Another: which ring height?

M

mullez

Inactive
Ring height confusion…
Help me determine which ring height I need to order.

About to order a Leupold VX-II 3-9x40 (1 inch tube) and need to order rings as well.
I already have weaver steel bases on my rifle and have decided that I want Warne maxima fixed rings.

Leupold writes that the objective diameter is 1,8 inches (45,7 mm)
Should I order low, medium or perhaps even high rings?
I will also be adding scope caps to the scope
The rifle is a sabatti Rover 870, caliber 308win

I get lost when I look at the Warne height definitions: http://www.warnescopemounts.com/scopering_chart.html

Please advice
 
I would think a medium would be fine. I once had a Leupold sitting on low rings that worked just fine without scope caps but the additional thickness of the scope cap was just enough to force me to go to medium rings.
 
It depends on how you shoot, you are gonna need a different height prone then standing.

Determine how you shoot, then pick the ring height that will allow you to keep your head straight. Bring your rifle to your head, not head to the rifle, keeping your head straight, then look through the scope to see if its too high or too low, then pick the rings to adjust the scope to your eye.
 
Mostly, it has to do with your objective lens. But some rifles have slightly different receivers than others as compared to the barrel. In general, what I have found though is the 40 mm lenses will work with a medium ring height, the 50 mm lenses typically need a high or even extra high ring, depending on how the outer tube is made. I think the low rings are for the 32 mm lenses usually. As kraig mentioned, you want to have them match your normal natural hold, but first of all you have to make sure the scope clears the barrel. That's where it gets tricky with the 50 mm scopes sometimes. In order to clear the barrel, sometimes the scope has to sit up pretty high and it's not comfortable with the stock you have. Usually the 40 mm scopes and medium rings work fairly well with most stocks to yield an acceptable feel.
 
I prefer rings as low as possible. Mediums will work, but I run lows on all my 40mm and smaller scopes. But as others have said the stock shape may be a factor. If it has a high comb, (not familiar with the rifle you are using) then lows will not position your head correctly. On my rifles the lows put my eye directly in line with the rear objective, with mediums I have to raise my head slightly to see through the scope. Makes a big difference when having to make quick snap shots.
 
A low height usually works for a 40mm objective, but sometimes it doesn't accommodate the thickness of the lens cover. I think the Sabatti is made on a Sako action, but Sako isn't listed on Warne chart. Why not call the 800 number at the bottom of the chart and ask Warne?
 
The trouble with deciding on the "proper" ring/mount height is that sometimes you will never really know how well it works out for you until after the scope is mounted. This, of course, generally means you have to buy it first and try it later; a trial and error procedure that can get pretty expensive unless a kind-hearted dealer will let you try them on for size before you pay (I'm fortunate because my lgs is kind-hearted :)) One consideration is objective (pun intended) in that the size of the objective on the scope (including, as Sodbuster noted, the lens cover) will limit how low you can mount it. The other consideration is pretty much subjective in nature and has to do with, as kraigwy opined, "how you shoot" and whether you shoot prone or standing. The trouble with this proposition is that many, if not most, people shoot from various positions at various times, depending on conditions and circumstances, and it's pretty much impractical to switch to a different scope height every time you switch shooting positions.

I agree with jmr40 in that I generally prefer my scopes mounted as low as possible. Way more often than not, a low mounted scope suits most of my shooting positions better than a higher mounted scope does but, unfortunately, no one scope height will suit every possible shooting position contingency and some degree of compromise will almost always play a role in whatever ring height is decided on.
 
I know it sounds dumb but I think the easiest way to determine height without trial and error is to use some modeling clay to stick the scope on the rifle to a height that you think is comfortable, then measure the distance as accurately as you can from the bottom of the main tube to the top of the weaver base.

Sometimes manufacturers list ring height as base to ring center in which case you add 0.5 to your measurement to take into account the distance from the base of the inch diameter tube to the center of the tube.

Just know that the lowest you can go without touching your barrel doesn't always give you the best cheek weld.
 
I too use Mediums for my 40mm objective. Sometimes I could have gotten by with lows, but I feel with lows, that I have to really hold my head awkwardly to get a good sight picture. With mediums for me, where I naturally put my head, I get a good sight picture, so that's what I've stuck with.
 
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