what size rings should I get for my new Ruger American 308..

[outdoorman]

I am planning to hunt this season with my new RA which has 2 piece scope bases mounted onto the receiver.
I have a Simmons 8-Point 3-9x/40mm scope for it.
Can someone advise what rings I need for this setup? Thanks.

 

[Dub]

Ruger's website has some mighty useful charts on the matter...

https://shopruger.com/PDF/ScopeRingChart.pdf

Customer Service - Mayodan, NC​

271 Cardwell Road, Mayodan, NC 27027

Telephone: 336-949-5200 / Fax: 336-949-5300

(Monday through Friday 8:00am - 5:00pm ET)




Give 'em a call and they'll sort you out quickly.

 

[ScLowCountry]

Medium is your best bet. Mount it as low as possible though. If you can make it work with a low mount use them. 40 mm usually needs a medium

 

[treemanjohn]

Depends on your cheek weld and how you address the stock. We can't answer that for you

 

[outdoorman]

Thank you for the help
I will look at the ruger website chart.

 

[outdoorman]

Also what distance should I sight-in my rifle; I will be hunting in middle Georgia mostly woods and perhaps the powerline?

 

[Jester896]

100 yards whether you set it up for spot on or a point blank range

 

[krizia829]

Usually for 40mm scopes, Medium works best. You need to test it out on the rifle and see how it fits for you. The lower the scope can sit on the rifle without touching the barrel, the better.

Regarding your question on the distance to sight in, I started sighting in at 1" high at 100 yards for those longer shot opportunities. I have a .30-06 so it'll drop more than your 308 at a longer distance but I like 100 yard zero

 

[Dub]

I have a .30-06 so it'll drop more than your 308 at a longer distance but I like 100 yard zero

I'm not following you here ?

 

[krizia829]

I'm not following you here ?

He asked in another comment under his original post regarding what distance to sight in the rifle so I wrote that typically I like a 100 yard zero. I started sighting mine 1" high at 100 because of the drop on my 30-06.....

 

[ScLowCountry]

30-06 is flatter shooting than a 308

 

[furtaker]

He asked in another comment under his original post regarding what distance to sight in the rifle so I wrote that typically I like a 100 yard zero. I started sighting mine 1" high at 100 because of the drop on my 30-06.....

You do realize that with normal loads, a 30-06 is flatter than a 308 when both are using the same projectile...

 

[Jester896]

Not by much...at 150 yards with similar weighted bullets there is about a .2 difference between the 2 and at 300 it is about 1.5. Yes, it is flatter but it is a good race...negligible in hunting situations.

 

[JustUs4All]

Ditto actually shooting the rifle at 100 yards when sighting in the rifle. If you expect 200 yard shots you should shoot that distance also to see exactly where the rifle is shooting at that range. I would wait until after I had the 100 yard zero established

There is nothing wrong with a straight dead on at 100 yard zero for most hunting in Georgia but if you think you might be shooting further, do a Google search for "Point Blank Zero". The idea of this zero is to establish a zero where the projectile is no more than 3" high or low for the maximum amount of its travel to the target. There are charts that will give you an estimate of the amount over at 100 yards based on the height of the scope above the bore and the muzzle velocity of the round but this should be confirmed on the range at the distance you wish to shoot.

Most .308 hunting rounds are capable of approaching 250 yards with a Point Blank Zero. The .308 can kill much further than that but the "drop" would be more than 3" and dropping at an increasing rate as the distance lengthened. You would need to shoot at the longer ranges to determine how much hold over you might need for that.

 

[krizia829]

You do realize that with normal loads, a 30-06 is flatter than a 308 when both are using the same projectile...

30-06 is flatter shooting than a 308

Not by much...at 150 yards with similar weighted bullets there is about a .2 difference between the 2 and at 300 it is about 1.5. Yes, it is flatter but it is a good race...negligible in hunting situations.

I have always heard the opposite for years... this would be the first time I hear this to be honest. I've never really looked into it. I'm always open to learning something new Thanks for the info! Sorry about that.

 

[Jester896]

Thanks for the info!

I confirmed the data I quoted above from a Federal program I have for factory loads. I used 165gr Sierra GameKings for comparisons. There are others out there if you need them.

 

[treemanjohn]

I have always heard the opposite for years... this would be the first time I hear this to be honest. I've never really looked into it. I'm always open to learning something new Thanks for the info! Sorry about that.

With the same projectile a cartridge with a larger powder charge will always have a flatter trajectory

 

[outdoorman]

If sighted in at 100 yds, will it still be accurate enough for shorter distances like in the woods?

 

[JustUs4All]

Yes. I don't know what cartridge you are shooting but a .308 zeroed at 100 will be dead on near 25 and again at 100 so it will be well within an inch between the two. Even a muzzle loader zeroed at 100 will be close enough short of that.

 

[Dub]

If sighted in at 100 yds, will it still be accurate enough for shorter distances like in the woods?

The right answer is to take it to the shooting range....zero it and then shoot it a'plenty and KNOW where your ammo in your rifle is impacting.


Once zeroed, shoot it from the type of rest or sling tension you'll be using when hunting.