Swapping scopes back and forth????

[bluedog69]

I think if you put it on paper you'd find it being slightly off. But, good news that it's hitting minute of milk jug post swap!

I think it may be close to 1/2 MOA at 200 yards by hitting a 2" bottle fairly centered.
But yes I was thrilled he hit the jug at 100 to start with. None of the....... CRAP we missed! ..... lets bring it back in to 25 yards and see where it is hitting kind of stuff.

 

[lancetkenyon]

With high quality scopes and mounting solutions, I would be unhappy if my zero was not on.

I have one scope that sits atop one of my rifles. Whenever I have to do load development for a buddy without a scope, that scope comes off and is used to build the load. Then back on my rifle. It is usually right were it should be. Only once or twice has it needed a single click.

I always take a spare scope for my primary hunting rifle with me wherever I go. Plus a spare rifle (or two...or three). I have not needed the spare scope yet. But maybe one day.

 

[Browninglover1]

If my rifles have a pic rail, I can remove the scope and install it as many times as I'd like and rarely see a POI change greater than 0.5 MOA. I've even written down the adjustments necessary for zeroing from one rifle to the other, pulled the scope off one, put it on the second rifle, dialed the adjustment and been dead on.

Pushing the rings forward to the front of the pic rail grooves and torqueing to the same spec every time seems to make it very repeatable on all my rifles,

 

[338 dude]

So I have never really swapped scopes back and forth. Usually gets mounted and stays on the gun.
We swapped Tacketts thermal off his 308 for deer season and put a glass scope on it. Yesterday he remounted the thermal and fired 3 shots. 1 milk jug at 100, a 2" bottle at 100, then a 2" bottle at 200. We fill them with hot water to get a good target to aim at. So I guess it is still dead on at 200.
We left the scope in the rings so all we had to do was slip it back onto the pic rail in the same spot.

My question.... Did we just get super lucky or is this somewhat normal if you leave the scope in the rings?

Lucky!

 

[bluedog69]

If my rifles have a pic rail, I can remove the scope and install it as many times as I'd like and rarely see a POI change greater than 0.5 MOA. I've even written down the adjustments necessary for zeroing from one rifle to the other, pulled the scope off one, put it on the second rifle, dialed the adjustment and been dead on.

Pushing the rings forward to the front of the pic rail grooves and torqueing to the same spec every time seems to make it very repeatable on all my rifles,

This is what I have been wanting to know!
Pic rail…….swap rifles/scope. One or two shots to zero it. Use best scopes for load development.

 

[YZ-80]

I was wondering if the pic rail was very "true"

I always wonder too. For my last mount, the pic rail was off, ever so slightly. Then, you pull the bolt and look for some kind of a "flat" surface machined into the action where you can check it against but how do you know that is true? Bubble levels are only good with a flat reference somewhere on the rifle. To correct this, I bought bubble levels with the bubble glued in the center. No problems since!

 

[bill123]

I remove and replace scopes about a dozen time a year. I have never had to rezero. I use high quality scopes, Badger rings, torque the bases to 65 inlbs and I always leave the rings on the scopes.

 

[Browninglover1]

This is what I have been wanting to know!
Pic rail…….swap rifles/scope. One or two shots to zero it. Use best scopes for load development.

Yes it works very well. Like I said, you can even record the zero shift and make turret adjustments before you even fire the first shot. Just don't accidentally turn them the wrong way

 

[xsn10s]

I gotta slow down and read the original posts more carefully lol. Okay on my pic rail rifles taking the scope on and off usually is either right on or off just a click. Not a big deal but something to consider on a true long range rifle. I was under the impression that the OP was swapping scopes to one rifle to a different rifle. Sorry for my misleading post.

 

[bluedog69]

I gotta slow down and read the original posts more carefully lol. Okay on my pic rail rifles taking the scope on and off usually is either right on or off just a click. Not a big deal but something to consider on a true long range rifle. I was under the impression that the OP was swapping scopes to one rifle to a different rifle. Sorry for my misleading post.

I still think we got a little lucky. LOL
Yes it is easy to read too fast. I took no offense to your first post at all. I always enjoy gleaning info from your posts on this site.
I fully understand and agree with your long range rifle and usually gonna be a few clicks or one click off. In hindsight I never used to have a rail on anything. But with two boys and wanting to maybe mount night vision and thermal on different rigs I bought pics for almost everything we have.
So far I think it makes a huge difference in remounting and ammo saved to sight in.
1/60th of a degree isn't very big but it doesn't take much to be off in base to rail contact and have a few thousandths differences when remounting.
So I guess I am just agreeing with you. LOL