Lapping scope rings?
#11
Guest
Posts: n/a
I always lap the rings. Ever since I started, I have yet for rings to slip. And there is no marks whatsoever on my scopes if I take it out. Imagine the torque your putting on rings. The alignment things I don't care about. But if you get lapping on both rings, your in the money.
Be sure to cold blue the inside of the rings after lapping. They will rust if you don't.
Be sure to cold blue the inside of the rings after lapping. They will rust if you don't.
#12
The only time you need to lap the rings is to remove any burrs or tooling marks.
Leupold rings and bases are very very very bad for needing to be lapped to get a perfectly aligned set of rings.
It is also very easy to get the bases out of alignment from each other. There is a significant amount of play between the screw holes in the bases and the screw heads.
This is why I will now only use Game Reaper mounts on any rifle I purchase in the future. They are 1 piece from top to bottom CNC machined from solid heat treated 6061 aluminum bar stock.
http://dnzproducts.com/index.php?main_page=page&id=4
#13
Its usually not the bases that dont line up, they line up w/ the holes in the receiver ,which are usually ,directly lined up w/ the bore. The rings are usually what are out of alignment, since many have windage adjustments, and even the screws, that are almost impossible to line up w/ each other w/out an alignment tool. Lapping the rings however, has nothing to do with scope alignment. Lapping is to smooth out surfaces.
#14
I dont know what kit you have SW, but if its the wheeler brand from midway, its called "scope alignment AND LAPPING kit" which sounds like two different purposes to me. The SA "tool" (the 2 pointed bars) are what you use to line up the rings ,either by turning them, in the case of turn in mounts, or adjusting the windage screws and mounting screws. I still dont see how you could take off enough metal w/ such a fine grit lapping compound, to change the alignment of your rings, especially if it was as off as you say. Im not a gunsmith but Ive always read the reason for lapping was to smooth out the inside surface of the rings to prevent slipping w/ heavier caliber guns.
#15
#17
I dont know what kit you have SW, but if its the wheeler brand from midway, its called "scope alignment AND LAPPING kit" which sounds like two different purposes to me. The SA "tool" (the 2 pointed bars) are what you use to line up the rings ,either by turning them, in the case of turn in mounts, or adjusting the windage screws and mounting screws. I still dont see how you could take off enough metal w/ such a fine grit lapping compound, to change the alignment of your rings, especially if it was as off as you say. Im not a gunsmith but Ive always read the reason for lapping was to smooth out the inside surface of the rings to prevent slipping w/ heavier caliber guns.
#18
Fork Horn
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: tampa fl USA
Posts: 184
i recently bought the wheeler kit as well. and i wish that i would have bought something like it years ago. i will use it from now on. after i bought the kit i installed a new scope on my A-bolt using the Talley two piece bases. after i installed the bases i checked them with the alignment bars, and the alignment was slightly off. so i followed the directions and lapped the bases and rings. afterwards the alignment bars were right on. plus, during the lapping process i noticed that i was gaining mounting surface for the scope, rings, and bases. which as you all know will help to keep the scope from shifting during recoil. another thing i wished i would have had for years is the torque wrench (screw driver). i'm very particular when it comes to torqueing nuts, bolts, and screws when i work on my motorcyle and ATVs. even if the actual torque force from my torque wrenches aren't exactly the same as a factory torque wrench, atleast the force is even among the given fasteners i'm torqueing. like the 8 ring mounting screws in a scope mounting kit.
#20
Guest
Posts: n/a
Actually it does. That's why the lapping compound and lapping bar come in a kit called a "Scope Alignment Kit". It does smooth out the surfaces but it will also remove some material and align the rings. Hence, the use of the two pointed alignment bars. I slowly watched my rings come into alignment through several sessions of lapping.
How I found out was I used my alignment kit then I lapped, but found I was removing one side of the rings on one ring a lot and the opposite side on the other.