So you're new to hunting and you just purchased the most kick-ass rifle along with a very expensive rifle scope with that. However, you have no idea how to go about mounting that scope to the rifle, or even go about with fine tuning the scope. There are numerous ways to do it and Ryan of NSSF presents us with a great tutorial on mounting scopes. It's important to know how to properly mount and zero your optics before heading out to the field. So take a look at this how to set rifle scope video by Ryan Cleckner!
Hunting Turkey? Master The Art Of Setting Your Rifle Scope First
Setting up a hunting rifle scope may look easy and simple, but it isn't. Unlike bow hunting, hunting with rifles require a different kind of accuracy and your rifle scope can make your break how well you can aim. There are a number of things to take note of and missing out on these very simple steps may jeopardize your whole hunting experience. To learn the ways of a true rifle expert, follow these steps on how to set rifle scope by Ryan Cleckner!
The tools:
- Small wrench
- Cheek rest
- Rifle
- Scope and rings
- Screws
Instructions
Step 1: Unload the gun
The first step is a safety precaution of making sure the gun is free of ammunition. Check the chamber and make sure to remove the magazine so you won't accidentally fire the rifle.
Step 2: Secure the bottom half of the rings
Now that we know the rifle is safe to handle, it's time to screw the bottom half of the scope rings in place. A handy tip would be to make sure the rings are firmly attached to the rail. Thus, no amount of recoil will affect the position of the rings keeping your scope steady.
Step 3: Place the scope on the rings
Once you're sure the bottom part of the rings are firm and secure, place the scope on top and screw the top half of the rings. However, you'll need to lightly screw them first–just enough to hold the scope without it falling off. This is to be able to slide the scope forward and back while you're adjusting it.
Step 4: Up and down adjustments
There's not much you can do about the vertical adjustments. However, you can remedy this by simply attaching a cheek rest to the butt stock. This is to make sure that your head rests comfortably on the rifle. Exerting too much effort on positioning your head to have a good look at the scope will make your neck hurt when hunting for hours at the field. In addition, you'd look like a wobble head with those movements. I recommend the Karsten Adjustable Cheek Rest for leveling your line of sight with the rifle scope 'cause it's durable and easy to adjust.
Tip: To check if your line of vision matches perfectly with the scope, close your eyes and rest your head comfortably on the butt stock. Once you open your eyes and you can see through the scope perfectly, it's fine. Otherwise, you'll need to adjust the cheek rest.
Step 5: Front and back adjustments
Another factor that most riflemen miss out when setting up the scope is the scope shadow. This is the shadow you see around the crosshairs when looking through a scope. Once again, close your eyes, rest your head on the rifle and open your eyes. Keep your head steady and adjust the scope forward or backward until you don't see the scope shadow anymore.
Step 6: Tighten the screws
Once you're sure that the rifle scope sits perfectly in place with everything adjusted accordingly, tighten the screws with an ample amount of pressure. Tighten each individual screw with a cross pattern like what you'd do with car tires. This is to make sure that everything sits evenly throughout the rings.
Step 7: Adjust the parallax objective (optional)
Finally, we go to the final(but optional) step of setting up your rifle scope. This is optional because not all rifle scopes have adjustable objectives but if yours has one, this is completely necessary. So to adjust the parallax objective, turn the adjustment turret found on the left of your scope so that you see a crisp image of what you're sighting at. Looking at the sky or a wall before looking back to your scope helps to get the perfect first impression. This way, your eyes won't have time to adjust to the blurriness of the image and therefore, assess the clarity of the scope correctly.
Click the play button below to see National Shooting Sports Foundation | NSSF‘s video in action – or click [here]!
Now that you know how to set the rifle scope of the rifle, the next step is to zero it out. If you know how to set your rifle scope properly, the process of zeroing your rifle should be easy. That's because you've ruled out all the factors that might affect your scope or rifle's performance. If you've got some tips you want to share with us, don't hesitate to put them in the comments!
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Featured image via The Range 702
