Accuracy Tools

Properly mounting a scope and careful handloading ammunition can improve the accuracy of your firearm. Here are some of the tools and how I use them. Mounting Optics Before I got interested in precision shooting, I did not give much thought to the best means of installing a scope on my rifles. I bought the scope and rings, installed them asis on the firearm, and leveled the scope by looking through the reticle until it appeared lined up with the world.

I tightened the screws until they felt "about right." If the screws loosened, I added thread locker. I used this method for many years and it seemed to work OK. Over time, I realized there is a more precise method to do this and precision and consistency are the keys to improved accuracy. The tools I now use include an inch-pound torque wrench, bubble levels, and scope ring alignment and lapping bars. I start with the The small level has a magnet in the base.

This set is small enough to fit in a range bag. rifle held in a suitable vise. The smaller bubble level is placed on the receiver on a horizontal flat surface such as the top of the receiver or the scope ring base, as was the case with the rifle used for this article. If there isn’t a flat surface on the receiver, the horizontal surface of the scope ring can be used. I have found that scope rings are usually machined accurately enough to not cause a misalignment issue.

The smaller bubble level has a magnet in its base so it will stick to a steel receiver or scope base/ring which helps keep it in place for the next step. After the rifle position in the vise is adjusted to get the bubble in the center of the level, the other level is installed on the barrel. It has two screws to clamp the level to the barrel (the clamps are padded so as not to mar the finish) and another screw with which to center its bubble in agreement with the other level. The level on the barrel is now the main

This level is used as the reference when leveling the scope. reference for the rest of the process and cannot be moved without having to start over. The bottom half of the rings are installed on the receiver and their screws are torqued to the proper specification. The alignment bars are installed along with the top half of the ring and their screws. The points of the alignment bars should be lined up squarely if the rings are aligned properly.

If not, the ring-to-receiver screws are loosened and the rings moved until the points are lined up. Torque the screws again and confirm the alignment is correct. If the points do not quite line up, the lapping procedure will fine tune the alignment. If the rings are grossly out of alignment, there may be an issue with the rings, the bases, or the receiver. I have not had any issues with the major brands of rings or bases.

A small amount of lapping compound is applied to the lapping bar and it is installed along with the upper ring sections. The screws are snugged down to the point where the lapping bar will just move with a slight effort. The bar is slid and rotated back and forth until there is little or no drag on the bar. The ring screws are snugged up again and the process is repeated several more times.

The goal is to have at least 75% of the ring inner surfaces showing contact with the lapping bar so it will require a few inspections and repeated lapping to get there. Once the lapping is complete, thoroughly clean the rings of the lapping compound with a solvent. The scope is installed in the rings and the top ring sections installed with the screws snugged up so the scope can be moved axially to set eye relief and rotated for leveling.

Once the fore-aft location has been determined, set the small level on top of the scope elevation turret and rotate the scope until the bubbles in the levels agree. Torque the ring screws to the proper spec. Aligning and lapping the scope rings ensures the scope is mounted accurately and securely to the firearm, will not shift over time, and the scope tube isn’t unevenly compressed. The torque wrench ensures that all the screws are tightened to the proper spec and not under (typically) or over torqued.

Having the scope precisely leveled prevents loss of accuracy due to the scope being inadvertently canted. Handloading Loading your own ammunition primarily saves money. Factory match grade 6.5 Creedmoor ammo runs $1.25 to $1.50 per round. I can load the same match grade bullets into my previously-fired cases with powder and primer for $0.45 to $ 0. 5 0 per round. Cases can be reloaded ten or more times typically with a bolt gun. While autoloading firearms can be tougher on

brass, I reload the brass fired in my M1A four times and then set them aside as I have had a few case head separations. You don’t need to spend a lot of money on loading equipment. Start with the basics tools and get some experience, then buy more stuff. I use an old RCBS single stage press that I bought from a friend for $20. Another advantage of handloading is that it allows you to try different bullets, powders, amounts of powder, cases, and primers in the search for the most accurate combination.

This requires patience but is very rewarding. I enjoy handloading; I find it relaxing. I never get in a hurry when I load, I take my time and pay close attention to all the steps, particularly when charging the cases with powder. I fill 10 cases at a time using a digital scale and then shine a light into the mouth of the cases to check the height of the powder. My rifle cases are filled to the shoulder so it’s easy to see and check the height of the powder.

Handgun rounds use a much smaller charge, such as my .45 ACP loads with 4-5 grains of powder which just covers the bottom of the case. It is much harder to detect an overcharge there so diligence is required. Rifle case length needs to be measured and usually require trimming, especially after being full length sized. The brass stretches and the case length can eventually exceed the max allowable after enough firings.

In a bolt gun, the brass doesn’t get stretched as much as in an autoloader and I usually size the case neck only when using the brass in the same bolt action rifle. This reduces the amount of stretch and the cases don’t need to be trimmed as often. Straight wall handgun cases typically do not need to be trimmed. I used to clean the primer hole and deburr the case neck with hand tools but got tired of that and purchased a powered case prep machine which makes these tasks easier and quicker.

The case prep machine has a primer hole cleaner and sizer for small and larger primers, deburring tools for the inside and outside of the neck, and case neck brushes for various calibers. When seating the bullet to the proper depth in the case, I use a bullet comparator to measure the desired cartridge length. This is a more accurate dimension then measuring to the tip of the bullet. It helps me set the amount of "jump" the bullet travels before engaging the rifling.

The amount of jump can have a significant effect on group sizes. I have also started checking the runout of the bullet to the case with

The screw opposite the indicator is used to "true up" the bullet and reduce the runout. a concentricity gage, a tool which measures the amount of runout at the bullet relative to the case. Acceptable runout is typically less than 0.002". The concentricity gauge also has a screw that can be tightened against the bullet to "true up" the bullet and reduce the amount of runout. I have found that the runout in my handloads generally does not exceed 0.0025".

Without a concentricity gauge, you can assume (or hope) that the runout is OK and it may be without bothering to check. However, without such checking, if you have fliers in a group, is it due to runout or something else? The case prep machine and concentricity tool are two examples of tools that can be purchased after you have got some experience handloading. They are not needed to get started.

Chronometer I use a chrono to measure the bullet velocity and don’t depend on handloading book data for a given bullet and powder charge. The velocity is another parameter that tells you what the firearm and cartridge are doing and allows you to calculate the energy for a given bullet weight. Higher velocities do not necessarily mean better accuracy. Bore Scope I purchased a digital borescope from Lyman to check the condition of my barrels after so many rounds and to see how effective my cleaning efforts were.

You don’t know how well you’re removing copper fouling if you can’t see in the bore. Lyman’s borescope is much less expensive than the optical versions, it is easy to use, and the image on the screen is very clear. Images can be stored on a SD card and uploaded to a computer. The screen is 3.5’’ diagonally and more than one person can see the bore images at a time. It will inspect a .20 caliber and larger bore. The only drawbacks are that it requires 120V AC and the camera tube is only 20" long.

A craftsman can never have too many tools and having the right tools to do the job makes it much more rewarding. AG This model has lights in the sunshades to improve sensitivity and for indoor use. Far I wish all my barrels looked this good!