Rifle Scopes Ques about barrel/obj clearance. Is 0.072" GTG?

[mattmcg]

So I'm mounting up a new S&B 5-25x56 scope on top of a surgeon action and Kreiger #14 heavy palma barrel. I have both Seekins low and high 34mm rings for this setup. I typically mount my scopes as low as possible but am wondering if I'm pushing it this time around.

Is 0.072" of barrel to objective bell clearance acceptable?

This is with the Seekins lows at 0.92" high. The Seekins highs are 0.97" and will allow for 0.122" clearance which is typically a recommended height.

Would love your opinions and expert advice on this. Thanks in advance.

 

[mattmcg]

Re: Need expert opinion. 0.072" barrel/obj clearance?

BTW this is a 260 AI rifle for those interested in the recoil energy.

 

[Rob01]

Re: Need expert opinion. 0.072" barrel/obj clearance?

I'd use the highs as I have with that exact scope on a Badger base with a #7 barrel.

 

[mattmcg]

Re: Need expert opinion. 0.072" barrel/obj clearance?

Thanks Rob01, appreciate it.

I'm curious, do you have a 45 MOA base on your rifle or are you just limiting your elevation travel on this scope to ~14mils?

 

[Rob01]

Re: Need expert opinion. 0.072" barrel/obj clearance?

I used a 20 MOA base and it gave me more elevation than I needed for anything I would put it on. Maybe if it was going on a 338 or larger I would have used a 45 MOA base.

 

[mattmcg]

Re: Need expert opinion. 0.072" barrel/obj clearance?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Rob01</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I'd use the highs as I have with that exact scope on a Badger base with a #7 barrel. </div></div>

Rob, do you believe my barrel will hit my objective with .072" of clearance or do you just prefer the extra .05" with the high rings? I'm trying to figure out if will actually be a problem as I don't have much experience with recoil harmonics to know if that amount of movement at the extremes is possible. Staying with the low rings would be my preference if I can get away with it given that all my other rifles are in low rings (S&B 4-16x's) and have adjustible combs. By staying in the lows across the board, I can simply swap scopes without adjusting the comb (which would be nice).

 

[Rob01]

Re: Need expert opinion. 0.072" barrel/obj clearance?

If you need to adjust combs for a difference in .05" then you have a pretty special calibrated face LOL Just playing with you. I wouldn't want that objective that close to the barrel. I'd get the .97" highs.

 

[montyb]

Re: Need expert opinion. 0.072" barrel/obj clearance?

i used to be ok with being able to slide a dollar bill betwixt scope and barrel until i saw the vid of that .50 under recoil somebody linked here a while back.

 

[mattmcg]

Re: Need expert opinion. 0.072" barrel/obj clearance?

Yeah but this is a one-piece surgeon action and not a 50 Cal! I think that vid showed the importance of a properly installed and engineered top rail and how, with tremendous recoil force, poor planning would lead to a terrible result.

I, of course, try to to be in the properly planned camp!!!!