Scope height?

[T.O.M.]

I'm completely new to rifle optics, so can someone tell me what is effected by scope height? I mean the base height and etc. Like how high the scope is from the rifle / barrel itself.

[negolien]

Just a guess cause not really a clue maybe just a cheeck riser? less or more adjustment?

[ronas]

Like how high the scope is from the rifle / barrel itself.

Ring hieght affects this. Rings come in different heights.

[bruce_ventura]

What type of rifle? AR, bolt and lever actions can have different issues.

IMHO its all about getting a comfortable checkweld that puts your eye in line with the scope. On ARs you may have to use a riser on the receiver rail because the stock has no drop (puts your eye too high).

On bolt and lever actions the scope has to be high enough to clear the bolt lever or hammer. If you are adding a scope to a bolt or lever action rifle that already has iron sights, the stock is likely to have a lot of drop. In that case, you may need to add a check pad to the stock to raise your eye.

[MaHoTex]

Bruce has a good point here about type of rifle. I bought my son a Marlin 925 bolt gun and he put a scope on there. First time I used it, I opened the bolt and smashed the $#@$ out of my finger between the bolt and the scope. Now I am very careful when using it, but would like to elevate the scope to make for room. Not sure what to use to do that but I have not really looked either.

[damndave]

Generally you want the scope to be the lowest you can go while still having the proper cheek weld. This has to do with what type of rifle, scope base and rings.

[2Bear]

It becomes critical when trying to co-witness iron sights with an optic like an EoTech.