when putting on a new scope do you need to lap it? i have seen several being put on at sport shops and asked why they do not lap them and i just got a funny look. Are there any good dvd on the scope mounting subject or scope rings that you can use that you can forget lapping? Looking for all and any advice.

quote:

when putting on a new scope do you need to lap it?

No, you don't. It usually is not needed. The Burris Signature rings are great as they self align and don not stress the scope tube. It does depend if you are shooting long range, i.e. 1000 yards, then you amy want to get into the finer points. But getting the rings lined-up properly and torquing the screw to the right torque is a good place to start and is perfect for most applications. But lapping is not needed.

Sam, if you lap anything, you lap the rings and not the scope. Lapping the scope would remove the scope finish, and that would look rather odd.

Like Johnny, I like the Burris Signature rings - the plastic inserts don't mar the scope finish. When remounting a scope on another rifle, you'll appreciate this.

On rings other than the Burris Signatures, I tend to lap the rings. It not only helps in terms of preserving the scope finish, it also compensates for rings which are not set up 100% square to the bore of the rifle.

I got my lapping kit from Brownells. The instructions are pretty good, so you should be able to correctly lap rings just following those. If I remember correctly, the Brownell's instructions suggest you only lap the lower rings. I tend to lap the upper rings as well - just assemble the rings around the lapping rod so that they *juuust* start to grip the rod. You should still be able to move the lapping rod fairly freely, but have contact to both upper and lower ring halves. Don't overdo it, I believe the instructions tell you to stop when a certain percentage of the finish inside the scope rings has been removed. That is probably about right. Lapping a pair of rings only takes about 5 minutes, so IMHO, it is well worth doing.

- mike

I have ~100 rifles and only ~50 scopes.

They play musical chairs.

The scopes with the big bells get higher rings.

I have standardized on Weaver rings.

I glass bed the Weaver mounts to the receiver with an alignment process that gets them in the same plane and co-linear.

When a scope moves, sometimes 4 times in one trip to the range, the rings stay with the scope.

If I buy a rifle with lapped rings, I take the lapped rings off and throw them in the garbage.
I glass the mounts to the receiver, and break out some new rings.

What does it all mean?
Weaver rings are very accurately made in alignment between the scope tube bore and the V-block that mates the mount.
Weaver mounts just screwed on to receivers have poor alignment.
If someone laps the rings to compensate for mount alignment, we now have two errors.
If we align the mounts and use un lapped rings, we have no large errors.

We've lapped the rings on some of our rifles, but I can say that the vast majority of them use Burris Signature rings to avoid the problem altogether. They work extremely well and don't leave any marks on the scopes.

quote:

I glass bed the Weaver mounts to the receiver with an alignment process that gets them in the same plane and co-linear.

tnekkcc....I would be interested in your method of alignment and the beding process also. Sounds interesting as I do like weaver style mounts & rings as they are like QD systems. Either PM me of post here is fine too.

quote:

Originally posted by JohnnyB:
tnekkcc....I would be interested in your method of alignment and the beding process also. Sounds interesting as I do like weaver style mounts & rings as they are like QD systems. Either PM me of post here is fine too.

Ditto. I've thought about it, but what comes to mind is awfully complicated and wouldn't make it any easier to locate the bases properly for epoxying or soldering.

When installing a scope, I first do ring alignment using a pair of alignment rods. I also put one to two layers of electrical tap on the inside of the rings. The tape prevents scratching of the scope. This approach has being working well for me so far.

Cheers!