MOUNTING OPTICS

[1911cwp]

Are there individuals here that actually go through the actions of bedding scope rails, lapping scope rings and torquing the screws in the rail and rings?

 

[CatShooter]

Are there individuals here that actually go through the actions of bedding scope rails, lapping scope rings and torquing the screws in the rail and rings?

Not moi...

I use Burris Signature ZEE rings - they don't need any of that stuff.

 

[Shynloco]

I've done some of that before...BUT (and as Catshooter writes) found it to be unnecessary and added no improvement (inaccuracy or my score) over using Burris Zee Rings, Leupold or any of the other quality rings on my rifles. Even lapping my rings didn't really help, but it may actually relieve any stress on the tube of a scope IF you have uneven height on you rings and there is no relief on that stress, like with Burris zee inserts. Just my thoughts.

Alex

 

[MK 19]

Are there individuals here that actually go through the actions of bedding scope rails, lapping scope rings and torquing the screws in the rail and rings?

When I was still in the retail optics business I would mount 7 to 10 scopes every day, every one of those had every screw torqued to proper specs, but rarely would the rings be lapped, that only happened on the guys who were looking for the utmost in accuracy AND had a rifle that could deliver it

 

[Keith Glasscock]

Every single screw and bolt on my rifles has a torque specification. I see using the proper torque as a part of the consistency of my setup.

I now use the zee signature rings also making lapping unnecessary.

I do bed scope rails in certain applications. On my current f-open rifle, it is not needs, but my Remingtons and Savages get bedded.

 

[Lapua40X]

I have never found a scope rail that mates perfectly with the receiver. Therefore I bed rails. I've never lapped scope rings and have recently discovered Burris Signature Z rings which totally eliminate any need for lapping.

 

[p-man]

I do on all that I mount now but then again I have more time on my hands than most - at the least, lapping and then bedding scope rings saves the finish on scopes and at best, provides a stress free solid mount for the optics . . . which given the fact that the glass costs more than the rifles they're mounted on, I think it's a prudent action to take . . . of course if you have $ to piss away . . .

 

[fdshuster]

I do not bed the scope bases, nor do I lap the rings anymore. Spent many hours lapping rings as precisely as I could, and the end result was always: ring marks on the scope tube. The Burris Signature Zee ring and base mount screws are all torqued down using my Borka inch pound wrench. They are also tightened in a cross pattern, as you would do when mounting a wheel on a vehicle.

Each scope has its' own dedicated set of rings that remain with the scope. The gap between the upper and lower rings are kept identical on both sides.

 

[1911cwp]

TNX for the comments. I have seen the Borka wrench and am thinking about getting it due to its size, quality, and multiple settings. I have been told most rings don't need lapping and remove the anodized finish and that removes protection for the ring itself. Of course there are others who believe otherwise. I have read about ZeeRings, but I have NF rings, rail and scope. I can wait to mount these so there is no rush.

 

[p-man]

If you bed lapped rings then the epoxy becomes the new 'protective finish' for your rings - most performance tactical rings these days are aluminum alloy which are not very corrosion prone - I always wipe down both the tube and the rings with Barricade before final mounting and have never had a corrosion issue with either steel or alloy rings

 

[1911cwp]

Well, I spent 2x as much on the scope as the rifle and I understand that is the norm. I do not compete. I just want to do as much as reasonable to enjoy shooting LR. I can always move the scope to another rifle and go back and forth. I have been successful with factory rifles shooting Whitetail and expect I could increase my range with time and experience on the range. I could bed the rail with JP weld. I don't really know if I need to lap rings for cosmetic purposes. I rally don't think it would matter much for me. Did I just answer my own question? However I do think a torque wrench is a good tool to have.

 

['Freak]

If you truly stress free bed a barreled action into a stock and then bolt down a scope/rings/base combination such that everybody has to do some conforming to one another, what happens with that “stress free” part?

 

[Prometheus]

Are there individuals here that actually go through the actions of bedding scope rails, lapping scope rings and torquing the screws in the rail and rings?

I glue all mounts and bedding is done for each scope with metal powder filled epoxy with very good results.

 

[p-man]

Ole Freak, if that question was directed to me, the answer is that when you mount your scope and there's any bias at all between the front ring and rear ring OR the rings are not in true alignment . . . then there will be uneven pressures or torque applied to the scope - in other words the misaligned rings will apply a 'bending' pressure against the scope tube - if you lap the scope rings then you remove the bias in the rings - now there can be some low spots that remain afterwards because you can only lap so much . . . so if you further bed the scope tube to the rings, you end up with a 100% EVEN contact with the scope tube in each ring which by happenstance also protects the scope tube from coming into "metal to metal" contact . . . i.e. preventing scratching or marring the scope . I hope that this helps explain my points better. Sorry, I should have done a better job the first time.

 

[dickn52]

Lap sometimes, torque all the time.

 

['Freak]

I’m wondering about induced stress affects on the receiver if the rings are misaligned and you just clamp on a scope anyways?

 

[BoydAllen]

I tighten by feel, but have a lot of time in with a wrench and screwdriver in my hand. There are situations where I use a torque wrench, like engine building, and anywhere I think that there is a danger of stripping a threaded hole. As to bedding bases, I do it if close inspection indicates the fit is anything but perfect. With the exception of Burris Signature rings, I always lap. Until you cycle the lapping bar in the rings a few times, there is no way to really know what you have for contact, and in this era of over $2,000 scopes, I refuse to assume anything. Where the ring caps part, I do the corners and edges of the parting line, rounding them off slightly, after I have good contact by lapping. Some years back, I mounted some scopes for the owner of the company that I worked for, they included two 40X Marchs, and a 10-60. I did the best work that I know how to, and when they were removed from their rings, there was narry a mark. It seems to me that some people do not have the temperament for this sort of work, and for them, I recommend that they either find someone who does, or use scopes that are affordable enough that they will not be upset when they find ring marks. I really like Kokopelli bars, and if you insist on using turn in rings, his alignment bars. IMO they are the best.

 

[fdshuster]

p-man: I agree that rings that may not be in perfect alignement can put stress on the scope tube when the rings are tightened, another reason I use the Signature Zee rings. Since they are free to self-align in the concave mating surface between the steel rings and the nylon inserts, another of the many advantages of using them is: no induced stress on the scope tube.

Even when using the off-set inserts the inserts are free to self-align.

 

[seymour fish]

big +1 for Kokopeli bars. Often find with aluminum rings (lapped or not) that it may take a few cycles of shoot/retorque for them to take a permanent 'set'. Bears watching. Seymour