Question about nightforce two piece bases

[Tylerb137]

Hello, I recently got a remington 700 tactical. I ordered a set of nigbtforce two piece bases. I received them today and realized i accidently ordered them for a long action. I didnt open the package but held them up to my rifle and the holes line up. After researching, on nightforces website the long and short action 2 piece mounts have different part numbers. Can anyone tell me if these mounts are physically the same? I see other brands such as leupold and burris two piece scope bases will work with long or short actions. Thanks for the help.

 

[fdshuster]

tylerb137: Call Nightforce and put the question to them, get the answer right from the maker. If not, they will most likely be happy to exchange them for a short-action set.

You did not say if they were "regular" or 20 moa bases. If they are 20 moa, or any other with a taper, then if mounting them on a short-action, you may not have a true 20 moa because of the shorter spacing between the front & rear. That may be the reason for the different part numbers.

 

[Tylerb137]

Whoops i completely forgot to mention that. I got the 20 moa bases. I will call them and find out. Thank you!

 

[Toolbreaker]

You should wind up with a little more elevation on the bases using them from a long action. If my math is right, about 21.34 MOA (if they are true 20 MOA to begin with).

 

[Tylerb137]

The person I bought them from on Ebay said I will bend my main tube if I use them. If im only adding that much more moa i really couldnt see how it would bend.

 

[fdshuster]

tylerb137: True or not, I hadn't thought of that. I use nothing but the Burris Signature Zee rings with the floating nylon inserts, so it would not be a concern for me. Back to my original suggestion: call Nightforce and get the correct answer from them.

 

[NateHaler]

The person I bought them from on Ebay said I will bend my main tube if I use them. If im only adding that much more moa i really couldnt see how it would bend.

Tyler, a Remington 700 action isn't cylindrical (unfortunately) where the rear scope mount (or rear of a one-piece scope mount) is installed. At the Remington factory, they grind (a Remington rep told me they use a belt sander!!) down the rear of the action, so it's much flatter/lower than the forward section. BTW, too bad they didn't cease this practice decades ago...

Anyway, the geometry of the tapered two-piece bases designed for a long action may result -- if installed on a short action -- in the front and rear bases being in different planes. Perhaps somebody on this forum could do the math, but I think it could be proven.

Think about the 1-piece tapered base for a long action; say it's 1/2" longer than what would fit a short action. Even though the forward holes are spaced to fit the forward holes in either action, and ditto the rearward holes, there will be 1/2" of additional space between the pairs of holes -- where it goes across the action.

If the action was cylindrical, this wouldn't pose a problem for two piece bases, because they would be in proper alignment whether they were 3" apart or 6" apart. But friggin' Remington grinds the rear of the action down, so the two piece base designed for a long action will sit out of alignment on a short action.

That's my story, and I'm sticking to it. Will it result in a bent scope tube? I think it would.

 

[Toolbreaker]

Yep, I didn't think of that, either. I'm thinking BOhio is correct about the centerlines of the rings going out of alignment as the bases are moved toward or away from each other. I'd do as fdshuster suggested. Call Nightforce.

 

[fdshuster]

Yup ! As pointed out by BOhio, something else I did not think about.

 

[Tylerb137]

I'm going to call, they aren't open until monday though. For the heck of it i put them on my rifle, and put my rings on them. I just set my scope in the rings and with the naked eye atleast, the scope sits flat in the rings. Guess i'll find out monday!