A lot of fiddling around and some cursing and now it seems pretty square. 

 

Any tips or tricks for the future? Should I invest in a scope mounting/leveling kit?

 

Here's the video I watched to get mine mounted, leveled, and properly adjusted to my eyes.

 

I have to say I learned A LOT I didn't think about - stuff that makes a BIG difference.

 

You'll probably have to dismount and remount your scope again, but I think it's really worth it in the end.

 

 

- Kevin

SeamusSU... no problem I'll post my impressions once I send a little lead downrange. 

 

Thanks for that video, Kevin! I have no problem unmounting/remounting the scope and redoing it if I want to get it on there square. 

After some use the rifle should work with all ammo.  I use low-velocity target ammo only and have no failures at all.

Short range report from Friday... I'm going back sometime this week to re-zero. (I'll explain.)

 

Rings/scope on and other KIDD goodies installed. New Kidd charging handle and spring assembly is great. Only a little longer than the stock handle, but the recoil spring/ guide rod is much MUCH smoother. And it actually makes a noticeable difference in how well the bolt cycles. Bolt buffer... quiets the action noise of the gun a little bit, but I'm not sure if it's actually doing anything beneficial otherwise. Eh... $6, no hard feelings. Auto-bolt release... worth $10. Installed in mere minutes and takes all the hassle out of releasing the open bolt. Why Ruger doesn't do this from the factory I'll never know, though I suspect it has something to due with lawyers and liability. 

 

About the scope... I like it. The quality is ok (I wouldn't torture test it like I would an ACOG... but it's doesn't feel cheap either.) Turrets could be a little tighter, the clicks seems a little "mushy" and don't have a nice sharp click to them. BUT... the click is audible and I didn't have any issues making adjustments... but I do wish it was a little "tighter". The zoom ring isn't the smoothest when trying to operate, but that may or may not free up a little over time. The glass is pretty clear, the focus and parallax adjustments are okay, but again... a little stiff. Reticle is clear and I had no problem getting a good sharp look at the houses down the street through the scope. One note: the included aluminum screw-on lens caps suck. They scrape away a little paint every time you put them on or take them off. I'm going to get something different.

 

So... I headed to range Friday afternoon. 50yd at Woodland park had a class so again, only 25yds. Got the scope zeroed at 25, but had to make a couple big swings to get it close initially. Shot 250 total rds Rem Target 22 and CCI Blazer std. velocity. No issues feeding/ejecting from either brand. Scope held zero for my entire session. As I was packing up to head home I noticed I started seeing some bare metal on the scope rings (where there halves meet). 1 ring was loose, but the screw was snug as it could get. Long story short... the BSA rings went in the trash and have been replaced with Weaver Grand Slam rings which are far far better. NOTE: Don't just go by what the box says regarding ring height... I had on BSA mediums... and ended up needing Weaver High. And even still the Weaver high rings are slightly lower than the BSA rings.

 

So now I need to get back to the range to rezero with the new rings. Height over bore has changed a bit, and I've got more confidence in these new rings to hold square/true so I'll rezero in a day or two and let you know what I find.

Bolt buffer... quiets the action noise of the gun a little bit, but I'm not sure if it's actually doing anything beneficial otherwise. Eh... $6, no hard feelings. 

 

The included aluminum screw-on lens caps suck. They scrape away a little paint every time you put them on or take them off. I'm going to get something different.

 

 Long story short... the BSA rings went in the trash and have been replaced with Weaver Grand Slam rings which are far far better.

 

NOTE: Don't just go by what the box says regarding ring height... I had on BSA mediums... and ended up needing Weaver High. And even still the Weaver high rings are slightly lower than the BSA rings.

 

 

 

The true benefit of a bolt buffer is that it keeps the bolt from smashing into the solid steel pin - which will over time deform the pin hole in the 10/22s cast aluminum receiver. It's actually quite an invaluable piece as it will extend the service life of your rifle significantly!

 

For some scope caps, I suggest Butler Creeks flip-up caps - they slip on tight, are fast into action, and won't get lost like removable style caps or bikini covers will.

 

They're a little pricey, but I like mine. Also be careful to read and re-read the sizes and fittings - I found they're rather tricky to get the correct size going by the packaging.

 

Also I see you learned the hard way about rings - I never even bothered to shoot my rifle with the included rings.

 

But I did mock them up to see how hilarously bad they are.

 

Just look at how stupidly high those things were - I don't need that much height over bore - I'm not a girraffe!

Also having the lowest height over bore is desirable - unless you're trying to add MOA to your optic setup for longer ranges than you have adjustment for.

 

 

 

What I did to find the perfect set of rings was bust out my Vernier caliper and fired up good 'ol Autocad.

 

I measured out the scope, and relevant parts of the rifle to make sure that whatever rings I got would allow the scope to clear the barrel.

 

 

 

I checked different manufacturers specifications for ring height, and a set of Millett's "low" tactical rings, which were .255" turned out to be damn near PERFECT - with just enough tolerance left for a slip-on scope cap to clear the barrel as well.

 

Though it's mostly about preference and what works best for the shooter - everyone is unique.

 

I look forward to another range report from your next outing! Get some pictures of the targets for us too!

 

-Kevin

I picked up a pre-owned Nikon Prostaff 3-9x40 Rimfire scope for my takedown, and i bought a new set of high scope rings for it and got it mounted up. Ive been watching youtube videos and reading articles about sighting in a scope but being this is my first time, but i cant get past one thing..

 

Do ranges usually have shooting rests/sand bags available to use or is that something i should buy and bring myself?

Gun for Hire range has a few available in the 50yd range but I don't know about other ranges. If you think you will shoot supported in the future you could pick up an inexpensive rest from your favorite retailer.

Yea, i may just pick up a rest or sandbags.

 

Any advantage a shooting rest has over bags? The bags seem like they would be easier to store/transport and if they both get the job done just as easily i'll pick up the bags. 

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0013RD4FC/ref=cm_cr_asin_lnk

 

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