, one NV scope, a long range gun, and a compact (suppressed?) one, and you want to confine your confusion.

Back to the point - there are a lot of ways to do this faster, easier or more complicatedly, cheaper or more expensively, but this works. Do it and enjoy good result. Change it at peril of failure - that simple.

Very truly,

Bois d'Arc

-- e strat (strategym@swbell.net), January 30, 2004.

Had the same problem with a Remington Sendero in 7mmRemMag. Mounted a Hertel&Reuss 4-16x56 scope in Leupold QRW rings and bases. Zeroed at 100 and was left with half a turn of the elevation turret...just 30 clicks and 1 click was 5mm/0.2 of an inch at 100 on that scope. Clicked down to the bottom of travel, counted the clicks, moved back up to the middle of travel and fired again. I cant remember how many inches it was below the bull......but a bit of school boy trigonometry told me the barrel was significantly out of line with the receiver (to which the scope is fastened). The answer was not to shim the rear ring.....the scope would be a banana before i got back to anything like reasonable. I got a set of proper Leupold 20MOA inclined bases.....brilliant, zero now in bottom 1/3 of the scope...bags of clicks available for long range shooting. Hope this helps. Adam . . . (out)

-- Adam (fireforcefour@yahoo.co.uk), January 29, 2004.

Hey Leather. Sorry about your difficulties. By the way nice rifle and really nice scope choice. Look I think, like the responder before me that I would try some different rings. Actually I believe I would go with a different mount set-up.I know leupold rings and mounts aren't cheap, but considering what you've already invested I don't believe that you should have to be shimming. Remember, bro, you've got to have complete confidence in your gear.I'm not a real big leupold lock ring fan. Sometimes cheaper can be better and more solid.Keep me posted and good luck.

-- James D. Pelikan (knightowl1966@yahoo.com), January 29, 2004.

This may be stupid to ask, but why are you using a 100 yard zero if you are shooting long range? I'm not trying to be a smart-alek, but is that the limitations placed on you at the local range (our farthest public range is 300 yards)?

I would try different rings and see if that helps.

-- Shane (shane_cornutt@msn.com), January 28, 2004.