Rings/bases for Anschutz 54MS/Leupold 6.5-20 EFR

All the dope on risers, rings, scopes and optics.
Post Reply
silvermesa
B Poster
B Poster
Posts: 15
Joined: Mon Apr 18, 2011 3:44 pm

Rings/bases for Anschutz 54MS/Leupold 6.5-20 EFR

Post by silvermesa »

Just made the agreement on my first Anschutz rifle and am new to this.

What ring/base combination would you suggest for a 1985 Anschutz 54MS that will have a Leupold 6.5-20 EFR scope mounted to it. I will probably leave this gun as is (original gun with no mods) for awhile and shoot it for squirrel hunting and an occasional local silhouette match. Possibly in the future, I may put a Pharr RT/S stock and rebarrel it to make it a hunter and standard class rifle. My build is 5'8" about 190 lbs with a round face. I have read good things about Marv's rings and bases on here but they may be hard to find. I would rather spend the money once and purchase a high quality set. Hopefully the set would work the same whether I have the regular 54MS stock on the gun or the Pharr RT/S but I am not sure? I have also read about needing a set up that cants forward.

All thoughts are greatly appreciated. Please be specific with model #'s.

Thank You! :)
atomicbrh
Master Poster
Master Poster
Posts: 1293
Joined: Sat Apr 15, 2006 7:24 pm
Location: Rural Mississippi

Re: Rings/bases for Anschutz 54MS/Leupold 6.5-20 EFR

Post by atomicbrh »

Excellent choice in that EFR scope for your first Silhouette Optic. Hope you got the Leupold Dot. You will love it.

Someone will post a suggestion of Burris Signature with inserts but I would say that the vast majority of Smallbore Silhouette Rifles have BKL 257A Rings. BKL rings have never left any kind of mark on my scopes. I do not lap, hone or bed these rings because Optics get switched around from rifle to rifle on the spur of the moment in my family.

I have BKL 257A's on Air pistols(IZH 46M), Open Air guns, 10 Meter Air Guns(Walther and Anschutz) and every kind of Smallbore Anschutz you can imagine. I have not had any problems with my latest purchases of BKL rings even though I have been reading forums about others that have.

I have never been pleased with scope bases that use the drilled and tapped holes in the Anschutz receivers. I tried base and ring combinations for a short time when I first started Rimfire Competition many years ago. Bases always rocked on the receiver and then kinked the scope if not honed and lapped. Then those rings became a one rifle set of rings that could not be put on another rifle, flipped or reversed. You had to keep up with which ring went where on that particular rifle because the bases and rings were matched to that rifle. Read a Weaver Target scope instruction sheet. It will explain that bases will not sit flat on receivers because there is no consistency in how and how long the Anschutz factory worker polishes the top of the receiver on the buffing wheel before bluing. That is why you want rings that "pinch" the groove. The groove is machined more accurately than the top of the receiver. BKL's have a spreader device built in to make sure that the 257A will slip over the receiver without any problem.

With my EFR's I always shim between the scope and the back ring to put the scope in the optical center of the adjustment range at around 70 meters. My usual shim material turns out to be certain brand of milk jug plastic. I have an assortment of container plastic shims varying from .008" up to .020". I just found these shims by miking containers in the shop. I did not have to buy any shim material. Most scope manufacturers reccomend soda or beer can material. Again I like the Weaver Instructions on how to shim.

I met you at Winnsboro Southern Nationals. Cheek pressure with the EFR, your shape face, factory 54MS stock, and BKL 257A rings should be just right to start out with while you are waiting on Marv's rings. I think the BKL 257AH model high rings would not give you enough cheek pressure.

Hope this helps.
Bobby R. Huddleston
Last edited by atomicbrh on Tue Jun 28, 2011 5:59 am, edited 1 time in total.
silvermesa
B Poster
B Poster
Posts: 15
Joined: Mon Apr 18, 2011 3:44 pm

Re: Rings/bases for Anschutz 54MS/Leupold 6.5-20 EFR

Post by silvermesa »

Bobby!

It was a pleasure meeting you at the Southern Nationals. It is always nice to put a name with a face!

Thank you for your reply. I appreciate you sharing your experiences. This sharing of thoughts by experienced shooters such as yourself is really helpful to others.

I am looking forward to my first Anschutz rifle. Just being able to handle a number of rifles at the Southern Nationals was very helpful to me and when I returned home I decided I wanted my own.

Thank you again! :)
User avatar
Innocent
Uber Master Poster
Uber Master Poster
Posts: 5675
Joined: Tue Jun 06, 2006 7:28 am
Location: Merritt Island

Re: Rings/bases for Anschutz 54MS/Leupold 6.5-20 EFR

Post by Innocent »

silvermesa...got your toes wet didn't you? I told you this was an addictive sport, but as you saw it can be a lot of fun. As for rings and bses for scopes, back to the old "what fits you" situtation. Wayne Merrier from Georgia still makes some fantastic bases/ring rigs as well.

Mary
Proud member of SNOSS. I earned mine!
Proud member of IBDF Club...

Guilty until proven Innocent by the press.
silvermesa
B Poster
B Poster
Posts: 15
Joined: Mon Apr 18, 2011 3:44 pm

Re: Rings/bases for Anschutz 54MS/Leupold 6.5-20 EFR

Post by silvermesa »

Hi Mary!

Yes, thanks to you and John Neihouse during the the seminar on Friday and for the rest of the weekend of the Southern Nationals you both showed me a lot about differnet equipment set ups and the game in general so I definitely got my toes wet!

A big thank you to you both!!! :)
silvermesa
B Poster
B Poster
Posts: 15
Joined: Mon Apr 18, 2011 3:44 pm

Re: Rings/bases for Anschutz 54MS/Leupold 6.5-20 EFR

Post by silvermesa »

Does anyone have a photo of a Wayne Merrier base on their rifle? I have searched the archives and could not find a photo of one that i am aware of. This could be helpful to others as well who will be searching in the future.

The web site for BKL is as follows http://www.bkltech.com/

Thank you! :)
Last edited by silvermesa on Wed Jun 29, 2011 2:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
Innocent
Uber Master Poster
Uber Master Poster
Posts: 5675
Joined: Tue Jun 06, 2006 7:28 am
Location: Merritt Island

Re: Rings/bases for Anschutz 54MS/Leupold 6.5-20 EFR

Post by Innocent »

Dan, he usually makes them to fit the shooter/rifle combination. Don't remember any photos of his on this site, I suspect you can get him to email some photos of his work.

Mary
Proud member of SNOSS. I earned mine!
Proud member of IBDF Club...

Guilty until proven Innocent by the press.
jdp
B Poster
B Poster
Posts: 97
Joined: Sat Mar 13, 2010 7:33 pm

Re: Rings/bases for Anschutz 54MS/Leupold 6.5-20 EFR

Post by jdp »

Dan, It was nice meeting you in Winnsboro. That was my fourth or fifth match, so like I told you I'm a newcomer also. They sure do it right in Winnsboro, don't they? A great place to get hooked. I have Wayne's telephone # if you PM, e-mail , or give me a call (615-512-3136) I will get it to you. I think that all he is making now is bases, but if interested I will get you his contact information.
John Peterson
Post Reply