Reworking some Ruger rings....

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Hookeye

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Got two new Ruger rings for my #1.
Bottom halves seem right, drop scope in, lays in without having to push it down.

However........the tops would have gouged the heck out of the scope, would not drop over and with slight thumb pressure, would stick without going over.

Reminded me of folks doing the old Weaver strap rings the wrong way.

I had a fine little file so took the rings to my buds shop and he had a 1" alignment steel bar.
Hit em til they went over with ease.

Of course the scope dims are diff (bar not specialty machined- is used for alignment fine).

I have the rings usable now, could take maybe a little more. Wrapped 400 on the file and buffed em a bit. Will Cold blue and oil, let sit overnight then try the scope in em.

Know back in the day I'd have to knock the points off some Burris Zee rings, the new ones I have not needed to. But I still check all rings before use LOL.

Need a gloss scope for the #1, but picked up a like new Redfield Rev 3-9X for $125.
 
Wonder if the top halves had some spring to em when machined and that causing the issue.
 
Offset ring at back......the turret body touched the relief cut. I can only go back as far as the bevel of the ring, so in effect, the whole offset ring gets me
about an 1/8 of an inch in turret body shift over reg rings w it against.
Of course the span of the rings, w the offset at rear looks better.

But what a crock.
I put a sheet of paper between ring and scope turret. Binds. May touch without paper, can't tell, even with flash light.
Rings are Ruger mediums.

I have two options.....

go with high rings, or maybe place ring paper in lower halves, like the little slips Burris used to supply w their rings.

That might get the scope back a bit w clearance. The 3-9X Redfield Rev isn't horrible on eye relief, but dang if these rings make it still a stretch at 9x.

Maybe the offset ring wasn't clearanced enough?

Don't have another to check. Pretty much a cluster you know what. And I was watching for problems.
How many would bolt it together and crunch things?

Scoping a #1 is a PITA. Of course it's time for me to go to work.
Dunno if after I can drink enough beer to tolerate messing with it.
May be a Saturday job.
 
Or I could grind the ring for clearance.
Dunno if the Redfield turret body thicker on bottom than others, or the ring not made right.
Total crock any way you slice it.
 
Some scopes just have fat turret housing. The sig BDX are horrible for that because of the electronics the house.
 
Found some Burris scope ring paper and put one in each bottom half. Can see daylight now, about the thickness of the paper LOL.

Dunno if I can get the turret back more.
Might be Dremel time.

Wish I was back in the lab at my old job.
Bridgeport the sucker
 
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Proly order scope ring lapping tool.
Two buds have em, but I hate borrowing stuff. Rather be self suff. Even if it means blowing 50 bucks for 10 mins work.

Hell i have the oddball 48 pitch screws to fix stripped 1022 receiver base holes......and dont think Ill be buying another project LOL
 
One kid in hospital, other going to some wedding shower.

I should have a quiet and empty house before work, see if this scope is gonna work. Cold blued the rings, look fine.
Think Ruger cuts past center. The Burris friction tape was too long as is for the lowers.
 
An EGW base and reg Burris Zee rings would solve this mess.

However.....it is a '67 and that would hurt the look.

While i love the feel and look of a #1, I find the headache to be a bit much anymore.
Scoping is a PITA and hunting w a pretty rifle is a bit nervy too.

Another reason Ill.end up paying somebody to build one the way it should have been. Hopefully next yr.
 
Yeah, it almost matches (Ruger bluing is pretty crappy) LOL
Plus it's an older gun w oil finished stock, kinda dull.
The gaps aint the same on the rings, typical ruger.
I could "open" the rear.
If the gun shoots maybe. Have not tested it yet. Dunno if its a keeper.

Hence the cheap scope.
Gets me out on the range and testing.
Well, if I could find some .280 ammo.

Premium or .280 AI is all I've found. Not really wanting to burn that getting the thing on paper.
 
Note: the red "R" on the objective was removed w acetone.
Might make a brass filler for the "Redfield" name on the turret body recess.
Put "Ruger" on it.
Don't work in the lab anymore, where I could do the lettering under a microscope.
Might be able to do it at lunch in the QC dept that has scopes where I work now (diff company).
My hunting bud a supervisor there :)
 
FWIW the Leupold Freedom scope turret body is too square to run on medium offset ring, would hit hump of ring.

Ugly scope anyway, but......

Dunno what will get done tomorrow. Yard guy hasnt shown up so will do it myself. Allergic.....gonna make for a rough couple hrs after.
 
Hookeye said:
Proly order scope ring lapping tool.
Two buds have em, but I hate borrowing stuff. Rather be self suff. Even if it means blowing 50 bucks for 10 mins work.

Hell i have the oddball 48 pitch screws to fix stripped 1022 receiver base holes......and dont think Ill be buying another project LOL
Click to expand...

Good investment. I never wanted to spend the money for a lapping tool but finally did. Well worth the investment. Got the kit with 1", 30 MM and scope leveling tool on sale awhile back and I am glad I did. I sure wasted a lot of time and trial and error being cheap...
 
The turret body isnt super thick on the bottom but maybe more than old Leupolds.
So....ring will need a few thousandths removed.

PITA.

BTW.....serial # on this rifle below 1900 :)
 
Am fed up w Ruger rings. Leupold offset has stupid logo on top.

Dug my ugly arsed Steyr from the safe and its golden. Easy set up and no worry about dinging the wood.

All Ruger had to do was scallop rib 3/ 8 more rearward.

Classic rifle/ design and a classic PITA.

Life is too.short to mess w such nonsense.
Looks like the only way to get things done right, is to go custom.
 
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Drove to the shop to put the rifle on consignment, and they were closed.
YGBFKM.

So with a hr or so before work I grabbed a file and some 400 grit paper.

Got a little taken off. And it didnt get me much. View attachment 936708
 
The curve to the high flat near the screw head moved back and the flat to the bevel was sloped a wee bit.

Still not enough.
 
It appears from looking at pics, that an old Leupold has a thinner at bottom turret housing.

Silly prices on clean 40 yr old scopes.
Not gonna pay that.
 
Even if I clearance the offset ring, the top halves go over center, and can mark up a scope.
Kinda irritating.

Mulling it over I said to heck with it, the old vertical split rings go only to center.
Bundled up I proly won't be able to run the scope above 6x hunting, but oh well.

The factory screws are boogered. Nobody had good screwdrivers back then LOL.
6-40. The tops are short and are same length as current horizontal Ruger ring screws.
I'll go to my LGS and they have some used rings, may be able to get one w good screws for 10 bucks.
That fixes the top ring screws.

The bottoms are longer. Read the grip frame screws on a Single Six will work. 6 bucks each from Brownells.
I don't have my old Single Six anymore or I'd pop one out to check. Think it'd be the ones on top of grip frame.
My buddy has one, will see if he can bring it over.

Be cool to swap em all over to torx though. Some purist would have a heart attack.
 
I only have one box of 280 ammo, Federal Premium.
The ol lady wants to shoot this weekend. She slightly better looking than me.
Might let her blast the #1 for photo op.
Might make it fetch top dollar after I blast a deer and put it on the block.
If it shoots like crap, it will go bye bye before deer season.
 
Ordered lower grip frame screw. That and the used ring at the shop, 20 bucks and it will look dang near like new.
Only one lower boogered. Hell my dad might have the screws............but he's kind of a low rent Numrichs, and I can order stuff from across the country and have it before he could find it at his place LMAO

Replace the pitted grip cap for another 20 bucks and the thing will be downright presentable.
 
Went to bed at 530 am. Up at 10. Off to the gunshop to get ring screws...

Cleaned up the orig lower screw. Have new coming.

Note: dont use a wheeler torque wrench on little slotted screws w more than 15 in lbs. The snap over will booger em up.
I set mine at 20 and never got to the snap over, for fear or slip out. Even when holding bit to ring w off hand.

View attachment 936916
 
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