Fellas,

Recently swapped in a new set of Warne scope rings (permanent attach) on my Marlin, and I can't get the base/bottom screws to tighten down all the way. I had a set of their QD rings on previously with no issues. I'm following their instructions to the letter.

1. Place ring halves around the scope and loosely tighten all 4 screws.
2. Transfer the assembly to the rifle and seat the rings on the base.
3. Push the rings forward in the slot and tighten bottom screws to 25 in/lbs
4. Adjust eye relief/level and tighten top screws to 25 in/lbs

When I follow these instructions, the scope is tight in the rings, but the rings will not tighten up enough to be tight to the base. The whole thing still shifts back and forth. I tried mounting just the rings to the base to see if I could determine anything, and without the scope in the rings, they will mount rock solid to the base. Put the scope in the equation, and it's now loose. I've triple checked and everything is in alignment, assembled correctly, and seated correctly. I mic'd the base and the slots are between .815-.818" wide with the shoulders being .830".

Anybody else have this problem? I've used Warne rings in the past and never had an issue? Suggestions?

I've had this happen once a few years ago. The base was out of spec and lacked a tiny bit in width. I've used Warne rings for a long time and never had any issue with them -- and in fact they are the ONLY rings I will use as they are not only durable but never, ever leave any markings on a scope tube.

One thing to mention: make sure the top screws are only engaged by a thread or two before fully tightening the bottoms. But I'm still leaning toward the base as the culprit.

More information from my tinkering -

I took the bare rings, no scope in them, and mounted them to the Weaver rail per their instructions. Bottom screws torqued, I torque the top screws and sure enough, the bottoms loosen up. It's like a seesaw effect. When I loosened the top again, the bottoms tightened up.

Sounds like I'm going to be ringing in the New Year by complaining to Warne!

Yes, it sounds like a call to Warne is in order. The consolation here is that their CS is top-notch.

Contacted Warne support a few days ago and they just got back to me this morning. I tried their suggestion and it worked like a charm. Here is the direct response from their excellent technicians:

quote:

That is a common issue. Some things I want you to keep in mind are...
25 in/lbs. is our maximum torque.
You can easily run 25 in/lbs. on the ring where it attaches to the rail or receiver, but running something like 18 in/lbs. on the top two screws is totally fine. I have found this will solve that issue every time. 25 inch pounds bottom to firearm, 18 inch pounds top.

Scope is mounted solidly and I'll probably get the opportunity to shoot it over the next few days to test out the specs. I wanted to post the reply here so others can reference it if they ever experience this. This probably isn't the last set of Warne rings I'll install, so this one goes in the memory banks for later.

Glad it is resolved! I love Warne rings and will use nothing else any more. A year or two ago, I sold a Conquest scope that had been in and out of Warne rings over a dozen times, and the tube still could have passed for brand new.