[ed dixon]

What's the best thing to use to rough new scope rings? Is roughing always a good idea?

[dakotasin]

i've never roughed a scope ring, and i've never had a scope or its system fail on me.

i use leupold scopes.

i've had success w/ warne or leupold rings. also have success w/ leupold, weaver, ken farrell and nightforce bases.

have a set of talley lightweights here... but haven't had a chance to wring them out yet. however, have heard great things about them...

[WalkerTexasRanger]

Sinclair has a scope ring hand lapping kit, you might consider this. It works like a champ...

[nextjoe]

What do you mean by "roughing" the rings? Sometimes lapping is necessary to get full contact, but I've never heard anyone use the term "roughing."

Best,
Joe

[ed dixon]

Joe, I'm glad you responded. The impression I had was that the rings were "roughed" or scuffed up, I guess, in order to give a better bite and hold on the scope barrel. Now you've made me realize that I may have been thinking completely opposite to what's supposed to be done. If "lapping" is what's supposed to be done then I know that's true. So the rings are smoothed for a closer fit and not "roughed" for a ... more violent one? Trust me to ask which serrated knife to use when fine grit sand paper is called for. Am I on the right track now? (Scope or rings haven't been touched yet.)

[nextjoe]

Ed,

Scuffing up the rings would do two things: give you LESS contact between scope and ring, and mangle the scope tube. I don't consider either one a good thing :D

You just bought a CZ, right? The CZ factory rings are VERY well made. The set that came with my 9.3x62 didn't need any lapping at all and left NO marks on the scope tube when I switched scopes. They made full, even contact and held the scope just fine.

I'd just try mounting the scope without doing anything to the rings. It'll probably be fine. Actually, I'd be very surprised if you had any trouble. Most problems crop up when you use a light rifle, a big, heavy scope, a hard-kicking caliber, and crappy mounts. Then it can be a major challenge getting everything to stay put.

My dad set up a Winchester Model 70 in .300 Ultra Mag with a heavy scope in crappy Millett rings. They self-destructed within 15 rounds.

Some guys swear up and down that EVERY set of scope rings MUST be lapped NO MATTER WHAT. I don't buy it. If all the parts are made right, lapping shouldn't be necessary AT ALL.

Best,
Joe

[hksw]

I've used (and still use) Wheeler with good success. Not only does lapping increase the mating surfaces between the scope and ring but if you get the longer lapping systems that do both rings at the same time, it will align (square up) your rings. When lapping, though, it is, IMO, important that the upper and lower rings are paired the way they were lapped. That is, the front upper should be dedicated to the front lower, etc. Mark them so.

[Art Eatman]

How is the lapping done? Wooden dowel and fine sandpaper? Or a wooden dowel with the fine compound from a can of Clover?

I don't remember which of the two carries it, but I bought some 1000 grit sandpaper at either Ace or TrueValue. (One has it; the other doesn't.)

Art

[swifter]

I used to use a Sinclair lapping kit, but now I use Burris Signature rings, a much more elegant solution...:D
Tom

[makarov]

There are a couple of good sites that describe the lapping procedure do a google search for "scope ring lapping" - basically the idea is to wear away a very small amount of the rings if they are mis-aligned in any way. You mount the rings and then run a 1" metal bar back and forth and sideways in kind of a figure-8 pattern. The kit just gives you a bar with a handle to make it easier. You could use a 1" piece of bar stock and valve grinding compound.

As someone else mentioned above not all rings need this. I mounted a set of CZ rings on my 527 and they seemed to line up perfectly. The scope fit very well with no lapping whatsoever. You don't need to roughen the surface of the rings for more "gription" <--- new word.

[ShaiVong]

I have some.... Errr. I think their Leupold scope rings (holding a BSA Scope! I think the rings cost more!) and they have some kind of felt or pad or some kind of grippy cushion inside the rings.. I think it does a superb job without any kind of hack n slash.

I even took the scope off of the base, removed the base, fired from open sights for a while, replaced base, replaced scope, and it still was shooting dead on.

[jthuang]

I'd like to know too ... I have an Aimpoint Comp M-XD and Aimpoint Rail Grabber mount that really need this treatment! No matter what I do, the scope rotates in the mount as I shoot, causing me to lose zero. :(

Justin

[Steve Smith]

Art, I think they use a metal bar with some rings in it, and a polishing slurry.


One the one scoped rifle I own, I used RTV on the rings when I tightned them...of course, I have 15 cars on jack stands in the front yard, too.

[Art Eatman]

Steve, you're telling us your house is easy to find? :)

Never had any kind of problem with scope rings, so the polishing-thing is all new to me.

Art

[nextjoe]

jthuang,

Ross Seyfried recommends something called "Scotch Kote" from 3M. He says it's a rubbery material that he applies to the inside of the rings. "When it dries the scope is 'glued' in the rings with a very tough but flexible material that can stand any amount of shock and vibration."

I've never tried it, or even seen the stuff for that matter, but if Ross says it works, that's good enough for me.

Best,
Joe