Scope clearance issues

[Charlemagne70]

Greetings,

While trying to set-up my Christmas present, a Leupold Rifleman 3-9X 40 scope on my beloved PH 1200, I noticed some problems with the bolt handle vs eye piece clearance. The bolt handle barely clears it and might even touch it if there's any sideward movement. I followed Leupolds mount selector advice and installed med height extension STD rings on Mauser mounts.

Is this normal?
What should I do?

Regards,
Chris

[rockinbbar]

I'd go to a "high" ring, if you have the eye relief set right, & the scope is low enough to bother you.

I typically like the lower mounts, but if it has clearance issues, go higher.

Barry

[gitano]

I'm not sure "height" is the issue RBB. I think it is the angle of the bolt handle and the diameter of the ocular (the part of hte 'scope nearest the eye). If my assumption is correct, higher rings might actually exacerbate the problem, as then the bolt knob might actually hit the ocular. Of course if that's NOT the issue then higher rings may be called for.
 
I had a similar issue with one of my rifles recently, and short of modifying the bolt handle or changing 'scope to one with a smaller ocular, I don't hink there's much that can be done. In my case, I just decided to "live with" the closeness of the fit. As long as the handle doesn't actually contact the 'scope's ocular. The only real problem is the "ease" (or lack thereof) of cycling the bolt quickly. On my rifle, I tried it a couple of times and was satsfied that there was no "fatal" flaw in the operation.
 
This is another good reason for "scout-type" 'scope mounts.
 
Older 'scopes, the ones that were around when this PH was made, generally did not have the larger oculars of today's scopes. Large objectives allow more light in, but large oculars increase the "pupil" size. Increased "pupil" size means more of the light that goes through the 'scope actually can get to the retina. Put another way, your 'scope can "gather" a great amount of light, but if it must put it through a small pupil, your retina isn't going to get all the light "gathered" by that big objective.
 
If what the problem is, isn't clear, maybe Charlemagne could post a picture of the issue.
 
Paul

[sakorick]

Hello Chris. You've got to remember, as Paul stated, the 1200 was made during a time of much smaller scopes especially the eye piece size. You can do several things. First, pick up an older Leupold Vari X 2 or period Redfield on Ebay:no:  as they are smaller by nearly 1/10 inch. Or you can have a gunsmith reforge the bolt at a cost of 50 to 100 bucks or......you can do what I did. Stone out about 1/8 inch with a dremmel and re-polish. See pics. PM me if you have more questions. No one will ever know and I think the sleeker bolt handle looks better than factory. My 25-06 now clears a Zeiss 3x19x50 easily. Regards, Rick

[Charlemagne70]

Thanks for the input guys,
 
Rick, thats exacly the kind of work I had in mind (grinding down the handle). Altough I was thinking more of reshaping the handle knob than the handle itself, I think your suggestion is wiser since its the handle thats causing the problem. Well, I might even do both.
 
And since it's somebody that appreciate vintage rifle that's making the suggestion, my concerns about altering the rifle's original condition are gone. I'm more of a thinkerer than a collector anyway.
 
I'll try to post pictures of the rifle over the week-end, and maybe even consult Brithunter on the year of the proofmark if I can't find it on the Parker Hale forum.
 
Regards,
Chris

[ForneyRider]

Burris and Leupold have fit charts on their sites.
 
http://www2.leupold.com/resources/MountFitChart/default.asp
 
http://www.burrisoptics.com/mountchart1.html
 
I think the Interarms Mark X is a good match.

[sakorick]

Burris and Leupold have fit charts on their sites.
 
http://www2.leupold.com/resources/MountFitChart/default.asp
 
http://www.burrisoptics.com/mountchart1.html
 
I think the Interarms Mark X is a good match.

Sorry FR.....not a good match for the super. The difference is night and day. The Interarms bolt is modern, swept back and forged totally different from the Parker Hale which was a true 98 Mauser bolt dressed up. I lined up 3 different bolts as near as I could and took this picture. Clearly, the Interarms bolt will provide the most clearance while the Parker Hale bolt provides the least clearance with a forged K98 somewhere in between. Regards, Rick.

[Charlemagne70]

Well,
 
 
I agree with Rick, FR; I did look into Leupold's mount selector and bought medium height 1'' STD extension rings and  FN bases.
 
Sorry for the delayed input, very busy week-end. If I get a chance to modify the handle anytime soon, I'll pull the thread back up with pictures.
 
Regards,
Chris

[noel]

I'm running a 3x9x50 bushnell on my 1200.it's on top of a set of kwik mount see throughs.if the scope height isn't uncomfortable,it provides just enough clearance for bolt movement.you just don't have room to be sloppy with your hand.the action on them ,at least mine is so smooth that only requires the side of my finger and the pad of my thumb to operate.of course practice makes a big difference.mine had a scope mounted when I bought it,I just upsized it.I'm not sure but I don't think the handle was ever modified.

[Charlemagne70]

Noel,
 
Do you mean that the bolt knob is under the occular ? Do you have any pictures?I'll post some pics tonight if I can figure how to.
 
I'm rethinking the whole thing now, It seems reforging (or changing) the handle is the only solution since its the knob itself and a small part of the handle that is too close to the occular to allow a proper grasp of the knob. I'd still have to maneuvre it with my fingertips.
 
Regards,
Chris

[sakorick]

Hello Charlemagne70. If you don't mind the super tall mounts then that is a solution. I just can't shoot good with them. Send me your bolt and I'll do the same thing to yours as I did to mine. You pay shipping. Regards, Rick.

[Charlemagne70]

Thanks for your generosity Rick, But I'd be missing out on all the fun if I didn't do the work myself.

Well, I finally got time to take some pictures and I even went so far as doig the file work to clear the scope. Her is a before picture and two of the finished (all thats missing is the polishing) handle.

Regards,
Chris

[gitano]

That's looks quite well-done Chris. Can we assume this solves the problem?
 
Paul

[davidlt89]

Heck of a job Chris, good going. God Bless.

[sakorick]

Now that's what I'm talking about. I like the extra bolt knob feature.....outstanding job.....perfect. :grin: Regards, Rick.