Scope mounting and zeroing?

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  • Jomibe

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    Apr 28, 2013
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    I have a CZ 452 with a quality scope and rings I'd like put together for a family member. Do any ranges or gunsmiths offer this service? I've never lived or had access to an area large enough to get into scopes so I'm clueless when it comes to them. I have put together the components though, just need it all put on and zeroed in.
     
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    Banbuddy

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    Jan 28, 2020
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    . I have put together the components though, just need it all put on and zeroed in.

    What kind of rings/scope did you get?

    You could probably mount them well enough yourself depending on the ring manufacturer. There's a lot of stuff that goes into optic mounting. But a good torque wrench in in/lbs torqued to ring/scope spec and a level is pretty much all you need.

    Cabelas will also mount everything up for free with a laser boresight. Should get you at least on paper. I think most sports stores or LGS's will offer this service either for free or rather cheaply as well.

    Unless you're going crazy with precision, re: ring lapping, shimming, ect you'd probably do fine either going to a box store or mounting it up yourself :gotpics:
     

    1nderbeard

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    SNR shooting offers mounting. I've mounted scopes myself before, but now I'd rather someone else do it. The sighting is difficult at his shop, but usually it's at least on paper.
    You can take out the bolt and look through the bore and get close also.
     

    42769vette

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    Oct 6, 2008
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    What kind of rings/scope did you get?

    You could probably mount them well enough yourself depending on the ring manufacturer. There's a lot of stuff that goes into optic mounting. But a good torque wrench in in/lbs torqued to ring/scope spec and a level is pretty much all you need.

    Cabelas will also mount everything up for free with a laser boresight. Should get you at least on paper. I think most sports stores or LGS's will offer this service either for free or rather cheaply as well.

    Unless you're going crazy with precision, re: ring lapping, shimming, ect you'd probably do fine either going to a box store or mounting it up yourself :gotpics:


    I will 100% promise you without a shadow of hesitation Cabelas has screwed up more scope mounting than anyone in the world. In most cases, the employee who does the mounting has the training of a 5 minute youtube video.


    OP, I strongly urge you to learn to do it your self. It not hard, and tools are not expensive, but there is definitely a WRONG way to do it.
     

    Tactically Fat

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    Don't know where you are in Hendricks Co... But Havlin's Firearm Finishing isn't too far north of Brownsburg. He does good work.

    And USDS in Greenwood also has an on-site gunsmith who can do this type of work, too.
     

    Jomibe

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    What kind of rings/scope did you get?

    :gotpics:

    Here is what I have. Leupold scope and Talley rings. Did alot of reading on the CZ 452 American and the Talley rings kept coming up as a good choice. Again, this isn't for me and will be a gift for someone so I dont want to mess it up. I was hoping there was a go to place out there that does this type of stuff well.

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    Jomibe

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    Don't know where you are in Hendricks Co... But Havlin's Firearm Finishing isn't too far north of Brownsburg. He does good work.

    And USDS in Greenwood also has an on-site gunsmith who can do this type of work, too.

    Brownsburg isn't far at all. I'll check him out. Thank you for that tip, I had never heard of him.
     

    halfmileharry

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    Dec 2, 2010
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    When you say "Zero IN" are you referring to being able to take the finished job out and hit your target?
    Boresighting will most likely get you on the paper but definitely won't be point of impact/aim unless it's a lucky happening.
     

    Banbuddy

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    Jan 28, 2020
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    I will 100% promise you without a shadow of hesitation Cabelas has screwed up more scope mounting than anyone in the world. In most cases, the employee who does the mounting has the training of a 5 minute youtube video.


    OP, I strongly urge you to learn to do it your self. It not hard, and tools are not expensive, but there is definitely a WRONG way to do it.

    It was just an option. The way I read OP's post was that he thought he had to have a gunsmith do the install.

    But I do agree with you. You get what you pay for at Cabelas. I've always mounted my own optics just because I don't like other people touching stuff.
     

    Twangbanger

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    It is a little disheartening to see new shooters be taken advantage of on things like this. You do not need someone to mount your scope for you. You can do it yourself, easily. And you will learn from it.

    Bolt it all together, leave it a little loose at first to get the reticle level and spaced fore-aft comfortably for you...then head to any range with 15 yards of usable space, with a large piece of cardboard with a sharpie marker dot in the center.

    The Key, the "Expert Tip," is CLOSE DISTANCE to start. Talking stupid close, like you can see insects on the paper with the naked eye. This saves you all kinds of trouble chasing shots around, like you would have at even 25 yards.

    At 15 yards, all you need is one shot on paper. From there, you just turn the scope dials until your shots wipe out that dot. After that, you can generate zeroes for any reasonable rimfire distance that you have space to shoot on, by repeating the same process. Write those sight settings down in a little booklet, and you will know more about your rifle than 90% of people who own rifles.

    Take that rifle to an Appleseed or Revere's Riders class, and you will know more than 95%.

    You do not need bore-sighting. It's a .22, not a .338/06 Loogootee Magnum. You do not need to lap rings. You do not need to take into account the Coriolis Effect, the Maxwell Equations, or the Interstate Commerce Clause. It is not a 1,000 yard gun, and you can mount that scope, learn a ton and have a ton of fun with nothing but allen wrenches and finger-turns of the scope knobs.

    You totally got this.

    Nice choice on the CZ, by the way :yesway:
     
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    Jan 6, 2014
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    I agree with twangbanger, do it yourself and take pride in getting it done without a smith. Use a torpedo level to get it close. Google and YouTube will definitely cover everything you need to know
     

    Hookeye

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    Dec 19, 2011
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    Your VX1 is a nice scope but at 25 yards you will probably not be able to focus on the target above 4x.

    If that is a standard model it will be parallax set for around 100- 150 yards.

    Rimfire scopes usually 50.

    Even at 50 yards you proly limited to 6x.

    However, the scope can be set to a different parallax setting. Leupold used to do it for 25 bucks plus shipping
     

    Hookeye

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    So 15 yards aint gonna cut it.
    And boresighting does work, even on .22 rf.
    Just ammo cheaper and some folks ok with burning a few extra ( compared to centerfire ).

    My CZ 455 runs a reg 2-7x vx1.
    My 1022 a reg 4x.

    A non adjusted parallax 3-9x regular will proly be shot at 3 and 4x most of the time.

    Entirely usable.
    But you wont be at 9x till trying to shoot stuff at 100 yds
     

    Hookeye

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    So why do my two .22 rf sporters wear big game scopes?

    I did buy a Leupold Freedom VX EFR and it looked ugly. Worked fine, but was ugly.

    My sporters are hunters. I shoot squirrels ( just pineys these days ).....offhand.

    So 4x is ideal for me out to 50 yards.

    Could send my vx1. 2-7x and have it set for rimfire distances. But even so.....i wouldnt be shooting offhand at 7x. So why bother?
     

    Hookeye

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    My target 1022 had an adj objective scope and for tiny groups at 50 yards I liked 12x.

    But the gun and scope were bigger and heavier than what I wanted for a hunter. So away they went
     
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