Is scope ring lapping necessary?

[Justin1098]

Like the title says, Is it necessary to lap or streighten your rings? Has anybody seen any conclusive gain?

I have mounted several scopes on several rifles and never noticed any misalignment or lack of accuracy (on the scopes part).

 

[fdshuster]

Justin1098: Nope, no law that says you gotta lap 'em. All you will do though is increase the chances of leaving some really ugly ring mark damage on the scope tube.

If you're talking about a $49.95 "Made in China" scope, who cares? But, I cringe at the thought of having ring marks on my Nightforce's & higher end Leupold's.

Lapping properly will most likely prevent any serious damage, depending on the quality of the rings to begin with, but anytime you have tightly fitted metal to metal contact, you are certain to leave some marking.

Only one of the reasons why I gave up on lapping scope rings, and since they became available, have bought nothing but the Burris Signature Zee rings with the nylon inserts. None of my many scopes have even the slightest trace of ring marks on the tubes.

Give lapping a try for yourself. Difficult to do any damage, but it may be an advantage.

 

[Tozguy]

Misalignment of rings is not something you would see with the naked eye unless it is very bad.
Lapping the rings usually shows up any misalignment within a few strokes of the lapping tool.
Depending on the quality of the rings, lapping may also correct other defects in the rings.

It is impossible to generalize about and predict the gain in accuracy from lapping your rings. As Frank said, give it a try and see for yourself if it is worth adopting in your situation.

 

[watercam]

It is a pain but I am always amazed, after the first ten strokes or so, how little material is actually contacting some rings that I had aligned with duel pointers. One can insert small pieces of emory cloth or very fine sand paper (grit away from the scope body) under the scope. Holds the scope securely yet allows a certain misalignment without marring the scope body in any way. A trick from Layne Simpson I believe. Works perfectly on my .300 Weatherby as well as one of my match rifles.

 

[LHSmith]

According to some sources, the problem with Leupold Competition BR scopes a few years ago was that skinny single screw rings were actually swageing the scope tube and causing internals to bind. In BR it is fairly evident when a scope fails to hold POA. If ring pressure is that critical that it can cause dimensional changes on a scope sitting on a custom action (with high-end rings and bases) whose scope mounting holes are in super-close alignment to the action CL, you can imagine how much this alignment will be off on factory actions with mass-produced ring and bases. .......the tolerance stack-up may measure in fractions of inches. I have seen many lapped rings on factory actions and almost invariably they had at least one ring that had bearing on only on the outside edge of the ring. If this misalignment kinks or twists the scope tube, it can't be good for the internals.

 

[LHSmith]

Depending on the ring manufacturer and how much they must be lapped, I believe once they are lapped to a specific action they may not be usable on another.......specifically thinking Kelbly's with their close tolerances and the fact they are machined as a set....I would not buy a set that has already been lapped.
Also, all lapping tools are not created equal. I would stay clear of the cheaper sets....they are not made to close enough tolerances to do the lapping properly.
Thumbs up to Burris inserts.....one of the great innovations in optic hardware.

 

[lightman]

I lapp every set of rings that I mount.Its not the rings or bases that are out of tolerance,but the action.Most of the Remingtons that I have done showed a little misalignment,one was bad enough that I bedded the base.The only two custom actions that I have were perfect.No slight intended to Remington.You will not see any improvement in group size by lapping,but your scope may track better,and the rings will grip the scope better,and leave fewer marks.To me,the small amount of work required is worth the piece of mind when I mount an expensive scope.The tool that I use came from Sinclair,and seems to be of good quality. Lightman PS,I plan to try the Burris rings in the future.

 

[fredhorace77]

I lap all my rings. It also helps in your confidence with the firearm

 

[vmaxpro]

I wouldnt dream of not lapping them in, especially with a savage.

 

[LHSmith]

6 out of 7 responses advocate lapping rings, along with an anecdote of how stressing a scope tube can create havoc shooting small groups. Perhaps it's all about what kind of accuracy is acceptable to you. Me, if I can't hit a 1/16" dot at 100 yds 18 out of 25 ....I'm frustrated.....and I know it ain't gonna happen with a scope that the front ring is cocked left while the rear ring is cocked right. Sometimes I think people are just searching for opinions to agree with their own notions.

 

[Justin1098]

Im am not one of those people you speak of, atleast consciously. I am just curious because I only learned of this recently. The scopes I have now have 35mm tubes and lapping bars are harder to find. Maybe 35mm tubes are less likely to flex? I know my IOR 9-36x scope feels pretty heavy.

And I do care about accuracy and to be quite honest I cant hit a 1/16" dot 18 out of 25 times but I can hit a 1/8" dot about half the time and my groups are usually about 1/4 inch for 5 shots.

 

[gotcha]

+1 for LHSMITH. If your scope is in the slightest bind it can also prematurely wear the delicate elev. & windage adjustments. No matter how high quality your present base/ ring combo, it can only be as parallel as the base mounting screws allow & levelness of receiver front to rear allow. So the short answer to your question is, no it isn't necessary if you don't care about accuracy beyond a fixed distance and don't mind trashing scopes prematurely.

 

[Tozguy]

Is ring lapping necessary....the best answer is .....it depends! Justin, with your level of experience you must have known from the beginning that no one could generalize and tell you that ring lapping will shrink anybody's groups by x amount. The best way for you to answer the question 'Is it necessary for me' is to try it.
The comparison with primer pocket cleaning doesn't fly. Try a comparison with buying a borescope, you don't know how necessary one is until you take the plunge. Good luck.

 

[NATE49]

When it comes to accuracy. I like to know it was my fault if I miss or not happy with a group I shot. I refuse to blame my equipment because I know that everything I can do to to the rifle and ammunition was done properly. I lap my rings so I don't wonder if it could have been a better shot. when I miss I blame myself because my equipment is 100 %

 

[BoydAllen]

http://www.kokopelliproducts.com/acckit.htm

 

[Forum Boss]

I use Burris Signature Zee rings which have polymer inserts. No lapping necessary. Good enough? Well Rodney Wagner used Sig Zees to shoot a sub - 0.40" group at SIX hundred yards. I have found the zero is dead reliable -- so long as you re-establish your zero if you move the scope fore or aft.

 

[watercam]

+1 for Burris Sig. Zee rings. The off-set inserts can be life savers as well.

 

[BoydAllen]

They are available in 34mm.
http://ads.midwayusa.com/product/68...ses, Mounting & Accessories-_-Burris-_-686977

 

[stork]

No surprises here.

Burris Signature Zee rings or lapping. The first time you lap you'll see the reason why.
Al

 

[6MMsteve]

always lapp the bottom and deburr the top or chamfer the top edges, I use light to see how the scope is bedded, on a new set of rings you will always see light on a new set, after you lapp and set the scope in you will see no light scope will fit nicely, I use plane ol stick of cold steel for 1in rings drill and tap it for a handle make it about 12in long so you can make a good long motion