Scope height?

[Rogue541]

Just purchased a new rifle (Christensen Mesa 28 Nosler) I have a Nikon 5-20x50 Prostaff 6 that I’ll be putting on it. I just received my 20 MOA rail and purchased the best rings I could find in town, Vortex Viper Pro Medium rings. ($80) With these medium rings I am sitting a little bit higher than I’m used to when mounted. Pics attached. I could probably go with low and bump the gap down a little bit but I see rifles often that have a little bit of a higher scope. I plan on attempting to get out near 1000 yards with this rifle. Should I just roll with these rings or should I get the low set instead? (Hunting, long range shooting) any info would be appreciated. Thanks

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[V65Magna]

Depends on your cheek weld. In general, the lower the reticle to the axis of the bore, the better. I'd check your cheek weld with the lower set and if it's good and you don't have any bolt clearance issues (unlikely) go with the low rings. You've got a fatter bell on that scope but you should still have clearance with the lower rings, as that 20 MOA rail cheats you up a bit. I have 2 sets of those Vortex rings and I love them. Good solid mount for the money.

 

[Rogue541]

Ok great thanks for the info. The cheek weld feels pretty good with the medium but I’m sure the low will work better. I’ll order the low rings and do it right.


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[ramont]

Is there a specific reason you chose to use a 20 MOA rail?

The drop for that cartridge is about 23 MOA (for a 162gr bullet) at 1000 yards and the scope has 70 MOA of elevation, even with a 200 yard zero you should have enough elevation left for 1000 yards without using a 20 MOA rail.

You should be able to use a small set of rings and still have clearance. This is a link to a ring height calculator and it shows that you should have about 9mm of clearance between the objective bell and the barrel.

 

[V65Magna]

Is there a specific reason you chose to use a 20 MOA rail?

The drop for that cartridge is about 23 MOA (for a 162gr bullet) at 1000 yards and the scope has 70 MOA of elevation, even with a 200 yard zero you should have enough elevation left for 1000 yards without using a 20 MOA rail.



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Fair point, although it seems like it's the industry standard to put on a 20 MOA rail these days. Personally, I think it's a bit overkill myself. When I ordered my 6.5 X 47L, I specified a 10 MOA rail but it came in with a 20. I decided I'd give it a try anyway, and it ended up being fine.
I think the only downside is that you might not have enough vertical adjustment to "get it on paper" at closer ranges (e.g., 50 to 100 yds.). That said, with all the internal adjustment he has already, I doubt he'll have a problem.

 

[Rogue541]

Is there a specific reason you chose to use a 20 MOA rail?

The drop for that cartridge is about 23 MOA (for a 162gr bullet) at 1000 yards and the scope has 70 MOA of elevation, even with a 200 yard zero you should have enough elevation left for 1000 yards without using a 20 MOA rail.

You should be able to use a small set of rings and still have clearance. This is a link to a ring height calculator and it shows that you should have about 9mm of clearance between the objective bell and the barrel.

View attachment 66328

I’m definitely new to long range shooting and spending over $500 on a rifle lol. I’ve always just had the good old 30-06 for hunting Blacktail in the thick PNW range. I’ve started to accrue points and other Western states so I figure sooner or later I may need a real longer range elk rifle. When I bought the gun the firearms manager recommended a 20 moa rail, I did the research and it made sense but I never checked the ballistics in bullet drop you to my lack of understanding. Knowing what I know now it may have been better to use a standard rail or a 10 moa. I’m going to get the low rings and Mount and bore sight at 100 yards tonight to see if I can get on paper. I’m using the wheeler ultra scope mounting kit. Let’s see how it goes!


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[ramont]

I always start to zero my rifles at 25 yards, it helps reduce the cartridge count. If you hit within an inch of the point of aim at 25 yards you'll definitely be on paper at 100 yards. If you start at 100 yards you can easily be off paper and most often you won't know where or by how much so you'll waste rounds just guessing at how to adjust your scope to get on paper.

 

[Rogue541]

Ok so I switched rings out to Warne Low’s. It is a tad bit lower but I think I could have gotten away with extra low! Bolt still has decent clearance. I think I’m going to stick with these unless someone thinks extra low rings are the ticket for long range. Here’s some pics of the new rings.

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[Rogue541]

Also just a note. I ran the plumb line (hanging string with weight) alignment method for this scope and it showed that the level set on top of the turret was way off! Interesting stuff.


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[V65Magna]

Looks fine! Aprons in the background look nice too. Getting a reticle plumb can sometimes be deceiving and drive you nuts! I've learned over the years that those turret caps are not always true level, BTW.

 

[Mtslackcountry]

Pull the gun up like your shooting off hand with your eyes closed and get comfortable then open eyes.... Do you have to move your head to get good sight picture? Next try doing this in the prone position... If you have to move out of your natural check weld to have a good sight picture then you need to adjust your rings, or add something to the stock like a pack, foam, adjustable cheek piece to get it to be natural and repeatable.

You should not have to struggle to get a good sight picture. Everyone's facial structure is different. If I mount a scope too low it just flat out wont work for me.

 

[calico pig]

Just purchased a new rifle (Christensen Mesa 28 Nosler) I have a Nikon 5-20x50 Prostaff 6 that I’ll be putting on it. I just received my 20 MOA rail and purchased the best rings I could find in town, Vortex Viper Pro Medium rings. ($80) With these medium rings I am sitting a little bit higher than I’m used to when mounted. Pics attached. I could probably go with low and bump the gap down a little bit but I see rifles often that have a little bit of a higher scope. I plan on attempting to get out near 1000 yards with this rifle. Should I just roll with these rings or should I get the low set instead? (Hunting, long range shooting) any info would be appreciated. Thanks

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Whether the height is good is relative to whether you get good cheek weld at that height. I doubt another 1/8 of an inch is going to make much difference. close your eyes, draw the rifle, open your eyes and see if you are aligned with the scope. If you have to lift your head the scope is to high. I suspect it's a bit high based on the stock having a low comb. Probably would need something to raise the comb height like a triad tactical pack.
Personally I'd ditch the rail and run the Hawkins hybrids that come with 25moa. That way your nice open ejection port isn't covered by a rail. Run the scope on 1 inch lows and call it a day.

 

[Rogue541]

Whether the height is good is relative to whether you get good cheek weld at that height. I doubt another 1/8 of an inch is going to make much difference. close your eyes, draw the rifle, open your eyes and see if you are aligned with the scope. If you have to lift your head the scope is to high. I suspect it's a bit high based on the stock having a low comb. Probably would need something to raise the comb height like a triad tactical pack.
Personally I'd ditch the rail and run the Hawkins hybrids that come with 25moa. That way your nice open ejection port isn't covered by a rail. Run the scope on 1 inch lows and call it a day.

Thanks man, I though Talley had the only 1 piece rings and couldn’t find any with MOA. Wish I saw these before! Thanks for the tip, I’ll honestly probably order the Hawkins low and be done with it.


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[calico pig]

Thanks man, I though Talley had the only 1 piece rings and couldn’t find any with MOA. Wish I saw these before! Thanks for the tip, I’ll honestly probably order the Hawkins low and be done with it.


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Yup. That's what I'm putting on my new rifle too. Lot's of customs use this set up and it's rock solid. Bonus is it comes with a built in level. It's nice on a hunting rig to ditch the rail and keep that ejection port open for fingers (loading and unloading). Look at the triad tactical pack. They are slick. If the scope is still to high you can raise the comb with one of the Triad's and be good to go.