Zeroing with Sportsmatch 30mm Height Adjustable Rings

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BDX

BDX

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Sep 4, 2018
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It's come down to a choice between the Sportsmatch and the FX No Limits rings for my SWFA SS 3-15x42 FFP Mil/Mil. I was initially going with Sportsmatch because I liked the look and how well they are manufactured, plus I read quite a few positive reviews about how stable they are once the height is locked down. I was a bit put off by the height clamping setup on the FX NL's but as I looked and researched more questions popped up about the Sportsmatch rings.

I'm really not planning on shooting at extreme distances, more like 45 to 50 meters in most of the situations I encounter (~50 - 60 yds). I know the scope is intended for much farther shots but I'm using low magnification to pan for targets and then adjusting magnification for the shot. I've tried this pan and magnify approach with this scope on another rife and the application works for me. However I want to zero the scope as much as I can with the height adjustment and I'm just not sure if I can accomplish ring zeroing that close in with just the few millimeters of height the Sportsmatch rings have.

Additionally, if I raise the back Sportsmatch ring with the front ring loosened its not immediately clear that the front ring will tilt to the same degree as the back ring is raised because the Sportsmatch uses two locking screws...Of course the FX NL's do that easily. 

Any thoughts, guidance or questions very much appreciated, including "are you out of your mind?" or, "this is your first time zeroing a good scope with rings alone right? Just for the record "Yes" is likely the answer to both of those questions.

George
 
My first PCP was a Marauder with FX no limit and a 6.5-20X42 Hawke. Shooting at distances out to 100 yds, I found I never used the adjustment. I just recently purchased them again in the Weaver style not for distance but for close up work on rats. You did not mention gun ,nor caliber. A reasonably powered conventional gun High mounts would definetly work and you could probably get away with medium's.On a bullpup mediums work as you'll clear scope rails with the 42mm? bell.
 
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if you look into the details of these rings you'll see that they have an adjustment range of 1.3 millimeters. When the rings are 10cm (4 inches) apart that means that you'll have an adjustment range of 1.3 meters at 100 meter which is about 45 MOA. 45MOA is approximately 45 inches at 100 yds which means you'll have an adjustment range of 22.5 inches at 50 yds. That should be more than sufficient for your case.

by the way, the sportsmatch rings are easier to adjust to the right height than the FX NL rings, the sportsmatch have a little screw in the side that is tilted upwards to adjust the height adjustment. With the FX NL rings you either guess how much it must be lifted (this is very inaccurate) or you insert the right amount of shims after calculating how much you need.
 
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When I used my FX adjustable rings I put my Wildcat in my lead sled and made sure it was held in tightly then I did a 50 yard zero then set my caps back to zero then shot at my 100 yard target and watched where I hit then I loosened the front and rear adjustment screws keeping them somewhat snug and then used my little screwdriver like a pry bar on the rear ring until my reticle was on my POI then I tighten down the screws and then adjusted my wildcat so the scope was aimed at the 100 yard X and shot, I was still a bit low so I repeated the process again and then I fine tuned with my turrets and when I was on target I reset my zero on my caps so now my scope was set at 100 yards with my turrets at zero, more work then it was worth to me anyway.

After it was all done I came to the conclusion that with a good scope, ring combo and only shooting out to 100-150 yards it’s just as easy and if not quicker to just adjusted the turrets on the scope and reset the turrets to zero, the adjustable rings probably have there place if your not shooting 800fps + and want to reach out to 200 yards without maxing your scope out, I find a good scope with good rings is enough for the distances I shoot so now my FX adjustable rings are in a box with all my other extra rings. Ted sure made them look like the cats meow.
 
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Thanks guys. To answer the question about caliber and rifle, its a .22 S510 Ultimate Sporter XS.

It's still not clear to me if there is enough tilt adjustment in the Sportsmatch rings such that raising the rear ring height will be compensated/followed by a loosened front ring. Does that make sense? In other words raising the rear ring will not cause the scope tube to pinch on the rear edge of the front ring because it doesn't have the tilt travel. That question is largely due to the fact that the FX rings clamp using a single screw around which rotation can occur in the front ring while the rear ring is being raised. The Sportsmatch rings have two clamping screws and tilt is therefore limited.
 
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I wrote to Sportsmatch UK and almost immediately got a reply from no less than their managing director...trying to describe the question in writing is difficult and he suggested I call them at my convenience to discuss...I suggested that perhaps he could give me the name of their a distributor in the States because at the moment I am in a former British Commonwealth country in Central America. Here's the gist of his reply... "a true and correct angle is always maintained at all times"...well okay! (I think...) 
 
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You are missing the point, if you run the scope at the extreme end or even past two thirds of the elevation range there is a significant degredation of the image, most noticable when you are in poor light conditions, top end scopes are less affected to a degree of course.

And yes the SM rings are very easy to adjust.
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S1M,

I guess I didn't realize there was a point I was missing along the lines of extreme end ring adjustment and scope performance but thanks for introducing the concept. If that's the case then the FX must be a real thrasher because of its available adjustment. I always understood that having the erector tube at one extreme or another to zero the scope was not a good thing, but I was always of the mind that if the tube were mostly parallel to the scope tube itself washout and aberrations would be avoided. That being one of the reasons you would want use rings to zero the scope, thereby avoiding the aberrations and leaving a bunch turret for longer ranges.

Would you care to comment on an appropriate zeroing distance for the Sportsmatch rings, an SWFA 3-15x42 FFP and a .22 cal S510 US XS that would avoid the issue you brought up? Seriously. I'm new at this and willing to learn. 

George
 
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Thanks guys. To answer the question about caliber and rifle, its a .22 S510 Ultimate Sporter XS.

It's still not clear to me if there is enough tilt adjustment in the Sportsmatch rings such that raising the rear ring height will be compensated/followed by a loosened front ring. Does that make sense? In other words raising the rear ring will not cause the scope tube to pinch on the rear edge of the front ring because it doesn't have the tilt travel. That question is largely due to the fact that the FX rings clamp using a single screw around which rotation can occur in the front ring while the rear ring is being raised. The Sportsmatch rings have two clamping screws and tilt is therefore limited.
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The answer to the tilt adjustment question is 'yes'. You loosen both sets of locking screws and there is enough tilt in the front mount to compensate for the entire range of adjustment of the back mount, with no binding etc causing stress on the scope. I prefer the 2 locking screws for the stability they ensure once locked down.

As for the adjustment range, I've never once needed more than the range the sportsmatch gives for zeroing (see the values broekzwans stated - they're huge). Thereafter I, and I expect many others, never touch them again until they end up on another rifle/scope combo. Fiddling with that after everything is set up will throw scope height, holdovers etc off, so its really not a viable/desirable thing to be doing on a regular basis.


 
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Would you care to comment on an appropriate zeroing distance for the Sportsmatch rings, an SWFA 3-15x42 FFP and a .22 cal S510 US XS that would avoid the issue you brought up? Seriously. I'm new at this and willing to learn. 

George
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No problem George, the zeroing distance is not that easy for me to answer, mainly because I have unlimited access to a 25 yard indoor range, so it's a no brainer for me to zero at 25 and no I am dead on, then work out the drops via chairgun, then use the holdover points on the reticle.

I suspect you will find everyone does it differently, none are right or wrong, but zeroing at a greater distance helps to reduce the holdover required, but at the expense of shooter error and wind etc. affecting the real POI.








 
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