Prior to the opening day of hunting season, it’s time to get your rifles cleaned up, sighted in, and prepped for the hunt. Some hunters may think that they don’t need to resight their scopes after a long season, but I highly encourage it.
The last thing you want is a perfect shot on a dream buck and lose him because your scope was off. Spending a couple of hours before the season to get your rifles set up is well worth the time and effort.
Today, I want to discuss the 5 tools in my scope mounting kit that I use to perform basic scope alignment and maintenance on my hunting rifles.
1. Wheeler Master Gunsmithing Benchtop Magnifier
Before you start working on any gun, it’s important to have proper lighting and clarity of the objects you’re looking at. The Wheeler Master Gunsmithing Benchtop Magnifier uses a 3 diopter 1.75x magnification lens and is equipped with 40 LED lights. This light puts out 400 lumens for enough light to provide the best working space possible.
The entire handle is flexible with its gooseneck design to allow it to be contorted and moved into any configuration. You can secure the magnifier tool to any type of table or benchtop with the metal c-clamp. Its 88" power cord allows you all the room you need to set this up in almost anywhere you have AC power outlets.
One of the most overlooked factors to consider when mounting a scope or weapon attachment is tightening the screws. I’ve almost certainly overtightened and stripped more screws than I’d ever want to admit. For whatever reason, I never know exactly how much is too much and how much is not enough. For this reason, I use the Wheeler F.A.T. Wrench® (Firearm Accurizing Torque).
The F.A.T. Wrench ensures that no matter what kind of scope brand you have, it will adjust the amount of pressure based on the size and feel of the screw or ring. I’m not a handyman by any means and this tool takes the stress away from over-torquing my optics, causing breaks or decreased shelflife.
The Wheeler F.A.T. Wrench is a digital adjustment wrench that can adjust its torque from 10"/pounds to 65"/pounds. That’s more than enough force to tighten the largest scopes and optics you’ll ever find on a shoulder-fired rifle. The digital pressure meter will read accurately within +/- 2"/pound. This digital and automatic adjustment calibration will ensure that you never have to strip a screw again.
How Does the Wheeler F.A.T. Wrench® Work?
Each tool that you use from any AOB brands, including Frankford Arsenal, Tipton, and Wheeler will have the exact amount of pressure required for each tool. For example, if you’re tightening a guard screw on your scope ring, look it up in the manual and it will tell how much torque to set for each item.
Once you set the torque for each screw or ring, you’ll hear a “click" sound once it’s perfect.
Where Can I Buy the F.A.T. Wrench® (Firearm Accurizing Torque)?
The Ultra Scope Mounting Kit is always in my range bag, no matter what rifle I take out for the day. As often as I’m around guns I’m still in no way even a budding gunsmith, so I need tools to help me out a little more than others. This scope mounting kit will allow you to know with certainty that your optic is perfectly in line with your receiver to ensure you’re hitting what you’re seeing.
By knowing that your crosshairs are perfectly perpendicular, you know that the equipment is trustworthy and everything is on you, the shooter. The thread locker tightening the screws so that there is no chance of the screws coming loose inside your truck as you get to your hunting land is important. You’ll be able to tighten every screw with this liquid sealant.
Buying the Kit together instead of individually will save you about $80.00 if you buy the kit together versus buying each item separately. These are the kind of deals that flip me when I’m on the fence about a product. The ability to have all the items you need to install a scope in a small carrying case is a nice luxury to have, especially if you hunt or shoot competitively.
Green laser bore sighter (green is more expensive than red)
4. Wheeler Engineering Scope Ring and Lapping Kit Combo
Without lapping bars, you’ll never know if the scope lines up perfectly both horizontally and vertically. You must have your scope rings in line or the crosshairs could be off, costing you a meal for your family. The best thing about the lapping bars is that it only takes a few minutes to adjust for the points to meet inside the scope ring. Watch the video above for a demonstration of using lapping bars.
You could own the best Leupold or Vortex scope on the market, but if your scope rings are off, you won’t hit your target when it counts. I’ve trusted Wheeler and Tipton with a lot of maintenance and gunsmithing needs and so far they have performed exactly like I’d have hoped for.
The Scope RIng and Lapping combo go perfectly with your Ultra Scope Mounting Kit. For example, use the digital setting on the FAT Wrench® to know exactly when your screw is tightened enough when the lapping bars are inside your scope rings. Knowing the exact pressure will shorten your time and remove the stress associated with stripping screws.
The Wheeler Anti-Cant tool is vital to ensuring your scope ad rail are in line with the rifle. If your rifle scope is canted even a couple of degrees, it will throw off your shot by feet. You can install the anti-cant indicator to the Picatinny rail on top or use the 1" or 30mm tube measurement, depending on the scope you have. My favorite feature of this tool is how easy is it to see with the rifle in your hand. You can make adjustments without having to put the rifle down or put the rifle in a vise with this anti-cant indicator.
You can keep it attached to your scope by simply folding the level out of the way when you want to shoot. The anti-cant indicator will always keep your scope in perfect alignment with your barrel and always show you the true vertical position. This indication will ensure that you don’t ever miss a shot due to a cant problem with your scope. These issues can happen all the time just from driving out to a bumpy dirt road that leads to your hunting grounds.
Stay Tuned to the RE Factor Tactical Blog and be part of this all VETERAN-run website. Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn for exclusive content and deals.
Check out our DAILY DEALS page for industry deals and discounts.
Leave a Reply
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *