One of the reasons I'm learning to fly is to get into the back country and hunt. I've always liked remote areas. I've also always liked moose hunting. I've been around it since I was about six.
I hunt moose with a Winchester Model 70 Featherlite. It's a .308, and I got it from my dad. He, in turn, got it from his brother back in 1965. It's been around a while. I don't know a lot about guns, but I know I like this Featherlite.
Like most high powered rifles, this one has a scope. It's a 4x Scope Chief, by Bushnell. It was a great scope in it's day, but scope technology has advanced quite a bit. They zoom now, gather light better, and generally just have way better optics.
During the past three hunting seasons I've seen lot's of moose. Three were at long range. One I shot, and two I let go. I think I could have gotten both of the ones I passed up. However, I think that before I could take those shots I would need a range finder and a higher power scope. With that in mind I recently purchased a new scope for the old rifle.
The new scope is also a Bushnell. However, instead of being a Scope Chief it is an Elite. Instead of being a 4 power single range scope, it's a 3x-10x, meaning it can magnify over a range from three times to ten times.
Scopes seem confusing. The salespeople I ran across didn't make them less so. I am a pro salesman, and I wasn't impressed. They were nice enough people, but they made it seem like a very arcane science that the uninitiated couldn't penetrate.
Mounting he scope would have cost me $100. There was no way I was throwing that money away without a good reason. It didn't look that hard to mount a scope, so I decided I'd do it myself. Besides, I like being well acquainted with all aspects of my gear.
Now, swapping a scope isn't the same as mounting a scope. All you do is swap the rings. There is no need, in this case, to fool around with the mounts.
The scope is attached to the rifle with a combination of rails, bases and rings. The rails are screwed to the receiver. The rings attach to the bases by a system of hooks and screw compression. The bases slide onto the rails and are cinched tight by screws.
The swap scopes you can use the same rails. However, you may have to change either the rings or the bases. In fact, sometimes you have to change both. In my case that's what happened. The new scope is shorter, and so it needed new bases. The new bases allow the scope to slide forward and back. The old bases didn't allow for any adjustment.
The job was completed quickly. All that was required was to swap the bases, and screw them down, which was two screws. Then, four more screws tightened the rings to the bases, holding the scope securely. The only thing left is sighting the weapon in.
It's that easy. If you're using the same rails just swap the scope and sight it in. After that, throw your gear in the plane and hit the backcountry for some self guided hunting.
I hunt moose with a Winchester Model 70 Featherlite. It's a .308, and I got it from my dad. He, in turn, got it from his brother back in 1965. It's been around a while. I don't know a lot about guns, but I know I like this Featherlite.
Like most high powered rifles, this one has a scope. It's a 4x Scope Chief, by Bushnell. It was a great scope in it's day, but scope technology has advanced quite a bit. They zoom now, gather light better, and generally just have way better optics.
During the past three hunting seasons I've seen lot's of moose. Three were at long range. One I shot, and two I let go. I think I could have gotten both of the ones I passed up. However, I think that before I could take those shots I would need a range finder and a higher power scope. With that in mind I recently purchased a new scope for the old rifle.
The new scope is also a Bushnell. However, instead of being a Scope Chief it is an Elite. Instead of being a 4 power single range scope, it's a 3x-10x, meaning it can magnify over a range from three times to ten times.
Scopes seem confusing. The salespeople I ran across didn't make them less so. I am a pro salesman, and I wasn't impressed. They were nice enough people, but they made it seem like a very arcane science that the uninitiated couldn't penetrate.
Mounting he scope would have cost me $100. There was no way I was throwing that money away without a good reason. It didn't look that hard to mount a scope, so I decided I'd do it myself. Besides, I like being well acquainted with all aspects of my gear.
Now, swapping a scope isn't the same as mounting a scope. All you do is swap the rings. There is no need, in this case, to fool around with the mounts.
The scope is attached to the rifle with a combination of rails, bases and rings. The rails are screwed to the receiver. The rings attach to the bases by a system of hooks and screw compression. The bases slide onto the rails and are cinched tight by screws.
The swap scopes you can use the same rails. However, you may have to change either the rings or the bases. In fact, sometimes you have to change both. In my case that's what happened. The new scope is shorter, and so it needed new bases. The new bases allow the scope to slide forward and back. The old bases didn't allow for any adjustment.
The job was completed quickly. All that was required was to swap the bases, and screw them down, which was two screws. Then, four more screws tightened the rings to the bases, holding the scope securely. The only thing left is sighting the weapon in.
It's that easy. If you're using the same rails just swap the scope and sight it in. After that, throw your gear in the plane and hit the backcountry for some self guided hunting.
About the Author:
If you want to learn to fly you need to study the PSTAR. This is very important for bush pilot training. Find out more at www.bushpilotintraining.com.
