Mounting Your Scope for Maximum Accuracy

Published on June 16, 2025 by Brad Fitzpatrick

I’m always skeptical when someone tells me their rifle will not shoot accurately. Sure, the occasional lemon slips through from some manufacturers, but modern guns tend to shoot quite well. Instead, the culprit behind most cases of inaccurate rifles is the optics.

Sure, some shooters make egregious mistakes like mounting the scope backward or, if the rifle automatically pairs with the scope (a problem I’ve seen a couple of times in recent years, likely a symptom of growing up in the age of Bluetooth). More commonly, though, shooters overlook a less obvious problem simply because they fail to recognize that there’s an issue. Even complete novices notice when their scope is backward, but an unlevel scope or improperly torqued rings are less noticeable but still significant.

What follows is a list of common and often overlooked issues with scope mounting that can cause problems. Not all of them will rob accuracy (at least not right away and at all distances), but cumulatively, they can. Some mistakes, like improper torque specifications, may not be immediately noticeable, so it’s vitally important that you recognize the potential for a problem and address it before minor mistakes result in you missing the animal of a lifetime.

Improper Tools

Most every scope you buy is going to come with a wrench, and that wrench works fine so long as the user is careful to fully seat the head of the wrench into the torque screws. Stripped heads on base and ring screws are a big problem. That’s why I carry a torque wrench whenever possible — even in the field.

A torque wrench will run from $25 to $50. Portable Fix It Sticks are worth the $120 spend but are easy to transport on the go and will solve most of your problems. Once you’ve got a torque wrench in your shopping cart at the digital gun shop, hit the button that asks if you’d like to continue shopping and search for a gun vise. Too many shooters try to mount their scope while the rifle is wriggling around between their knees or resting on a pile of half-empty ammo boxes. If you’re a value shopper, you can get a torque wrench and a vise for about $100, and it is money well spent.

Improper Torque

I regard the wrench included with my scope very much like the roadside jack included with my car: Good for emergencies, but not the tool of choice. As stated above, I like to use a torque wrench, when possible, but far too many shooters ignore the specifications included with the rings. This is a significant mistake. Rings that are too loose shake free and allow the scope to wobble, and if you take your rifle to a gunsmith to solve your accuracy woes, the gunsmith will likely shake your rifle and scope to determine if there’s any play. If there is, you’ll be digging your toe into the ground and averting your eyes in shame. Too much torque is equally problematic, so don’t adopt the “no such thing as too tight” policy and bear down on your scope rings with full strength. You will find that when the scope tube dents or breaks that there is, in fact, such a thing as too much torque but by then, it will be too late.

It’s critical to pay attention to the manufacturers recommended torque settings. For example, if using Browning’s X-Bolt/X-Bolt 2 Integrated Scope Mount System, which is available in heights of Low, Medium, and High, Browning recommends 18-pounds of torque on the ring caps and bases. However, it’s critical to check with the scope manufacturer to avoid causing damage to the scope tube. Bases are usually tightened to the 20-40 inch-pound range. However, these are just suggestions, always follow the guidelines recommended by the manufacturers of the rifle, optics, and scope rings and bases to prevent denting the scope tube or stripping threads in the receiver.

I don’t use a locking agent on my scopes. When properly mounted and torqued I’ve never had to, even with hard-kicking rifles in the .338 and .375 class. Set your scope up properly in good rings, torque as required, and you’ll be ready.

Contact

Scope contact can cause substantial accuracy issues, so ensure that no part of your eyepiece or objective bell (including rubber lens caps) is contacting the rifle. The mantra is that only the rings should contact the scope, and the rings should only engage the main tube.

When mounting a scope, you must think through the process first. Take the X-Bolt 2 Speed for example. The contour of the barrel slopes off the chamber part of the barrel. This contour allows the user to mount the scope lower on the receiver, so long as the objective bell of the scope doesn’t contact the barrel. The amount of contour or slope in the barrel allows for a larger objective bell to be used with lower rings such as Browning’s X-Bolt 2 Integrated Scope Mount System Low Height (.440") or Medium Height (.540"). In contrast, if you’re mounting a scope on an X-Bolt 2 Speed Carbon Fiber, you would potentially need higher rings with the same scope as previously mentioned to accommodate for the lack of contour in the heavier carbon fiber barrel profile. It all depends on tube size of the scope, personal eye relief (how much you can move the scope back and forth in the rings and still have objective bell clearance from the barrel), and objective bell size in contrast to the contour or slope of the barrel.

If you’ve mounted your scope so that it does not touch the barrel but still allows the rings to touch the magnification ring, objective bell, or the island upon which the windage and elevation turrets are located, you’re going to have accuracy issues. This issue is sometimes complicated for new shooters to diagnose because there aren’t obvious problems like a loose scope. But even minor contact between the rings and the objective lens, magnification ring, or elevation/windage turrets can cause substantial accuracy issues. If your rifle is shooting poorly, ensure that the scope rings only touch the main tube.

Failure to Level

Not leveling the scope is an issue that may not be noticeable at close or moderate ranges but becomes increasingly problematic as you shoot greater and greater distances. If you don’t align the scope with the rifle bore, your adjustments will be incorrect, and while the issue will be negligible at 200 yards, you can bet at 1,000 yards your gun won’t track properly. It’s not an issue with the scope, ammo, or the rifle but the operator who doesn’t get his scope truly leveled.

To be clear, scope leveling is not about twisting the reticle back and forth in loose rings until it looks more or less centered and then tightening everything down. True scope leveling requires that the optic and the bore be leveled simultaneously. The simplest method is to use a plumb line, but I prefer a scope leveling kit — it’s fast, simple, and straightforward. My favorite option is to use a rail with an integral bubble level like the 20 MOA X-Bolt/X-Bolt 2 rail that Browning offers. This simplifies the process (level the rifle and then use a bubble level to center the scope) and allows me to level the rifle in the field if I have time so there’s no cant in the gun when I fire.

Understanding MOA

Many rifles — particularly long-range hunting or target rifles — come with a 20 MOA rail, but why does that matter? A standard rail aligned with the bore is a 0 MOA rail. However, by canting the rail down toward the muzzle, you can build-in additional elevation adjustment and extend the effective range of your rifle. 20 MOA rails are canted down and offer more adjustment range when you need to shoot extended distances where there’s a chance your scope will run out of elevation adjustment.

So, do you need a 20 MOA rail? If you’re using a scope with plenty of elevation adjustment and keeping shots under 600 yards or so, probably not. But for 800, 1,000, or 1,200-yard target shooting, you can quickly run out of elevation adjustment in your scope. If you’re planning to shoot at extended distances, a 20 MOA rail makes sense.

Mount Height

Mount height is a matter of personal taste and intended use. On light bolt-action hunting rifles for use at moderate ranges, I prefer scopes that are mounted relatively low, but some target scopes with large main tubes and objective bells require a higher scope mount to clear the barrel contour.

The key is to ensure you can obtain a good cheek weld in a shooting position, where you must consider the entire rifle/optic system. Many rifles designed for long-range shooting, like the new X-Bolt 2 Target Max, feature an adjustable comb that lets you customize comb height to match your optic and face shape. My favorite system is Browning’s new Vari-Tech stock because I can easily adjust my comb height to align with the scope. Even if I’m using a rail with a large scope with a 50 mm objective, it’s easy to elevate the comb to align my eye with the optic, and the Vari-Tech offers adjustability without excess weight. Conversely, I can adjust the comb for a lower cheek weld if I want my X-Bolt 2 to be as light as possible and opt for a small scope with a smaller diameter objective lens.

Putting It All Together

Mounting your scope incorrectly leads to accuracy issues, but the cause may not be immediately obvious. Use this checklist the next time you mount a scope to avoid common mistakes. Doing so will save you a lot of headaches down the line and will make shooting more enjoyable. Sometimes, we make or miss the shot of a lifetime because of simple errors, and while you can’t always know when the buck or bull of a lifetime will show himself, you can take the steps necessary to ensure you can make an accurate shot if the opportunity arises.