Barrel to scope clearance?

[wildchild]

Any good hard numbers as far as minimum? I can barley slide a piece of printing paper between mine. Having accuracy issues and am eliminating some probable couses. Please no reply's like ( I had .050 and mine was ok) I'm looking for such reply's as I had .010 and it coused problems and had to clearance for more. Thanks
I may be able to awnser my own Question tomarrow. ill post findings.

 

[bozo699]

Please no reply's like ( I had .050 and mine was ok) I'm looking for such reply's as I had .010 and it coused problems and had to clearance for more.

OK?

 

[jonbearman]

I had one like that on a ruger#1 and had a wandering zero due to deflection of the scope tube.What I did was raise it to the next highest scope ring available.It cured the problem.If you can just slip a paper in there you have about .007 room.If the paper is tight then it is less.I dont know what type of scope you are using,ET: 1" tube,30mm,brand , caliber of the rifle etc. That would help your discussion.

 

[wildchild]

Ok, I'm guessin I have around .005 of clearnce on a 30 mm scope and all is well, 2 groups measuring less than .250 so in my situation im fine.

 

[dreever]

I had about the same clearance on my .308 (gun of the week 97) with no ill effects as far as accuracy was concerned. However i changed the rings to add a little more height since being that low barrel heat was causing some unwanted mirage in colder temperatures. So I switched to Badgers to gain some more clearance, and also to give me some room for a mirage shield if needed.
I think about .125 on my Tactical rifle is about ideal, however right now I have about .200 which is a bit higher with no ill effects.


Danny

 

[lightman]

I usually try for about the same distance that I have between the barrel and the stock on a free floated set-up.I know of no standard for either. Lightman

 

[SS427]

From what little I know about scope flex during recoil, my instincts tell me that isn't enough. I can't say that with any conviction though. Closest I've ever mounted a scope to the barrel was about a tenth of an inch and never had any problem.

For benchrest shooting I like the scope mounted much higher so I can keep my cheek off the stock. I also like the more upright sitting position with a higher scope. I looked at some pictures and I've had benchrest setups with the scope around 3/4 inch above the barrel, maybe higher.

 

[jonbearman]

I think the best answer is .125,then if you are having the same problem , it may just be a malfunctioning scope. If with .050 the bell hits then maybe you have the rings placed so the tube has room to flex.You should also field the question to the scope manufacturer to see if they have a minimum and post it here when you find out.