scope touches rear sight

wolfpack

April 15, 2012 15:42

Pre 64 model 70 with weaver bases and weaver skeleton high rings. 40mm Leupold scope. Older model 70 that has had the rear bridge drilled for a weaver base, so changing bases may not be an option. Mounted scope in rings and tightened and there is minimal contact between scope and factory rear sight with elevator all the way down, but there is contact. Do not wish to remove rear sight, would like it to stay on rifle and really do not want to go higher on rings but may have to. Shot rifle and it grouped well with the scope touching the factory rear sight. Came home and removed scope, absolutely no mounting marks on scope finish at all. My question, are there down sides to letting the scope touch the rear sight with minimal contact?

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  charliemeyer007

  April 15, 2012 16:03

  Contact is usually not good. If its shoot well, it shoots well end of story. My 2 cents.

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  TWalker

  April 15, 2012 16:23

  I have had some success putting a very thin shim between the scope and the front lower ring half. Sometimes I shim both rings. Just a slight amount, barely enough to clear the barrel or sight. I have used paper, matchbook cover strips, even aluminum foil on aluminum scope tubes.

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  MIKE WISKEY

  April 15, 2012 17:57

  "I have had some success putting a very thin shim between the scope and the front lower ring half.".............a good suply of shim material is the plastic fake credit cards you get in the mail, just cut to fit.

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  Ambrose

  April 15, 2012 18:32

  Rather than shimming between scope and ring, I would suggest a shim under both bases. You would accomplish the same thing and not risk distorting the scope. Besides it's usually easier to remove the four base screws, shim and replace the screws than dismount the scope from the Weaver rings and get it back square again.

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  Tflogger

  April 15, 2012 19:13

  Remove the rear sight?

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  tsr1965

  April 16, 2012 01:35

  wolfpack,
  
  Is your Weaver base a one piece, or two piece? A good machine shop, can use an endmill to cut another slot, so you can move the ring, and hence, the scope back too. That would be my approach if I did not wish to change the ring height.
  
  Best

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  nononsense

  April 16, 2012 02:19

  wolfpack,
  
  This is a simple method since you won't remove the sight:
  
  http://swfa.com/Leupold-Base-Shim-P2747.aspx
  
  OR
  
  http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=914/Product/SCOPE-SHIM-KIT
  
  Best.

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  wolfpack

  April 16, 2012 16:47

  Thanks for all the good answers. I believe that I will order the shims from Brownells and try that. I believe those will give me the needed clearance.

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  ern98

  April 17, 2012 11:23

  Weaver rings and bases are available in an abundance of styles and heights. Most sets of rings are slightly different in height. The Brownells catalog lists most of those heights and their customer sevice folks are very helpful. Personally I'd be changing rings or bases or even the scope before messing about with shims. If you have a set of calipers measure the distance between the top of the base and the bottom of the main scope tube. Depending on the cartridge and the recoil the quality of the rings may need to be taken into account as some of the cheaper Weaver style offerings have a bad rep for slippage.

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  Joes Custom Guns

  April 17, 2012 18:24

  Using a chart, find your Weaver Base # and cross it over to a LEUPOLD Base and rings.
  Makes for a better job.
  Or if you rifle was Factory drilled and Tapped then use the LEUPOLD chart to find find the correct Base

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