It’s one of those things that we just do and take it for granted that other people will also be able to.  A bit like doing a bunnyhop on a bike.  

    Newbies to the sport might not know and because of the nature of the parts involved there’s a few ways of doing it. Do the mounts go on the scope first or the gun?  The answer is it’s up to you and how you feel is the best way to do it. I hate looking stupid and rather than ask I’ll muddle through and probably mess it up a couple of time on the way. All because I was a bit shy to ask.  So if you’re like me and a little bit shy. This one’s for you.

    I’ll explain how I do it, and why I do it that way. Fundamentally it’s the same any way you do it, it’s just that some do it in a different order

So I’ll start with the components involved and what you will need to do it.

    First will be the gun you want to fit a scope on, the scope itself and mounts that will fit the scope to the rail on the gun. Rails are all  mostly the same size these days but it’s good to check. 

scopes, mounts & allen keys

Close up of mounts

the gun rail and bolt action

The mounts need to fit the scope.  Scopes tend to come in two sizes these days, 30mm and 25mm as we have gone metric in the UK. That relates to the size of the tube on the scope. (The thinnest bit)

The tubes with the turret parts sticking out in the middle and mount fitting position

    Mounts also come in a wide range of heights, helpfully named low, medium and high. Again its personal preference what you choose, however with some scopes and rifles you will have to choose higher mounts to get clearance.

     Finally mounts come as two piece or one piece. I would say that both do the job just as well as the other, but I have found that one piece mounts can get in the way or pellet loading ports. So I usually choose 2 piece.

     There are various makes out there, the only requirement is that they fit your gun and scope, then it’s down to personal choice.

     The tools you will need, will depend on the mounts you have chosen.  I have found most use allen keys to loosen and tighten the bolts, some use screwdrivers. Some will supply allen keys, some will not, some will have two different sizes, some one. . .again it varies.

    For the purpose of this demo, I’m fitting an MTC Viper to a Daystate X2. It’s a 30mm tubed scope, it came with mounts and allen keys, but I do need a screwdriver later on.

    SO first up, I always put the mounts onto the scope.

    The reason behind this is that I use lamps, lasers and NV add-ons on my scopes. So I want to leave enough space on the tube to be able to fit these on. They usually fit better  in front of all the turrets, as when the turrets are high (as they are on this scope) you can find that you can end up with a lamp at a bit of a jaunty angle.  Putting an NV add-on onto my scope means that I want to mount the scope as far forward as possible on the rifle to allow for the extra length of the add-on. This will also affect where the rear scope mount sits. That’s why I put the mounts on the scope first.

    Once I have the mount where I want it on the scope, I put a screw in each side and do them up tight enough to stop it sliding on the scope.  I do it like this as it’s easier to adjust it later if I need to.

   When both are done I offer it up to the rifle to make sure it’s clear of any pellet ports etc before fitting it on the gun.

        You will also notice that on the mounts there are screws which tighten up a plate which holds the mounts to the rail. I’ve found it handy to choose a side to put these, away from bits I need. EG on my S10 the bolt action is on the righthand side and I found on one set of mounts, I used to catch my fingers on them when cycled the bolt. Quickly turning them round solved this. So bear this in mind when you mount them on the scope

        Now we can fit it to the gun. You can do this two ways, either slide it one from one end of the rail, or put it in one side at a time. I prefer doing it one side at a time as I always feel like I’m scratching up the finish on the rails when I slide them on. If you put a bit of lube on the rails and undo the bolts enough it will be fine. But I just prefer doing it a side at a time. It also means you don’t have to waggle it about to get them to go over  pellet ports etc.  Still either way follows the same principles.

    Undo the bolts at the bottom of the mount and as far out as they will go without coming apart. Then place the solid part of the mount, not the plate on the side that you have just loosened off, into the correct groove on the rifle so that scope if facing the right way on the rifle.  Get it into a position where it is clear of everything and it’s all in the right places. Tighten up the screws so they hold on the rails and keep it all in place.

     Hold the rifle and scope up, as though you are taking aim. Your head should be in its normal aim position in relation to the gun and feel comfortable. The scope should be positioned so that when you aim the rifle it falls naturally into you sighting line, and you don’t have to move your head backwards or forwards to get the full eye relief. You should see a whole picture and not look like you’re looking down a tube.  If it does, move your head backwards or forwards until you see a full picture. Then adjust the scope backwards or forwards to compensate and try again. (if you have to move your head backwards the scope needs to go forward and if you move your head forwards the scope needs to come back) You can either move the scope on the gun rails or in the mounts whichever you prefer.

    When everything feels right, is comfortable  and you can see the right picture through the scope. Tighten it all up putting the extra screws in. I do the screws that hold the mount on the gun rails first, then move on up to the ones that grip the scope. I do it like this because you want the scope mounts to grip equally all round and not up tight on one side with a gap on the other. So you’ll be loosening off bolts and tightening others up.  If it’s all screwed onto the gun rail tight, the mounts won’t move. If you do one set of scope bolts at a time the other mount will hold the scope in place. Simple

   And that’s it you have now fitted a scope. The next job will be to go and zero it in to the gun and that’s where the fun starts.