Scope Mouning Height

[the blur]

I'm building a Browning Short Track hunting rifle. I have a DNZ mount. It's their high mount..... I have the scope set, and it's nice. But I certainly could have mounted it lower.

I called DNZ to buy a lower mount, and the guy told me it's not important to get the scope low. It's important that it's the correct height for my cheek & eye level.

OK, I always thought it was better to mount the scope as low as possible for accuracy over varying distances. But now I'm listening to other schools of thought.

What's your opinion ??

 

[Snyper]

I called DNZ to buy a lower mount, and the guy told me it's not important to get the scope low. It's important that it's the correct height for my cheek & eye level

Fit matters more than a fraction of an inch higher or lower.

Generally it's best to keep it as low as possible, but not if it means making adjustments in how you shoulder the rifle and get a good cheek weld.

 

[the blur]

Will anyone notice a 1/4" difference in cheek weld height ?
I'm not sure I could.

 

[Scorch]

Ideally, when the rifle is shouldered naturally, the scope should line up with your eye without needing to crane or stretch our neck. Years ago, since rifles were stocked with more drop at the heel for using iron sights, you wanted a scope as low as possible so it lined up with our eye in about the same place as iron sights would have been. With straighter stocks and larger objective lenses, it is often difficult to get the scope mounted at exactly the right height, and people end up stretching to use the scope (sometimes ridiculed as "chin weld").

So, long answer aside, yes, you want the scope mounted as low as possible, but you also want the scope to be usable.

 

[NoSecondBest]

DNZ gave you the correct answer. Your head should be sitting comfortably on the stock. If you have to adjust your head to see through the scope, it's not on there correctly.

 

[ballisti]

Here is the test:

This will tell you if the scope is too far forward or back, too high or too low.

Hold the rifle out in front of you like you were carrying it on a hunt, close your eyes and then bring it to your shoulder in a comfortable, secure and natural shooting position, with your cheek just where it is natural for you to have it on the stock.

Consciously and deliberately holding this position, open up your scope eye - being extra careful not to change your position, or move you head a single bit.

The view that you then get will tell you if the scope is too far forward or back, or too high.

This is harder than it sounds, the natural tendency is to adjust your view as soon as you open your eye. The better you do at resisting that natural tendency, the better information you will get about your scope.

If you are looking at the bottom of the ocular instead of directly into the center, then it is too high.

It is best to try this test several times. It takes a lot of concentration to avoid adjusting your view, when you first open your eye. Also, start at port arms every time for best results.

Rifle scopes are very rarely too low. They are almost always either OK as they are, or too high.

Strictly from an accuracy standpoint, the lower the scope is and the closer it is to the bore, the better. Having them farther apart with a high mount introduces a number of accuracy issues at all ranges.

If you have to crawl the stock excessively, rare back or crane your neck to get a good sight picture, then you are going to have trouble shooting that rifle well, especially when you are in a hurry.

 

[jmr40]

Both answers are correct. The scope should be as low as possible and still line up with the eye. Generally, for most people, with most rifles and scopes low mounts work best. But it does depend on the rifle, scope and individual shooter. If the scope has a higher comb and/or the shooter has a long neck or arms then mediums may be a better option. Generally tall or high mounts should only be used with large 50mm+ objectives where they are needed to clear the barrel.

The mount brands matter too. Talley's tend to be lower than normal so a medium might be closer to another brands low mount.

Will anyone notice a 1/4" difference in cheek weld height ?
I'm not sure I could.

Shooting off a bench at the range,no. But in a hunting situation where you need to mount the rifle quickly and have the scope naturally line up with the eye 1/4" is huge.

 

[zukiphile]

Will anyone notice a 1/4" difference in cheek weld height ?
I'm not sure I could.

If you have a good cheek weld, a quarter inch can be the difference between perfection and not seeing any light through the scope.

Height will increase the effect of any cant, and will change which part of the trajectory requires little or no hold-over.

If those aren't issues in your shooting, there isn't any reason to reduce the mounting height. I would opt for a comfortable position over one that could reduce variables that aren't showing up as a problem.

 

[dgludwig]

QUOTE: "...I always thought it was better to mount the scope as low as possible for accuracy over varying distances..."

As others have said, how high or low a scope is mounted is more of a fit issue than one of accuracy. I like mine mounted as low as practical-and practicality often involves whether the bolt handle has sufficient clearance and/or the amount of drop at the comb of the stock. Wanting the scope mounted as low as practical is one reason why I despise "See-Thru" rings.

 

[T. O'Heir]

Ring height depends on the front ocular diameter. Has to be high enough to clear the barrel, but not so high you can't naturally see the full circle of the scope when you shoulder the rifle.
One way of testing the fit is to close your eyes, shoulder the rifle and open your eyes. You should be able to have the scope(or iron sights) in the right place to see the full circle.
"...Will anyone notice a 1/4" difference..." Yep. That 1/4" will change having the scope in the right place. Feels odd on a bench too.
Whole thing has nothing to do with accuracy though.

 

[Pahoo]

Both are valid but "fit" takes priority.

I called DNZ to buy a lower mount, and the guy told me it's not important to get the scope low. It's important that it's the correct height for my cheek & eye level.

As jmr40 has replied, both answers are correct with the popper fit taking priority. I guess another way to state it is; Mount the scope as close to the barrel and still maintain a good cheek-weld and eye level. .........

Be Safe !!!

 

[dgludwig]

QUOTE: "...Whole thing has nothing to do with accuracy though."

Very true. Where (how high or how low) the scope is mounted might be conducive in aiding the shooter being able to shoot more accurately but the intrinsic accuracy of a given rifle has nothing to do with the shooter or the sights.

 

[jumpingeezer]

The post by ballisti is right on the mark. It may be impossible to achieve that absolutely perfect scope position where everything aligns perfectly when you shoulder your rifle, but you should try to come as close as possible.

Most bases and rings are relatively inexpensive and I would suggest trying out a few combinations to achieve the best result for your application.

I find that extension rings are a necessity when using many of the new compact scopes. They may place your scope just a bit higher than optimum, but they are much better than having to crawl up the stock to get a full field of view.