SmallCaliberCentral

Hello. I'm wanting a picatinny rail for my sako but the only one I can find is a 20 moa. It's a 204 Ruger and I'll mostly only be shooting 100-300 yards. Is there a down side to the 20 moa at that range? With a good scope, will I still be able to get a zero at only 100 yards? Thanks for the information.
Jim D
Baytown, Tx

Yes, more than likely.

If anything, might keep your scope "optically" centered when zeroed.

Thanks acloco, I don't know much about the 20 moa & can't seem to find very much personal information on one.
Jim D

in my opinion, with that cartridge at those ranges, you dont need the 20 moa ,,,,,,,,check the amount of adjustment in your scope,,, you should be fine with mounts with 0 angle built in them

savgebolt wrote:in my opinion, with that cartridge at those ranges, you dont need the 20 moa ,,,,,,,,check the amount of adjustment in your scope,,, you should be fine with mounts with 0 angle built in them

savagebolt, I totally agree but as I said, the only one I can find for a sako is 20 moa. I don't really want the 20 moa, just wanted to know if it will work ok. My scope is a Leupold VX-3 8x25 LR with VHR reticle.
Jim D

looking at the current leupold chart, that scope has 85 moa of elevation adjustment , you should be fine

I shoot mine out to 400 all the time on steel targets and have a lot of adjustment left with out a rail

I put a 20 moa rail on mine,, needed, no, but not gonna hurt plus now i have almost all availiable elevation if needed. besides, its what i had laying around.

It will work and would give you that extra adjustment, if you ever did go out to 500 and beyond, as a back up and needed. If you have it, use it. Bill K

First off, realize that this original post is almost four years old. I'm pretty sure the OP has it figured out by now.

Second, to me at least, what is the purpose of a rail on a 204R? We're dealing with a caliber that has a practical range of about 600 yards on critters. I don't know of any rifle I own that would require a rail to accomplish a shot at that range, so why even use one?

Plus the use of a rail puts the scope even higher than needed over the axis of the bore; a condition that promotes canting the rifle. I much prefer my scopes to be low over the bore as possible, and a rail defeats this protocol.

In the end, it's whatever makes us warm and fuzzy, but a rail on a 204 Ruger? Just don't see the need. JMO

Agree Rick, but my answer really was to his point, he had it, use it. Nothing lost. I am like you the 204R shoots as flat and as far as I shoot, for the most part anyway. So does my little 20 SCC and 17 Fire ball. Each has a place and get to tag along and have fun with me in those pivots and rim rocks, like you also do. Great we can enjoy this sport and hobby. Bill K

Jacob. If those are the ranges you are shooting there is absolutely no need to have 20 minutes of elevation with your rings and bases. It will actually be a detriment to you because it will take most of your vertical and some of your horizontal travel away from your scope if you are setting your POI at 100 yrds which is where most people do. It would benefit you if your POI or "zero" was set at 250 yards or farther. This assumes you begin your sight in process with a scope that has sufficient range within the erector assembly to allow enough elevation/windage adjustments at that range. With standard mounts and bases and a GOOD quality scope there is no need to put such a crutch into your equation such as the 20MOA . If you begin shooting over 600 yards and beyond then and only then will you get to utilize it for the purpose it was intended. Remember there is tactical and there is tacticool. Dont get caught up in the later just because its the latest cool gadget.