NavyChief
Member
I'll try to make a long story short so here goes; I purchased a new FNH TSR XP in 300 WSM for some long range whitetail hunting. Not extremely long range but long range for me is anything over 400 yards. The rifle came with a NEAR scope base for the rifle which I had planned to trash and just mount a new Leupold Dual dovetail base with Leupold medium rings for a new VX 3-9 X 50. After removing the base I found that the mounting threads are 8X48 which changes everything regarding the mounts I wanted to use without some serious time to either bore out the bases for the new screws or custom order new bases from Leupold for the gun. After doing a little research I found that the Picatinny base seems to be very well made and according to my micrometer it is very consistent. My concerns are these:
The base is advertised as having a "built in" elevation adjustment on the base. Don't know exactly what that means but I just want a base that allows me to sight in 4 inches high at 100 yards and shoot out to 440 yards without doing anything other than adjusting the power ring.
I have no experience at all with any rifle that could be considered "Tactical" or any of the optics, mounts, slings or anything else that is tactical.
I have owned more than 100 rifles over the last 40 plus years of almost every make and model but am most familiar with Winchester Model 70 in CRF and Push feed designs, Weatherby Mark V's, Browning A-Bolt's, Older Browning FN CRF actions, Rem 700's and a few other oddball actions over the years. I even have some experience with Savage and Ruger, not good experiences, but experience none-the-less.
I know that the action on the FNH is a model 70 CRF with a couple of changes that don't affect much other than CNC patterns and ergonomics which is why I chose this rifle in the first place but the base has me concerned.
I have searched all over the internet for information on the scope base and all I can find is that it is of steel construction, retails for about 100$ from Brownells, accepts all Picatinny and most Weaver rings but I can't find any info regarding the angle of the mount once it is installed.
I'm sure these questions sound ridiculous to anyone with experience regarding these mounting systems. While I have no experience, I am a quick study if anyone has the time to educate me.
Hopefully someone will tell me that I can attach some rings, bore sight the scope, get it dialed in at 100 yards and never have to worry about any other adjustment other than magnification.
I appreciate the time and this is more of a fun project than anything else and just so all of the hunters who may question my ethics regarding fair chase, I will be shooting across a 40 acre field at known distances of 440 to 480 yards culling does from a golf course next to our beanfields here in Tennessee. I have experience with the 300 WSM going back to the first year it was introduced and while I have more than a few guns that can handle this task I hesitate to alter any of my favorite mountain and western plains rifles with a silencer. I don't mind mucking up the FNH and I spent some time with 2 very knowledgable gentleman from the SC plant and Morgan and they assure me that their rifles will have no trouble achieving MOA with a "can" using handloaded 165 grain Accubonds at 3250 fps with Superformance.
I will be hunting in a natural draw where there is little wind, if any. There is a natural backstop of earth from the hillside and a clear path that forms a natural tunnel for the deer to move from the golf course to the bedding and feeding areas.
Don't get me wrong, I am not doing this as a great service to my fellow man or country. I have an addiction to venison, regardless of how you cook it, and this is how I feed my habit (pun intended).
I appreciate all of the help I am sure to receive and look forward to the responses. I am not looking for any other alternatives to what I have planned for the setup, I just want to know if there is any difference between the NEAR one piece scope base and a standard Weaver one piece base or Leupold two piece base. Hopefully not and I'll get everyhting mounted tomorrow evening and be shooting this Friday morning. If this works out well I may have a few more spots where a quiet rifle is likely welcome where my sporters are not. Not sure I want to lug that thing up the mountains in Colorado or back home in Oklahoma but from a bench inside my pop-up blind this may be perfect. It is about as far away from fair chase as I have ever strayed but less noise just seems to make sense in this situation. Thanks fellas!
The base is advertised as having a "built in" elevation adjustment on the base. Don't know exactly what that means but I just want a base that allows me to sight in 4 inches high at 100 yards and shoot out to 440 yards without doing anything other than adjusting the power ring.
I have no experience at all with any rifle that could be considered "Tactical" or any of the optics, mounts, slings or anything else that is tactical.
I have owned more than 100 rifles over the last 40 plus years of almost every make and model but am most familiar with Winchester Model 70 in CRF and Push feed designs, Weatherby Mark V's, Browning A-Bolt's, Older Browning FN CRF actions, Rem 700's and a few other oddball actions over the years. I even have some experience with Savage and Ruger, not good experiences, but experience none-the-less.
I know that the action on the FNH is a model 70 CRF with a couple of changes that don't affect much other than CNC patterns and ergonomics which is why I chose this rifle in the first place but the base has me concerned.
I have searched all over the internet for information on the scope base and all I can find is that it is of steel construction, retails for about 100$ from Brownells, accepts all Picatinny and most Weaver rings but I can't find any info regarding the angle of the mount once it is installed.
I'm sure these questions sound ridiculous to anyone with experience regarding these mounting systems. While I have no experience, I am a quick study if anyone has the time to educate me.
Hopefully someone will tell me that I can attach some rings, bore sight the scope, get it dialed in at 100 yards and never have to worry about any other adjustment other than magnification.
I appreciate the time and this is more of a fun project than anything else and just so all of the hunters who may question my ethics regarding fair chase, I will be shooting across a 40 acre field at known distances of 440 to 480 yards culling does from a golf course next to our beanfields here in Tennessee. I have experience with the 300 WSM going back to the first year it was introduced and while I have more than a few guns that can handle this task I hesitate to alter any of my favorite mountain and western plains rifles with a silencer. I don't mind mucking up the FNH and I spent some time with 2 very knowledgable gentleman from the SC plant and Morgan and they assure me that their rifles will have no trouble achieving MOA with a "can" using handloaded 165 grain Accubonds at 3250 fps with Superformance.
I will be hunting in a natural draw where there is little wind, if any. There is a natural backstop of earth from the hillside and a clear path that forms a natural tunnel for the deer to move from the golf course to the bedding and feeding areas.
Don't get me wrong, I am not doing this as a great service to my fellow man or country. I have an addiction to venison, regardless of how you cook it, and this is how I feed my habit (pun intended).
I appreciate all of the help I am sure to receive and look forward to the responses. I am not looking for any other alternatives to what I have planned for the setup, I just want to know if there is any difference between the NEAR one piece scope base and a standard Weaver one piece base or Leupold two piece base. Hopefully not and I'll get everyhting mounted tomorrow evening and be shooting this Friday morning. If this works out well I may have a few more spots where a quiet rifle is likely welcome where my sporters are not. Not sure I want to lug that thing up the mountains in Colorado or back home in Oklahoma but from a bench inside my pop-up blind this may be perfect. It is about as far away from fair chase as I have ever strayed but less noise just seems to make sense in this situation. Thanks fellas!
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