mounting a scope high or low

[pressman]

I have been looking at new scopes and I want an IOR scope. I have been looking at the new 3-18 X 42 or the 4-14 X 50. The 42 i can mount lower to my barrel. how does the height effect my shooting at long ranges? I heard you really like your scope 1.5 above barrel. WHY??? really needs some opinions on this. last question do you think the 42mm with a 35mm tube let good light in during low light conditions.
thank you so much for your comments.

 

[J E Custom]

For long range I feel lower is better for several reasons,shooting
prone the head position is more natural lower/comfortable, plus the
higher the scope the more error in a canted scope when changing
elevation.

If you mount the scope high you may need to get a stock with an
adjustable cheek piece. If you are shooting a lot off sandbags then
the higher scope position is more comfortable.

The dimension of 1.5'' is just the average center of scope to center
of bore dimension not the hight above the barrel.

Shooting the offhand position higher is sometimes better and most
offhand (standing) rifles have both an adjustable cheek piece and
butt plate.

I allways recommend mounting the scope as low as possible.

This is just my recommendation but there is not a (1 best way to
mount a scope) it depends on the requirements of the type of
shooting and the shooter.

As far as light gathering unless you plan on hunting very early
or very late in the day 42mm is fine.

I hope this helps
J E CUSTOM

 

[jwp475]

I use the Nightforce 3.5X15X50 ot the 5.5X22X50 NXS scopes on my long range rifles and my scopes are about 1.9" above the bore. I do not feel that this is a problem at all and if you are worried about a proper check weld, well that can be taken care of easily .

 

[DWK]

Even if you are able to mount the scope low, you may want to consider a bubble level accessory to limit the scope cant problem noted above.