Thoughts On Setting Up A Deer Rifle

[@donaldblankenship510]

I really like your comments and enjoyed watching you set up this rifle

[@jeanmorin3247]

Tom, I love the way you think aloud. It is more like mentoring than teaching. Learned a great deal. Thank you.

[@TomRiverSimpleLiving]

I appreciate that! My goal when I first started was to present everything as though we were all learning or doing something together because I'm always trying to learn more, trying new things, and just trying to improve myself. And I didn't want to come off as preaching or a "know it all" because I certainly don't know it all. And that's what I did with the very first videos on bedding a stock. I hadn't ever done that before (the bedding or making videos) and I wanted to share that experience. The problem with that approach is the videos ended up being way to long and boring, and that's because I couldn't really plan anything out like that. Now I'm trying to think through the videos a lot more so that they're more focused and to the point, and I don't just start rambling and repeating myself (which I do when I'm trying to think through something). The down side of this approach is it feels to me more like a presentation and I don't want to do presentations. So I really appreciate your comments because I'm trying hard not to come off as teaching. And hopefully as I improve as a film maker it can go back in the direction of us all experiencing whatever together?

[@leonharris1329]

I eyeball also .I take the bolt out and make crossbar line up with center of bore. Works great

[@patrioticguy1791]

I run 150 gr Nosler Ballistic Tip Hunting bullets in that exact rifle 270 win. at 2805fps. Shoots about 3/4"-1" groups at 100yds which isn't bad for a pencil barreled rifle. I love that rifle. Have taken lots of deer in Missouri with it.

[@TomRiverSimpleLiving]

So far I've only tried one load in this one and that's 140gr Accubonds and it's shooting them right around 1 inch or just a hair over. I keep saying I'm going to try some other loads just to see how small of a group it can produce just out of curiosity but truthfully for hunting there's no need to. And I certainly agree it is a great rifle.

[@outlawmetaldetecting]

I set up my scope wearing my hunting jacket. It helpes, in great scope setup. Great video!

[@TomRiverSimpleLiving]

Wearing your hunting jacket when setting the scope is a great idea! I'll have to remember that one, and I'm going to pin your comment to the top so hopefully others will read it.

[@ronws2007]

07:53 preach, brother preach. I have tried levels for scope mount and it never looked aligned. I do it by eye so that the y axis in the reticle is aligned with the vertical center of the barrel. I have not had a problem, yet. More important than a bubble level is whether the scope is vertically aligned with the action. As for torque, I did not bother with one before. I would use the short end of an allen other bent tool and tighten with my offend. Which turned out to be more than some standard settings. For example, my Vortex scopes come with the spec that the rings holding the scope should be tighten to no more than 18 foot-pounds. Which is not a lot. So what is also important is, with a regular rifle and ring mounts, the front mount needs to be right behind the objective bell. This prevent scope slippage because the recoil impulse to the rear. So, I set the front ring mount as for forward as I can, and fit the rear mount where it will fit. Nowadays, I use a torque wrench precisely because of what you said, to avoid overtightening. On an AR-10 (moreso than on an AR-15) you have the return impulse of the buffer to consider and you set the front ring in front of the scope ball where the turrets are. And it depends on the rifle. The FN SCAR 17 is a gas piston system with a heavy return impulse that can damage finer scopes, so the suggestion there is to mount an ACOG or some other simplified optic. That being said, I do know a guy who hunts with a SCAR 17 but in places like your deer hunt, where the longest shot might be 50 yards, and so the ACOG is more of a quick sighting option. As for the dioptic, I agree, aim at a blank wall. You can raise your head or close your eyes. When you open your eyes the reticle should be in clear focus. You may have to do this a number of times. Length of pull. I am a tall guy with long arms. Borrow the dining table or the computer desk, get used to how to how it feels and is comfortable. If you have a fixed stock like the polymer stock on your video, You can always had a slip on recoil pad like a Pachmayr that not only adds a lot of cushion, it effectively adds a little but of length of pool. For cheek weld, I had not the greatest of luck with the original poly stock of my Mossberg Patriot .308 Win. The next option was going to be to drill the stock for one of those kydex risers. I ended up finally putting it in a chassis that is more comfortable, even if the whole rifle is a bit heavier. But it is still lighter than my other rifles. Because I hunt on public land and may only get one shot on a still hunt, my end goal is to be able to shoot off-hand while standing and still be 1 MOA effectively around 100 yards or less. Although the state where I live has a drawn (kind of like a lottery) hunt in a canyon in the desert west and they tell you up front that you may need to shoot 200 yards or so. I would also consider removing an gadgets that are great at the range or long distance events. Get rid of the camera, extra levels. Monopod. All you need in the woods is the rifle and scope. I do carry a tripod but even on a hunt, I have tried out a few spots using a tree branch as a support.

[@Eye_Guard]

Great video, thabks.

[@Dimitrius001]

I use a wheeler scope leveling kit to initially get my rifle straight , but I use a plumb line to get my reticle straight. Works way better than using a bubble gauge. Anytime I’ve used a bubble gauge to straighten my reticle, it’s always slightly off. Gravity keeps the plumb line perfectly straight and works like magic every time. Just align your verticle crosshair with the line and voila! I use some paracord and attach a heavy wrench, or something weighty on the end and hang if somewhere in my man cave. Once it stops swinging you are ready to go. You can also use a square to get your rifle perfectly straight. As long as you have a perfectly level surface, you can align the square with the screw holes on your recoil pad, then use your plum line to align your reticle. I’d use the square myself, but my work bench isn’t perfectly level and I’ve been too lazy to level it lol.

[@TomRiverSimpleLiving]

Now that's a great idea using a plumb.

[@tb91506]

140 gr sierra hpbt gameking loaded to 2800-2850 fps work great!

[@TomRiverSimpleLiving]

I've never tried their hpbt but I sure took a lot of deer with their standard gameking in .308. Great bullets and those things sure shoot good.

[@tb91506]

@@TomRiverSimpleLiving next time your in the mood to experiment give them a try in .270 and .308.

[@darrelljones3382]

The Sierra BTHP Gamekings are great bullets and both my Remington 700 270 and 30-06 love those bullets with my handloads made for each. Never had a deer or hog run off from them and they are very accurate in my guns. Bad thing is, Sierra dropped those bullets from their line.

[@MD-mm1zv]

Got a new model 70 Supergrade. Recommendation on the best quality leather sling? What about a military-style cotton sling? Thanks!

[@kentowens2179]

Nice video. On my 300 Win. mag. I set the scope as far forward as the eye relief would allow to prevent magnum eyebrow when shooting from an odd angle from a Loc on tree stand. Also on heavy recoiling rifles I would scrape a bit of dust off 400 grit wet or dry aluminum paper and put a wee bit in the bottom ring halves. This grabs the scope and prevents slippage, however if you remove the scope there will be a cloudy dull area where the aluminum oxide was. I know, I used to over think everything. LOL

[@TomRiverSimpleLiving]

I wish I had mentioned that about moving the scope forward on hard recoiling rifles. That could save someone a little blood and a round scare.

[@TomRiverSimpleLiving]

So what do you focus on when setting up a deer rifle?

[@charleshuyck6641]

I had one of these back in the day and the trigger made me trade it in on a browning. It was horrible.

[@tonydevich7937]

Yep

[@russellkeeling9712]

I was wondering if you checked the rings to see if they need to be lapped.

[@TomRiverSimpleLiving]

I did not Russell but probably should had? I don't normally check but I also usually use weaver style bases and rings. Now I have to admit weaver bases have really gone down in quality but I've swapped to Warne maxima bases and my alignment with those has been spot on. In this instance I had to use Ruger rings with their integral bases and those can be a little hit or miss on alignment. So yes I should have checked to be on the safe side, but so far no issues.

[@rickeycooley9139]

Try the safari sling, it fits, it works fine.

[@TomRiverSimpleLiving]

I'll check it out, thanks.

[@leeadams5941]

Might work, Might not....try getting the grain bullet you want to use { you mentioned 140} and instead of "letting the rifle decide" adjust the depth you seat the bullet in the brass. I find that after I have the grain of bullet, the powder charge I need to give the basics I want, I can bring in the accuracy in with the depth I seat the bullet. In my experience the length affects the accuracy far more than anything else as it if affected by the barrel rifling. Dont know if that makes any sense to you but seems to work for me....best of luck...good video

[@TomRiverSimpleLiving]

That makes perfect sense and it's something i really need to experiment more with. I generally set them .023" of the lands and l might adjust a little but I need to spend more time trying different depths. I think that's something I'm going to experiment a lot with this coming year... if we can get ammo and the economy doesn't fall apart?