REALLY OVERTHINKING 0 moa / 20 moa rails

[Dirtrax]

What, pray tell, IS the advantage of 'optical centering'? And *** does 'optimal performance' mean? If your scope does not 'perform optimally' while dialling, why even bother having one? Everything below your zero is totally useless, while having more above, lets you play farther.

Others have done a good job of explaining it (thank you koda). Scopes align multiple lenses especially in the case of adjustable parallax. The better they align the better the quality of the image. It's not rocket science.
EDITED to especially.

 

[ARlife4me]

ring height can do 2 things, give clearance for the objective and best focal points. you can have 1 and not the other w/o a cheek riser. keeping as close to the barrel is best. look at your optic specs (lets say 30 moa elevation) it'll give you 300" (25') @ 1k yards. does your cartridge have enough to be within that range w/o adding 20 moa rail (500"+ 41' 9") of drop. on 1 rifle it came with a 20moa rail, then the mount was a 20 moa. 1st thought it would be 40 moa...............nope, it's 400 moa. you multiply it instead of adding. now my 400 moa combined rail/mount + the 120 moa optic has way more elevation than it'll shoot (savage 110 24" 338lm). 5,200" @ 1k is like mortaring it there

 

[wilehunting]

Wrong-O, bucko.....

0 moa rail is as parallel to the bore, as the DD or ruger rings you jabber about.

More jabbering;

While a 0 Moa rail is the same thickness front to rear it is not parallel to the bore. It is simply mechanically & physically impossible. If your scope is 1.5 inches above the bore and the base is parallel to the bore the bullet would never come into the line of sight. Gravity starts pulling the bullet down at 32 ft/sec squared the instant it leaves the barrel.

 

[marc357]

Fellas, I think he's just being deliberately obtuse now.

 

[Huntaddict]

I have rifles with both. Most modern scopes have significantly more adjustment than needed for most shooters, 25-35 mils (2000+ yards for most modern magnums) depending on the scope - plenty no matter which rail you choose. Pick one and go.

 

[wilehunting]

Fellas, I think he's just being deliberately obtuse now.

No, not really.
I was merely responding to huntsman22. He hurt my feelings with the jabbering comment and I was responding to his post. I am learning information from some of the responses.

 

[bluedog69]

At home I have a Federal Ammunition guide. It has maximum point blank range for their ammo.
A scope WILL increase your 3" high to 3" low maximum point blank range trajectory over using iron sights.
Taller rings will do the same.

Think of a quarter back. Short pass is a lazaer. Long pass needs to be angled up higher.

20 MOA rail. If your scope has 60 MOA adjustment and it is mounted parallel to the bore you have 30 MOA up and 30 MOA down. Put a 20 MOA rail on and you now have 50 up and 10 down. In a theoretically perfect world.