I have a Winchester model 270 .22lr rifle I received for Christmas somewhere around 1964. It's in excellent condition.

I've put a Leupold VX-Freedom Rimfire 3-9x40 scope with Leupold "high" dovetail rings. I wanted to try to boresight it using a Lazerlyte laser boresight.

I'm doing this at home and I only have a distance of about 15ft inside. Based on videos I've seen this is what I did.

I centered the adjustments internally on the scope before starting and measured the center of the scope tube to the center of the barrel at 1.5".

1. Measured the distance from the center of the scope tube to the center of the barrel.
2. I setup a target and put the Laserlyte in the barrel and marked a dot above the laser POI matching the distance from scope tube to barrel center.
3. I then adjusted windage to align with the dot I marked.
4. I subsequently adjusted height to the dot as well, but the adjustment is maxed out at that point.

When I go to the range to try to zero it, say at 50 - 100 yards, is this going to be an issue due to the maxed out height adjustment?

I'm not clear what happens between the alignment of the POA and POI once I begin moving out to the longer distance after bore sighting at a close distance.

I would start at 25 yards then move out to 50 yards.

If so, I assume I would need a scope mount to compensate, something like an Area412 or similar MOA mount. I have to use the high rings if I don't use a mount because the scope impinges on the iron sights when using the medium rings.

What MOA mount would be appropriate? I have one I was going to use for another rifle which is 15 MOA.

Any advice would be appreciated.

I’m not sure I followed all of what you posted, but in short, I would not expect you to have any problems when you actually zero the gun at the range. Bore sighting is useful to ensure you’re not grossly off when starting, but beyond that what counts is where the bullet goes.

If you are able, start with a large target backer at no more than 25 yards. Get the point of impact close there, or perhaps zeroed there. If you want a longer zero range, such as 50 yards where I have my 22LR rifles zeroed, then move the target back to that distance and finish the process.

Canted bases that add elevation (+MOA) can be useful for 22 Long Rifle shooting at longer distances because they reduce the amount the scope must be dialed up. I have them on most of my 22LR rifles. The only caveat is that they reduce how far down the point of impact can be dialed if the scope has limited elevation adjustment range.

According to the ’net, your scope has a total elevation adjustment range of 60 MOA, or 30 MOA up or down. By way of comparison my T1x rifle has a scope with 100 MOA of elevation adjustment. I have mine mounted in a +6 milliradian (+20.6 MOA) base, but because of its large adjustment range, I can still use it as close as 10 yards.

How far do you plan to shoot the rifle? If it’s at long distances, you may need more elevation by means of a different scope or increased base cant. The only way to be certain, though, is to try and see. One thing I’ll caution, though, is that bore sighting can yield very misleading results. The last time I switched a scope from a 22LR to centerfire rifle I did that and my first couple of shots hit the ground a couple of yards in front of a 100 yard target, and I still don’t understand why. That’s why I recommend starting at a short distance and using a large target backer.

Added: In reading your post again, and assuming I haven’t confused myself, I believe the reason your elevation is maxed out is because of the very short 15 foot distance where it’s adjusted for. At that distance the offset between bore and scope sight center is going to have a huge effect (I believe). That’s why it will be necessary to have a large target backer when you start shooting. Either that or redo the bore sighting at the shooting distance.

And it’s possible to bore sight at home without using a laser aid. Assuming you can set the rifle up and point it without alarming the neighbors, adjust the sight by actually looking through the bore at a distance object. I do that with my rifle on a tripod and looking through the open garage door where I’m (mostly) out of sight from the street.

Thanks for your reply. I appreciate the input.

I don't expect to shoot it, but at around 25 yards, and maybe some at 50 yards for grins.

I'll take it to the range as is and see how it goes, and follow your advice.

You’re welcome. At those distances I would not expect you to have any problems with getting things zeroed with the setup you have. Canted (+MOA) bases were unknown for the decades that 22LR rifles like yours were used at similar ranges. I don’t make (equipment) recommendations, but the one rifle I have that’s used exclusively at such distances has just normal rings and base.

Please let us know how things turn out with that classic.

I only have limited, recent experience myself, only having gotten back into rifles in the last year and a half or so, but these have worked (or not worked) for me. Also, my recollection may be imperfect in spots.

What didn't work very well for me, was a bore sighter (optical, like this, aka a collimator). My first shot (a centerfire cartridge at 100 yards) barely clipped the edge of a 15x16-inch paper, the windage in particular being the most "off". (It was at least on the paper, so I suppose there's that.) On subsequent rifles & scopes, I dispensed with it, put the target over a much larger piece of paper that had no previous holes in it so I knew that any holes were my own, and was still able to obtain a zero with just a few shots. I'd expect you to get even poorer results with a laser, whose beam travels in a straight line, but bullets do not.

For typical .22LR shots 100 yards or less, you don't need a slanted/canted mount. A zero MOA (parallel to the bore) was just fine for me.

quote:

Please let us know how things turn out with that classic.

I plan to go out to the range the latter part of the week. I have a couple of days off and we are reaching the effective end of the season at the outdoor range here in the NE.

I'll report back.

I made the same common mistake that I complain about when others do it: Assuming that you could do something with your rifle that I can do with the ones I have, which was to bore sight by looking down the barrel. I wasn’t familiar with the Winchester model 270 and didn’t bother to check before making that recommendation. So this was a reminder to me.

Anyway, just as a follow-up to my comment about the elevation needed at a close distance to align the bore (laser) with your scope, I decided to apply my rusty knowledge of trigonometry to the question of how much elevation would be needed to align the laser beam through the bore with your scope at 15 feet.

That setup can be considered to be a right triangle and that we’re trying to solve for the angle between the barrel bore line and the line of sight through the scope.

If we drew the triangle for the angle we’re trying to determine, 1.5 inch would be the “opposite” side, and 15 feet, or 180 inches, would be the “adjacent” side. Solving the triangle* using those figures gives an angle of 0.477 degree. The specification of your scope is that it has a maximum movement range up or down from center of 30 MOA—which is 0.500 degree, or virtually the same as the calculated angle. That would explain why you ran out of elevation when bore sighting using the laser at 15 feet.

Isn’t math fun?

I also ran some representative figures with an Applied Ballistics solver to get a rough idea of where the bullet would impact at 50 yards if the sight was adjusted for POI = POA at 15 feet. According to the calculator the point of impact would be about 10 inches above the point of aim with common 22 Long Rifle loads at 50 yards.

Let us know how it shoots. I’m always interested in what older 22LR rifles are capable of.

* I used this calculator to confirm what I initially figured out on my own: https://www.calculator.net/rig...ngle-calculator.html

Added:
Because 10 inches at 50 yards is about 20 MOA (80 1/4 MOA clicks), you could try dialing down that amount from your 15 yard setup for an initial shot at 50 yards. According to my solver and because the distances are so short, dialing down 20 MOA would also give a rough POA = POI at 25 yards.

I believe. Or you can just use a large backer and go from there.