Help with Zulus mounting on Howa 1500 please

SD198

Well-Known Member
Hi all- I am using a 5-20 LRF Arken (now DNT) Zulus on a Howa 1500 in .308 for deer at ranges of 50-200m (zeroed at 100m). I usually shoot from quad sticks but will be increasingly using high seats.

I am having difficulty getting the comb high enough for a good cheek weld with a clear scope picture and centered reticle. I have just changed to a GRS Fenris adjustable stock (which is very good indeed) and even with the comb fully raised I still feel that cheekbone could do with being about 1 cm higher.

So I am beginning to wonder there is any way of reducing the height on my zulus scope. I have it mounted currently using the original Zulus 35moa mount attached to a picatinny rail. I am not having to adjust x and y on the Zulus much (I have set them at x5 y3) - does that suggest there is nothing "wrong" with me using the 35moa mount on my setup and no benefit in switching to a different moa mount? I don't believe switching to, for eg, the zulus 0moa mount would make any difference to the height of the scope?

If I have understood that correctly about MOA, are there any other options for reducing my scope height (I would rather not add an ugly extension on top of my new Fenris comb raiser if possible!)? More generally, apart from the impact of getting a better chin weld, would switching to a different MOA mount/ bringing the scope closer to the barrel be likely to bring any other benefits, such as with accuracy generally?

Finally, and perhaps unrelated, having zeroed this setup with the new stock off quad sticks, I then found that when shooting from a high seat with the rifle rested on the crossbar (on top of my padded sling) the shots started landing about 3cm off to the right for some reason. On reflection the crossbar was slightly too low, which caused me to have to hunch over the rifle to get my head low enough - I presume that factor alone would be sufficient to account for the difference in poi?

Manythanks in advance for the help!
 
On reflection the crossbar was slightly too low, which caused me to have to hunch over the rifle to get my head low enough -
Exactly why I don't buy into all this so called cheek weld nonsense. The only cheeks I keep firmly shut are on my arse.
I have never owned a rifle that I did not only ever need to feel my face on the stock.
 
I know what you mean - I had been shooting with a "chin weld" (!) only for quite a while, although I have to say that the grouping was better with an adjustable comb (although I suppose it is difficult to say how much of that was due to the other differences in the new stock, like the GRS grip etc). Maybe the simple lesson for me is try to ensure that the rifle is at the best height to enable me to straight through the scope regardless of my comb setup!
 
The point of impact difference from Zero could easily be recoil management and not having the stock in the same place on your body. Note I didn’t say shoulder pocket, case being some are in the pocket and some further in the check and almost on the collar bone. It’s all about consistency though. Your body position will affect how the rifle is steered during recoils impulse.

As for lowering the scope over bore height. I’m not too familiar with Howa or the Zulus, how high is the picatinny rail above the action? Is there a lower option? There certainly doesn’t appear to be an issue with having 35moa cant in the Zulus mount as it is keeping your reticle central.
 
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