Scope bases and rings for RUM

[memtb]

Mike, sorry to hear of your hunting misfortune! However, a question......did the bases fail, or did the base mounting screws shear off?

On our heavy recoil rifles, we drilled and tapped our scope base screws to the next size larger. Cheap insurance! memtb

 

[Mike433]

Mike, sorry to hear of your hunting misfortune! However, a question......did the bases fail, or did the base mounting screws shear off?

On our heavy recoil rifles, we drilled and tapped our scope base screws to the next size larger. Cheap insurance! memtb

The base mounting screw on the rear of the base sheared off in this case. The front screws on the one piece base were still tight, so it appeared that everything was good. However, a sub MOA shooting gun went to a 5 inch group all of a sudden, so it was obvious something wasn't right. Unfortunately, there were no gunsmith's to be found out in the middle of nowhere so I was out of luck. Lesson learned and I won't be repeating that again if I can help it. Funny how you see the commercials for scopes undergoing the shock tests, but you never hear/see that about scope rings.

 

[Wedgy]

Shep posted this a while back ;

Just pin it. I use a #31 drill bit in a drill press. Drill right through the base into the receiver. Don't go all the way through the receiver. I usually put them right between the mounting screw holes. After drilling this .120 diameter hole take an 1/8 drill bit and cut a few pins from it with a cutoff wheel. This is .005 bigger than the hole you drilled. One drop of red locktite and tap the pins in. A small chamfer on the bottom of the pin helps it start in. Practically anyone can do this. These pins are much stronger than screws. I do all my actions like this. Go to 8-40 screws and pins. All on a bedded base. No more problems.
Shep

 

[WildRose]

Hard to beat pins for a permanent mount you'll never have to worry about again.

an 1/8" pin has more strength than six #8 screws combined. Threading a screw greatly reduces it's resistance to shearing forces and you never know when you'll get one or more that are weaker than the rest of the lot.

 

[Trm82]

I'm on my 3 rd 300 ultra and never had an issue with Talley light weights.
Two were rem 700 and one Abolt.

 

[Orange Dust]

I think you will be fine with your favorite bases and rings as long as you drill out the reciever for #8 screws, and bed the bases and rings. You can spend whatever, but I feel this is the way to go and you should do this on any rifle with heavy recoil, and or high precision. My RUM has Leupold picatinny bases and Nightforce rings. Neither are expensive, but have held up great. No slippage, or problems of any kind.

 

[Shane Lindsey]

I'm on my 3 rd 300 ultra and never had an issue with Talley light weights.
Two were rem 700 and one Abolt.

What scope(s)? Weight of each?

 

[Trm82]

What scope(s)? Weight of each?

Nothing crazy heavy , SHV , Zeiss V4 , leupold VX5

 

[memtb]

Yep heavy scopes and heavy recoil put a lot of stress on bases and rings.

That said the earlier Leupolds (before they went into the high power multiples) were pretty light scopes. For many years I used a 2.5-8 Leupold in Leupold Quick Release Rings on a rifle giving 60 ft/lbs recoil.....neither the scope nor the rings ever failed! memtb

 

[Shane Lindsey]

Nothing crazy heavy , SHV , Zeiss V4 , leupold VX5

That's pretty good. I had them fail with a V4 on a 308 Win.

SHV is heavy. Glad it worked!

 

[WildRose]

That's pretty good. I had them fail with a V4 on a 308 Win.

SHV is heavy. Glad it worked!

SInce it hasn't been mentioned yet, be sure they are torqued to the manufacturer's spec's.

Just the slightest free play or over torqueing and bad things start to happen in a hurry.

 

[Shane Lindsey]

Confidence in gear is everything.

I wish I could trust the Talley lightweights again. I have a set of Hawkins Hybrids on a 7mag with a NSX and I am a little weary.

 

[Triple BB]

I have Talley one piece ring/bases on two RUMs and a 338 Edge. I do use rosin inside the ring caps. Nighforce scopes, zero issues.

 

[WildRose]

Confidence in gear is everything.

I wish I could trust the Talley lightweights again. I have a set of Hawkins Hybrids on a 7mag with a NSX and I am a little weary.

I would venture a guess that the rings were not the problem, it was the screws or how they were torqued that caused the failure.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned it but I have Leupold QD mounts on my Dangerous Game Rifles and they have been flawless. Of course, they are specifically engineered for this type of purpose.