In recent years I’ve been asked many times how to mount a rifle scope. I’ve always tried to explain by e-mail how to do it to get a good result. I knew for a long time that this topic is suitable for a video. But especially when it comes to tutorials, it is important that they are understandable and 100% correct in the end.
Mount the rifle scope first
I will make a post on the subject of “Choosing the right rifle scope mount” at a later date. Then I will explain the different types, heights and diameters of rifle scope mounts. Today we assume that you have already decided on the right mount.
First of all, we have to find out the right eye distance. To do this, place your head comfortably on the cheek piece and hold the scope over the rifle. Then you hold the rifle scope at a distance so that you can see the image well and there is no black border around the image. The rifle scope is set to the correct distance now. Take the lower part of the one-piece or two-piece scope mount and put it on the 11 mm prism rail or the picatinny rail and put the scope on the mount. Then you take the upper parts of the mount and screw them on lightly.
The reticle must be in a straight line
Next, we have to make sure that the reticle is perfectly straight. For this, the vertical line in the reticle should be aligned with something that is 100% vertically straight.
If you don’t have anything around you, you can tie a weight onto a string and hang it on a hook. When the string stops swinging, gravity will give you the perfect vertical line.
Now take a spirit level and place it on your air rifle to make it perfectly straight. Once it is level, turn the scope until the vertical line of the reticle (hairline cross) is exactly above the plummet.
Once you have done this, tighten the screws of the mount by hand. Make sure that the distances between the upper and lower part of the mount are the same on both sides of the scope. It would also work if you don’t do this, but it simply looks better this way. Now tighten the screws alternately, up to an approximate pressure of 5 to 8 Nm.
After mounting the rifle scope follows the sighting in
You’re already halfway there! Now we just have to make sure that we hit something with this setup.
It is recommended to fire the first shot at a target from a relatively short distance. So, if the scope is completely out of alignment, you won’t miss the target. Then you can correct it in the right direction.
You can do this by using the elevation turret and side turret on your rifle scope. Unfortunately, the adjustment differs from rifle scope to rifle scope. This means if you turn the elevator turret clockwise, some scopes will move the hitting point downwards, others upwards. You can read the manual and see if it describes how to proceed.
The other alternative is to just try it out. Just make 10 clockwise turns and see where the hitting point moves to. Once you have found out, you only have to turn it in the right direction until you hit your target.
Sighting in a spring-piston air rifle
It’s not so easy to sight in a spring-piston air rifle. You really have to watch out for tendencies. It’s incredibly hard to shoot it into the same hole all the time. If you make 10 shots and the hits are in the right top for example, then you carefully adjust a little bit further down left and make the next shots. You have no other choice than to test this over a longer period of time. Unless you are such a good shooter that you can rely on the result being sufficiently representative right from the first shot.
Congratulations! Now you can add mounting and sighting in a rifle scope to your skill set. If there are any questions left, please feel free to write a comment. Of course, I’m always open for improvement suggestions. There are also other ways to mount and sight a rifle scope. But this works for sure.
Have a nice day!
Best wishes!
Yours, Andi
Interesting links:
HERE you will find my own online shop jabololo.de. Have a look!
Get the scope from the video HERE and the mount HERE.
HERE you can order my pellets.
Do you already know my international YouTube channel? HERE you will find videos of more powerful air rifles in English.