Compact Scopes. How do you do it?

[VaporTrail]

I decided to try ordering a compact scope to keep the weight down on my Gamo Magnum. It came in, looked good, mounted it up.

Uhm...how do you guys use this thing? It's a 3-9x32 FO scope, and holy moly my face needs to be about 2 1/2 to 3" away from the eye piece to get a clear picture.

The butt of the Magnum doesn't allow for that unless I bring my elbow up parallel with my shoulder and let the butt shoulder up on my bicep.  I did not like how the shooting position felt, so I put the old Gamo scope back on and ordered a regular 6-24x50 AO scope.

Am I missing something here? Trying to push a square block through a round hole or something?

[Back_Roads]

 Pretty much, one can use a heavy duty cantilever mount to bring the scope back a couple inches.
 

[VaporTrail]

thanks Back_roads. Guess that's what I'll be shopping for today.

[Plekto]

My favorite setup is a pistol scope on a forward mount, but YMMV.  Most are designed around rifles with a side eject and expect you to get within about 2 inches to see through it.

[archellas]

You need an offset mount to bring the scope back closer to your eye. UTG Bugbuster scopes are notorious for that ....

[nced]

I decided to try ordering a compact scope to keep the weight down on my Gamo Magnum. It came in, looked good, mounted it up.

Uhm...how do you guys use this thing? It's a 3-9x32 FO scope, and holy moly my face needs to be about 2 1/2 to 3" away from the eye piece to get a clear picture.

The butt of the Magnum doesn't allow for that unless I bring my elbow up parallel with my shoulder and let the butt shoulder up on my bicep.  I did not like how the shooting position felt, so I put the old Gamo scope back on and ordered a regular 6-24x50 AO scope.

Am I missing something here? Trying to push a square block through a round hole or something?

On my HW95 I use a UTG Universal Adapter that clamps to my receiver dovetail.................

I'm guessing that if the adapter was reversed you could get a descent eye relief with your short scope. The adapter isn't expensive at about $16 with free shipping, it's well made, and now it's on both my Beeman R9 and HW95...........


I don't know your scope tube size, however I use cheap Weaver Quad Lock rings with my 1" tube scopes and the rings cost less than $10 at "WallyMart"........

[VaporTrail]

My favorite setup is a pistol scope on a forward mount, but YMMV.  Most are designed around rifles with a side eject and expect you to get within about 2 inches to see through it.

Thanks Plekto. I'll take a look at some of those mounts as well.

[VaporTrail]

You need an offset mount to bring the scope back closer to your eye. UTG Bugbuster scopes are notorious for that ....

That's an interesting mount, archellas...thanks! I assume that is the cantilever that Back_Roads was talking about?

[VaporTrail]

I decided to try ordering a compact scope to keep the weight down on my Gamo Magnum. It came in, looked good, mounted it up.

Uhm...how do you guys use this thing? It's a 3-9x32 FO scope, and holy moly my face needs to be about 2 1/2 to 3" away from the eye piece to get a clear picture.

The butt of the Magnum doesn't allow for that unless I bring my elbow up parallel with my shoulder and let the butt shoulder up on my bicep.  I did not like how the shooting position felt, so I put the old Gamo scope back on and ordered a regular 6-24x50 AO scope.

Am I missing something here? Trying to push a square block through a round hole or something?

On my HW95 I use a UTG Universal Adapter that clamps to my receiver dovetail.................

I'm guessing that if the adapter was reversed you could get a descent eye relief with your short scope. The adapter isn't expensive at about $16 with free shipping, it's well made, and now it's on both my Beeman R9 and HW95...........


I don't know your scope tube size, however I use cheap Weaver Quad Lock rings with my 1" tube scopes and the rings cost less than $10 at "WallyMart"........

Thanks, nced...that's another option I can use. The scope came with dovetail rings, so I'll look for a low profile mount of sorts. The scope tube is 1".

[Yogi]

See if BKL makes scope rings that would work for you.
Their rings WILL NOT move.

-Y

[nced]

See if BKL makes scope rings that would work for you.
Their rings WILL NOT move.

-Y

LOL....BKL rings DID move on my .177 Beeman R9 and .177 HW95, even when the base screws are torqued to 40 in/lbs which is 5 in/lbs above the BKL recommended max torque...........

While I had no scope tube damage using the one piece BKL mount with wider top straps using the normal 15 in/lbs top strap screw torque, with the two piece "double strappers" I had scope slippage (even with a relatively light Vortex Diamondback) using 10 in/lbs of top strap screw torque, however using 15 in/lbs with the two piece "double strappers" I got distinctive "double dents" in my scope tube, but the scope didn't slide.  ............


Years ago when I first got my one piece BKL evidently others were having scope slippage issues with the mount and on the Straight Shooters forum Kevin posted how to "initialize" a BKL mount so they wouldn't slip on the dovetails of a piston gun. The procedure was to squeeze the unmounted BKL base together to deform it so it required screws in the "spreader holes" to open the dovetail clamps just till the BKL could be slid on the receiver dovetail, then slide the mount into position, then remove the screws in the "spreader holes" reinstalling them in the "base screw holes" and torquing them to 35 in/lbs torque. One I did this the BKL did stay in place on the R9 receiver, however I had issues with my scope sliding in the mount.

Using 15 in/lbs top strap screw torque with a two piece BKL "double strappers".........


Anywhoo, after switching to the UTG Universal Adapters with Weaver Quad Lock rings I've had no scope tube slippage or damage and no scope base shifting!
The UTG Universal Adapter is one piece like the BKL one piece but it also comes with stop pins which the BKLs lack. The Weaver Quad Lock rings holds my relatively heavy 5-15x50 Hawke Panorama firmly using only 12 in/lbs of torque on the top strap screws and for some reason (perhaps the wrap around design) my scope tubes aren't damaged even if I use 15 in/lbs of top strap screw torque. Here is a pic of the BKLs that were replaced with a "Universal Adapter & Weaver rings". Notice the cracked anodizing in the middle of the one piece mount caused by "initializing" the mount so it wouldn't slip on the receiver........


The best thing of all is that  UTG Universal Adapter PLUS Weaver Quad Lock rings don't slip where the BKLs did slip and the second best thing is that the UTG Universal Adapters WITH the Weaver Quad Lock rings only costs about $25, about half the price of the BKL mount I bought.

[VillageSniper]

I put a weaver classic rimfire scope 4x on my fwb 300s mini and like it a lot.  Great depth of field and eye relief and I can shoot through the same hole at 20 yards no problem.  I adjusted the parallax down from 50 into about 30, and have no problems as I always get a good cheek weld with that particular stock.  One piece sportsmatch low mount with droop.
Vs

[Rick67]

Yes, an offset mount.

I like BKLs. They are my go to airgun mounts.

Check out this one on my CZ S200 but I did reverse it:

[VaporTrail]

Hmm...all interesting stuff! I wonder if there's some way I can trim off a section of the butt of the rifle...I would actually like a slightly shorter pull.