Scope Mounting & Zeroing

Mounted right the first time

Mounting is the easy half to get wrong. Rings lapped or aligned so they don't crush the tube, the base torqued to the receiver and the rings to the base with a torque wrench, the reticle leveled against the rifle rather than eyeballed, and eye relief set for the shooter who's going to use it. On a red dot, the plate or footprint is confirmed for the slide, the screws are the correct length so they don't bottom out, and Loctite goes on where the maker says and nowhere else.

Mount-and-level with your rings and optic is $40 on the bench; we can also order the right base, rings, or plate for the firearm, which is where the odd mounts come in — the lever-action rail, the Remington 552 dovetail adapter, the Benelli saddle mount, the RMR plate for a slide that's optics-ready in name only.

Bore-sighted, or zeroed for real

Every mount leaves the bench laser bore-sighted at ten yards, so the first shot is on paper. If you want it zeroed, we take it to the range and do it properly — your ammunition, your distance, and on a suppressed rifle both settings saved and noted if the optic can hold them. Zeroing starts at $65 and runs to $150 for a multi-rifle or multi-load session.

A rifle that was never drilled for a base is a machining job, not a problem: the receiver is set up on the mill, the holes are located true to the bore, and tapped 6-48 or 8-40 as the base requires. Heritage Rough Riders, older shotguns, surplus bolt guns, a Remington 870 that wants a saddle rail — $60–100 depending on the holes and the steel.

How a scope job runs here