bent scope tube?

[schlzy31]

hey everyone! I was wondering if any one has ever experienced a bad set of scope rings bending a scope tube? i have been having lots of consistency problems with a previously verified burris xtr. got a kimber lpt and moved burris to kimber, 10 inch groups at 100! thought it was rifle took burris and new leupold rings off put on verified konus with bringerrett rings and wow kimber is half moa during break in? put burris and new leupold rings on varified rem sendero 223 {way accurate} and now my burris shoots 7 inch groups on rem? thought to check new rings, only unvarified parts of package. Number one i'm not a machinist so bare with me please. i put rem on table leveled on harris bipod with level on reciever, then on front ring [ring was also level}, move level to rear ring and geeze man no where close. So wanting to be positive before i call this kid back at leupold i switched ring positions to confirm that my reciever is not bent and wouldn't you know now front ring is bent! Anybody think my shadetree method has credibility or should i take these to machine shop first. the kid at leupold made it sound like those rings wouldn't damage my scope, But my burris seems to be wandering around now. any opinions or ideas?

 

[Ackman]

I have about a dozen pr. of rings sitting in a box. All different brands including Leupold. With each pair, none measure the same height from base to bottom of scope. The closest ones are about .003-.004' different and the worst are .006'-.007' off.....I believe the very worst is about .010' off. And the bottoms of the scope cradle usually aren't parallel to the base. In other words, both sides of the hole aren't the same height. A scope rides in that cradle under pressure. Rings are just tubes clamped to the scope and if they're not on the same centerline, something must give. Rings don't bend so the scope has to conform by flexing or bending. Burris Signature rings have floating plastic inserts which self align, that's one huge reason for using them. Another is that those inserts won't scratch a scope. They also have more clamping area and the plastic has better friction with a scope than metal rings do. I don't use anything else.

 

[GerryM]

I like the millet angle lock rings.
They come with paper liners, so you won't scratch the scope,
They lock right in and have windage built in . If your hole's on the rear bridge don't line up correctly these will cure the problem

 

[kokopelli]

Way back in 1994 I designed a set of tools to test for this very problem. My training is in optics testing and survey work. Bent scopes are very common because the various components in the mounting system are never perfect. Go to www.kokopelliproducts.com and do a bit of reading on the index page. You will learn that a very little tilting of scope rings can easily put 3/16 ' bend in a scope tube, drastically distorting the optics due to the misalignment of the lenses. You have experienced that in spades! Usually you just end up with a gun that won't group consistently. Thanks for the opportunity to help you find a solution.

 

[DonM]

Guys I found out a long time ago if you will just take a
steel lapping tool and touch the rings very lightly you
can real quickly test for misalignment of the rings. I
tighten the rings down on the lapping tool to make sure
there is no major ring misalignment. Then if you have a
misaligned set of rings, it is much cheaper to lay them
aside & install another set of rings than to damage your
scope barrel. I don't have rings marks & I also to my
knowledge have ever bent the barrel of a scope. I also
bed my scope in the rings. I use mostly Burris Signature
Rings on my Hunting Rifles & they are self aligning &
since the barrel is mounted in the plastic bushings the
do not leave ring marks either.

 

[LarryDScott]

I have a lot of Leupold adjustable windage base/ring sets in use. I ck the alignment with a steel bar thats the same size as my scope. Once I have the rings in position where there is no resistance on the bar as I slide it front to rear, I am now almost ready to mount my scope. I next coat the inside of each ring half w/a good quality rubber cement. Mount the scope as usual. It will squeeze the excess cement outside the rings. It looks like you have a disaster, but you dont. Let the cement dry on the outside of the scope and rings, then it will easily peel off w/o a trace. As we speak, I have never marked a scope tube using this process. I am now using the Burris Signature rings on rifles that I need to build elevation into. It works for me!! Larry in western Ky.