Is hand tight sufficient for Talley levers? I knock them a bit tighter with the end of a pocket knife, not sure if you can over tighten them ? (obviously not talking about a cheater bar!)

My DG rifle is a .404 so pretty mild recoil.

Hand tight is sufficient. I have found that recoil tends to tighten Talley levers to the point where a tool (plastic mallet) is needed to loosen them.
Roger

Plenty tight. The scope moves forward under recoil so unless your mounts do not have a front shoulder, over
-tightening isn’t accomplishing anything.

Hand tight hasn't worked for me... needed to tighten them with a bit of force to keep them from working back from recoil. That was a Zeiss 2.5x8 on a .375.

Same here. On my heavy rifles I use a small pipe that fits over the levers as a cheater bar. I have learned through experience that they will loosen if I don’t screw them down tight.

Like Michael Robinson I use a piece of arrow shaft to slip over the lever (about 4 inches long) thick shaft...I set the lever to go tight standing straight UP...with levers opposite side of the bolt..In time the levers seem to wear if you use them a lot with irons and I do..then back off and reset them..and one might harden them???

Thanks for the advise! Im heading to Moz. for a 16 day hunt with Neil Duckworth at the end of October. Fly camping and swamp buffalo, im fired up!

quote:

Originally posted by bwanamrm:
Hand tight hasn't worked for me... needed to tighten them with a bit of force to keep them from working back from recoil. That was a Zeiss 2.5x8 on a .375.

With the talleys butted up against the front recoil shoulder and the levers as tight as you can get them with your hand the scope is moving rearwards?

I use torx screws and at least one projection should be at the rear of the base and one or both having a block in both directions, the rear base has two and I file the rear one off to allow for the Talley detachable peep sight and no problem..and the front has a shoulder front and rear...and either can be filed to work in such cases...

I recall a good smith named Scott McCracken telling me that Zeiss scopes use a very slick finish that was all but impossible to contain..

Id try using rubber cement in the rings...The other problem is the heavy bulky scopes tend to move from recoil..

I only use Leupold but have talked to a lot of folks that use the European scopes with these complaints.

On a personal note based only on my experience from tests I performed several times, I don't use big varibles of any make, but if you must use the smaller varbles with a 20 MM front lens. They don't get knocked out of POI as often..

I've got them on a M70 375H&H with a Zeiss 3-9x40mm. Shot hundreds of rounds through it, with hand tightening only. Never once have they loosened. YMMV.

My experience has been hand tightening only on the Talleys mounted on my 450-400 and 375 Flanged double rifles. Both have Leupold scopes mounted in the Talleys. Never had to use additional methods on the levers to keep them tight. It has worked well when I've needed to take the scopes off for iron sights or to put the Trijicon RMRs on in place of the scopes. Just my two centavos worth on this issue.

Certain scopes have a graphite type finish and its slick enough to cause this problem. Leupolds do not..so the problem doesn't exist, or has not for me...IN some cases I file the rear bases expension off flat to slip on the Talley peep, again no problem...I use torx screws very tight btw and that helps, but use care in that they can in fact crush a scope tube on any scope or so Im told by the experts...Has not been so in my case??

Shooting isn;t the problem!! it bouncing around in a truck all day, every day, or worse yet the constant jogging of a horse with your rifle in a saddle scabbard day in and day out..That will tilt your cross hairs in time in many cases..Mostly a mount issue..

I have Talley steel QR rings on my CZ 550 in 500 Jeffery. I always hand tighten them then give the a little tap with 16 oz plastic mallet. They don't loosen. I take them off the same way 400 full power rounds through the 500 Jeffery and they still stay on target even when I take the scope off and put it back on.

Appreciate all the responses, varied opinions for sure.

Im going to keep knocking mine a bit tighter, I take my scope off fairly often here in TX to shoot pigs with with iron sites.

be more concerned about you scope than the mount sysptem The 500s and the Lott can trash the best of scopes between 25 and 250 rounds has been my experience..those that say otherwise have probably not shot their big bore enouogh as yet...

Given my druthers I like the receiver sight best and its fine at 100 to as much as 300 yards depending on the shooter skill and practice at longer ranges//...

My lever Talleys also use the big heavy torx screws..I carry the levers and a torx driver in my gun belt leather pouch, but have yet to change them out in the field, other than to put the scope on the rifle..I hunt DG with irons, and a 3X Leupold as a back up sight on bolt guns..My doubles are all used with traditional irons..

I really like the torx screw cheaper Talleys, they are stronger and projectionless..

When it come to heavy hitters, I have received enough comments that I hesitate to recommend lever systems for those guns. Seems to work just fine on light to medium.

Never had issues when using the Suhler claw mount system...and it's "On" and "Off" in a heart beat

Alaskan Arms rings are the best in the business.

Morris recommends liquid plumbers tape on the inside of the rings, it snugs up nice and creates a soft, grippy surface for the scope to “grab” on to.

I used the lever locks for a bit on 375 H&H and below. I had no issues with firmly hand tight. I replaced the lever locks with the screw locks. I did not have issues, but one less willow twig / branch collector.

I have a few rounds with a Swarovski 1-6x24 on a 458 Lott using the screw locks without issue. If I recall correctly these are tightened to 35 inch pounds. This is on a MRC rifle.

Edit to add rifle type.

quote:

Originally posted by JSM:
Is hand tight sufficient for Talley levers? I knock them a bit tighter with the end of a pocket knife, not sure if you can over tighten them ? (obviously not talking about a cheater bar!)

My DG rifle is a .404 so pretty mild recoil.

I have several sets of the Alaska Arms rings on Ruger rifles. I have never had an issue with any, including the 375 and 416 Rugers.
I have a set on a CZ 458 Lott. No issues with the few full house 500 grainers that I have put through it.

quote:

Originally posted by Colin Masters:
Alaskan Arms rings are the best in the business.

Morris recommends liquid plumbers tape on the inside of the rings, it snugs up nice and creates a soft, grippy surface for the scope to “grab” on to.

I agree, the old claw mount is the best of the litter by far..strong and returns to exact zero over and over again, bloody expensive btw, but so is a safari, I call it good insurance...

Isn't there two different conversations going here? The OP asked about how tight levers should be, which is about is locking the rings to the bases and to that question some posters have answered.

The other conversation is about preventing the scope moving in the rings which is a completely different issue. I've never used lever rings but as far as I am aware the levers have no bearing on how tightly the rings grip the scope tube. If they did play a part in locking the scope tube then loosening levers to remove a scope from the bases would be pure folly.

If you want rings that grip the scope without any other condiments to help go original Weavers with the steel upper saddle, nothing moves in those. Then again the same Weaver ring locks to bases perfectly too with a knurled nut which can easily be undone with a knife blade in the field to remove the scope if require, and will retain zero when refitted.

Oh I nearly forgot, of course Weavers look cheap and not pretty. Fuck me are we out hunting with equipment that works properly, or just looking pretty in the field, brushed hair, clean shirt and all

If we have to ask the question about how to keep levers tight then there is something not quite right, why go in the field with doubt when there are better options.
Yes claw mounts are the ultimate but I don't like scopes mounted like carry handles as so often they are in claw mounts. They should be left in Europe where they belong where many fuglys in the world of firearms live.

Just my two cents worth but if the bases are fitted (machined in place while on the receever) correctly there should be no movement of base/ring/scope attach

I agree and most of my rifles are surface ground and the bases fitted, I know it makes for return to zero work better..

The problem is all but non existant in calibers below the 458 L0tt or there abouts so finger tight if you must or better yet I suggest a light tap or push doesn't hurt a thing..