Rifle Scopes One scope on multiple rifles? Does it work?

[BoulderE89]

I’m playing with an idea and am looking for any experiences or opinions. This new year I’m changing up my scope setup because I wanna try and get a scope I’ve always lusted after. I currently have a razor HD Gen II on my comp rifle and 223 trainer. Both with EBR-7C reticle.

I have always wanted a Zco scope but can only afford one at this time. Which means I would have to swap it between my comp and trainer rifle while I save up for a second one later. Is that practical or a hassle?

To me it seems like it would only take a couple shots to sight in and it would be good to go on the trainer and I could keep the zero for the comp gun. So doesn’t seem too bad in my head. Am I overlooking anything? Anyone have experience with this kind of a scenario? These are the only two rifles this gun would live on.

 

[beetroot]

Yes it does work.
I have a strange disease where I can't leave one scope on one rifle, always feel the need to swap them around.
I did a test earlier this year and posted it here:

Scope Switching RTZ Test

So I've been meaning to test this for a while now, been waiting for a variety of reasons but had the time and opportunity to do it yesterday, so despite the bad weather went ahead and ran my test. Basically wanted to know what the RTZ reliability of removing/installing scopes was going to be if...

www.snipershide.com

Long story short it works very well and I haven't had any issues with swapping my scopes arounds after dozens of times, RTZ has been basically perfect. Just remember the offset for each rifle and you are ready to shoot, if you are able to confirm zero then there is basically no risk at all.
I zero all my scopes to my 22lr and use that as a master zero.

Only "issues" are;
Certain scopes aren't very condusive to changing the zero stop each time, so I tend to run mine set well low (about 2mils lower than my master zero). Certain rings/mounts are easier to chop and change, I like the NF ultralite rings but everything I've tested has worked ok other than Burris XTR rings.
I think becasue the XTR rings clamp from both sides I what causes the issues, I tried two different pairs and both would RTZ ok in elevation but the windage was typically off by 2mils and would switch between left and right.
My Spuhr seems to have the best RTZ of everything I tested but it's the most annoying to change, not difficult, just not as easy as other rings.

 

[Safety_3rd]

Nah you're good. I would suggest getting a mount though and not rings. When you move from rifle to rifle you dont have to worry about your scope canting. I have a Zues and when I swap barrels I rezero. Now I do it frequently so I save the rezero numbers and when I swap I can get almost right on by using my saved adjustments.

 

[BoulderE89]

Okay so it does seem doable! Which mounts would be best for swapping back and forth? Like a MPA one piece or the ARC mbrace?

 

[waveslayer]

Okay so it does seem doable! Which mounts would be best for swapping back and forth? Like a MPA one piece or the ARC mbrace?

M brace, SPUHR...
I use one scope for an air rifle to all other rifles. I just write down the zero and I'm golden

 

[beetroot]

Any mount should work, choose one that does all the extra things you need it too.
The M Brace looks sweet, but an NF, Spuhr or EraTac would all work equally well.

 

[Feniks Technologies]

Quality rings like ARC work just as well for swapping as a mount does.

I run M-Brace now since it comes in 1.5” height. But ran m-10 rings for years. Once in the rings the optic never left them.

 

[cjs88]

You have enough for one ZCO from saving money or selling the Gen IIs? If you haven't sold them, why not sell the two Gen II for the second ZCO?

 

[Steel head]

Good rings or base and your GTG

 

[BoulderE89]

You have enough for one ZCO from saving money or selling the Gen IIs? If you haven't sold them, why not sell the two Gen II for the second ZCO?

I’m selling the two razors to afford the one zco sounds crazy saying that. I’ll need to save up over the course of the year to get the second one later

 

[Northernjets]

I’m selling the two razors to afford the one zco sounds crazy saying that. I’ll need to save up over the course of the year to get th

I sold two Vortex PST gen II, two rifles, two chassis and a plethora of accessories to buy my first ZC420. I bought another (used) one recently and now I'm looking to offload my Razor gen II too, and I absolutely loved that optic, aside from the weight. So trust me, you ain't crazy hahaha.

 

[CSTactical]

Yes many customers and even we do it at the shop LMK what ZCO you need when you're ready, we have a stack of them and more on the way

 

[Secant]

I don’t really like sharing bipods or suppressors between guns, but I’d take (1) ZCO over (2) Gen 2 Razors. Between the two ZCO options, I think the 4-20 is the one to have IMO.

 

[CSTactical]

Speaking of ZC420's... We have the M2, M3X and one M3X NLE in stock! There's still a few hours to get it overnighted

 

[EscapeVelocity]

OP, I've done this often as well and still do. It seemed like my NX8 spent lots of time shooting 22 matches and centerfire matches, and even doubled as my hunting optic. I personally like rings with a single "nut" option. It's much less of a hassle to swap often and I think will hold up better than multiple torx screws. But either will do.

Are these ZCO's really that great!? I really wish I could look through one.

 

[CSTactical]

OP, I've done this often as well and still do. It seemed like my NX8 spent lots of time shooting 22 matches and centerfire matches, and even doubled as my hunting optic. I personally like rings with a single "nut" option. It's much less of a hassle to swap often and I think will hold up better than multiple torx screws. But either will do.

Are these ZCO's really that great!? I really wish I could look through one.

You can look through one, give me a call and we can try and get it to you tomorrow

 

[EscapeVelocity]

You can look through one, give me a call and we can try and get it to you tomorrow

Oh believe me. If I had the cash to play with I would! A lot of guys talk them up. If I offload half my gear I'll get with you lol.

 

[StrayDog]

ZCOs are excellent. I have 2 and love em., but, I wouldn't swap them around, as the turrets need tiny allens and some attention to detail in resetting zero adjustments. I'm too ADHD and lazy at the same time for that re-zero process, so my ZCOs will stay put on dedicated match rifles...
That said, for swapping a good scope around on a good mount, I would suggest tool-less turrets in a solid mount like the MBRACE.
The new Razor is looking promising with tooless turrets (i hope), and there's always TT for $$$$, or the Leica PRS has some amazing tooless turrets, and I'm a real big fan of the Bushnell DMR3 turrets, which are basically capped spline easy to reset without allens.
A DMR3 or the new XRS3 in an MBACE or Spuhr would be a good dedicated easy-to-rezero matched pair for several rifles... ymmv, good luck

 

[triumph001]

I have often contemplated how it would work to have one top tier scope to share between rifles. Always thought that qd mounts were too inconsistent to work well at that. I heard the podcast @lowlight did with the owner of GDI about their new PRYMID mount, it appears they have figured out how to be consistent going on and off the same rail. Not sure how tolerences would affect switching between two different rifles with different rails.

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www.primeammo.com

 

[Lowlight]

I have often contemplated how it would work to have one top tier scope to share between rifles. Always thought that qd mounts were too inconsistent to work well at that. I heard the podcast @lowlight did with the owner of GDI about their new PRYMID mount, it appears they have figured out how to be consistent going on and off the same rail. Not sure how tolerences would affect switching between two different rifles with different rails.

GROUP PURCHASE | GDI PRYMiD™ Mount Interface Device 34mm

GROUP PURCHASE Will be delivered on or before Thursday, May 19th, 2022 $600.00 regular retail price - now $549.99 Free Shipping The sale ends at midnight December 20, 2021 Specifications: 34MM Tube Size 20MOA Cant 1.25" Optic Center Axis Height Above Rail Materials: 7075 T6 Aerospace Grade...

www.primeammo.com

This would work, because you can loosen and tighten the screws without any negative results.

Basically you can knock the rings off, loosen the screws, put it back on, hand tighten, go, knock it off, repeat

 

[JBoomhauer]

I have swapped them for a very short time. With the range almost an hour away and a bit of OCD, it got very old driving to the range to verify things after every swap.

Never did had any real big surprises with the zeros being off btw.

 

[Graywolf.260]

Almost all of my rifles are Tikkas or TRGs and the same Spuhr direct mounts can be swapped between them, absolutely repeatable.

 

[Rob01]

Okay so it does seem doable! Which mounts would be best for swapping back and forth? Like a MPA one piece or the ARC mbrace?

You don't need a mount to swap scopes around. I do it with scopes when wanting to try something on something else and rings work fine. There are no canting issues. If it's level on one rifle it will be level on another. If it isn't then that would happen with a mount too.

Yes having one scope on multiple rifles is doable but quickly becomes a pain in the ass so if you do it start saving up for a new scope fast as you will want one soon enough.

 

[BoulderE89]

You don't need a mount to swap scopes around. I do it with scopes when wanting to try something on something else and rings work fine. There are no canting issues. If it's level on one rifle it will be level on another. If it isn't then that would happen with a mount too.

Yes having one scope on multiple rifles is doable but quickly becomes a pain in the ass so if you do it start saving up for a new scope fast as you will want one soon enough.

Agreed, this is a temporary arrangement until I can afford a second zco for the trainer. But I think in the short term I can manage it

 

[beetroot]

Agreed, this is a temporary arrangement until I can afford a second zco for the trainer. But I think in the short term I can manage it

It really isn't that difficult to do, especially if you have a few rifles you use more often than others.

If you were swapping scopes multiple times per range trip then yes it'd get old quick, but it takes very little time to swap things around before you leave the house.

No more difficult than if you had a switch barrel set up, which many people do.

If the elevation zero was close enough between each rifle you could just include that offset into your data.
I tend not to bother re-zeroing my windage as I don't ever dial wind and can just lock it and forget about it.

 

[BoulderE89]

It really isn't that difficult to do, especially if you have a few rifles you use more often than others.

If you were swapping scopes multiple times per range trip then yes it'd get old quick, but it takes very little time to swap things around before you leave the house.

No more difficult than if you had a switch barrel set up, which many people do.

If the elevation zero was close enough between each rifle you could just include that offset into your data.
I tend not to bother re-zeroing my windage as I don't ever dial wind and can just lock it and forget about it.

Exactly. I’ll switch it before I even leave the house and I’m the same with windage so it’s very little trouble I think. If elevation is close enough I would just leave the zero from the comp rifle too and do like you said and just add it to the math

 

[theLBC]

i have had good results with a bobro dual lever mount that is designed for return to zero (patented).

 

[triumph001]

This would work, because you can loosen and tighten the screws without any negative results.

Basically you can knock the rings off, loosen the screws, put it back on, hand tighten, go, knock it off, repeat

Maybe a bullet point video lesson is in order using the PRYMID for this purpose. How to accomplish a swap between two vastly different rifles. If you could run a swap from a 300 Norma to a vudoo 22. That would be an extreme example but might prove educational.

 

[pucker]

I also swap scopes around, and have found it quite useful.

RTZ using a (non-QD) Spuhr and Fix it Stick 45 in/lb limiter has been excellent. Most of the time, it requires no adjustment...but a tenth at most.

And regarding resetting turrets (to 0/0), it's not entirely necessary...particularly if you have a tree reticle and hold most/all your solutions. No math needed. Dial the turrets (to zero rifle), and lock them. Just an idea, if you don't have OCD that requires seeing 0/0.

 

[E. Bryant]

Okay so it does seem doable! Which mounts would be best for swapping back and forth? Like a MPA one piece or the ARC mbrace?

If I were playing this game, I'd use a unimount with big beefy crossbolts - something like a Badger or Nightforce. It takes only a few seconds to spin loose the two mounting nuts, and if you keep a socket on a preset Seekonk T-handle torque wrench, it's just a few more seconds to tighten the mount. Not much risk of stripping a delicate fastener or dropping a tiny screw on the floor with this style of mount.

 

[Vodak]

I’ve done this, with disastrous results.
I have two AR uppers I built up around the same time. One a rebarrel of a 6.5 Grendel, one a new 223. I have a scope in a QD mount that’s been on the Grendel build. Not wanting to spend the money on a new scope at the time I figured I would just swap the one around until I decided what my end uses of the two would be. And what kind of glass they would each get.
Took both to the range one day, had my Chrono set up down range. Shot some verification groups with the 223 and swapped over to the Grendel. Dialed my scope offset DOWN instead of UP, and now I own a Magnetospeed!

 

[Aftermath]

I’ve done this, with disastrous results.
I have two AR uppers I built up around the same time. One a rebarrel of a 6.5 Grendel, one a new 223. I have a scope in a QD mount that’s been on the Grendel build. Not wanting to spend the money on a new scope at the time I figured I would just swap the one around until I decided what my end uses of the two would be. And what kind of glass they would each get.
Took both to the range one day, had my Chrono set up down range. Shot some verification groups with the 223 and swapped over to the Grendel. Dialed my scope offset DOWN instead of UP, and now I own a Magnetospeed!

At least that's what you told your wife what happened to the old chrony.

 

[Vodak]

At least that's what you told your wife what happened to the old chrony.

I wish it was just a good excuse, but sadly no. The old Chrono experienced a RUD, and deposited its circuits all over the range. Literally destroyed every single internal board with spall.

 

[RobbinsHGray]

I do this with my Leupold V6 with a bobro QD mount all the time. Always RTO is less than 1/2 MOA.

 

[ma smith]

I wish it was just a good excuse, but sadly no. The old Chrono experienced a RUD, and deposited its circuits all over the range. Literally destroyed every single internal board with spall.

Cue NASA voiceover: "Houston, we have an anomaly on the range"