Scope mounts and lapping..??

[ken snyder]

Bigger screws are cool, after you strip out the little ones, or you are getting a custom mount. Truth is most rifles and mounts don't need any help. I can't think of a quicker way to ruin a set of rings than lapping them improperly. It's kind of funny that people will spend $1,500 on a scope and then cheapskate out of having a gunsmith set it up for them. Sometimes things really are out of alignment and a lapping bar is not going to help.

[philip140]

I lean towards bedding the scope rings with a steel epoxy compound, it's cheap, simple and will give a more precise fit to your scope. Burris Signature rings are an excellent choice too.

Here are some videos I made showing you how to bed your scope into the rings:

philip140's Channel - YouTube

philip140's Channel - YouTube

philip140's Channel - YouTube

Phil

[ken snyder]

The only reason a scope will slip in the rings is because the ring diameter is the same or larger than the scope tube diameter. If the scope is used and with its release agent it will be slightly larger than the tube diameter. This produces a bushing bearing, great for a motor with a spinning shaft. The friction that holds a scope in position is a product of pressure not of surface area. When economy is at stake use an old scope that is slightly smaller or a machined tube that is slightly smaller than your intended scopes tube diameter for bedding. Even then there is a lot more to it than simply throwing some JB weld on it. I never have seen something actually get fixed by screwing it up! Compound the friction and use less torque!

[philip140]

I'm not sure I agree with your theories, but an interesting point none the less.
Using the bedding technique has always worked for me, using rings without 100% contact has not unfortunately. There are several reasons for bedding a scope in the rings, not just to reduce the chance of a scope shifting under recoil, but also to prevent rings marks (from pinching), to prevent the action transferring stress to the scope and vice versa and also to enable you to remove the scope and re-attach without loss of zero.


Phil

[Gary Kaney]

10/4 on the Burris Rings. I've only got onr rifle left with lapped rings.

[philip140]

Originally Posted by Gary Kaney

10/4 on the Burris Rings. I've only got onr rifle left with lapped rings.

The thing I really like about the burris rings is the insert kit you can buy that'll give you more elevation without the need for using a canted base. You can even shim the rear base (if you have 2 piece bases) for more elevation without warping the scope like regular rings will.

Phil

[Clark]

If I buy a rifle with rings that were lapped, I take the rings off and throw them away.
I have a lot of rifles and a lot of scopes. They play musical chairs with mounts staying with rifles and rings staying with scopes.
I glass bed between the mount(s) and receiver.
I align the mount(s) during bedding with fixturing so that the mounts are co planar, co linear, and a scope with the reticule adjusted to the center of the tube will be bore sighted or 20 moa high.
So I do not get ring marks and when I put a scope on a rifle, it is on the paper.