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34mm Scope Ring Lapping Bar - (I can't find one)
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Picture of Kenati
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Does anyone know where I can locate a 34mm scope ring lapping bar?

I have the Sinclair scope lapping kit, but they don't have the 34mm.

Thanks in advance!
 
Posts: 1051 | Location: Dirty Coast | Registered: 23 November 2000Reply With Quote
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Why not make one? Shouldn't be too hard with a lathe.


Jim Kobe
10841 Oxborough Ave So
Bloomington MN 55437
952.884.6031
Professional member American Custom Gunmakers Guild

 
Posts: 5523 | Location: Minnesota | Registered: 10 July 2002Reply With Quote
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Drill rod?
 
Posts: 1295 | Location: N.J | Registered: 16 October 2004Reply With Quote
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Picture of Big Wonderful Wyoming
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Not to pry, but most of the 34mm scope rings are fairly expensive jobs themselves.

What brand did you buy that is out of whack that much, so I can avoid it?
 
Posts: 7782 | Location: Das heimat! | Registered: 10 October 2012Reply With Quote
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G'Day Fella's,

Kenati, about the only real option I am aware of is, to get a piece of 1 1/2" diameter round Steel bar ( 8 Inches long + 2 Inches to hold it in the chuck of the lathe = 10" total length) and have some body machine it down to just under 34mm!

The reason I say to just under 34mm is, you need some tolerance, to accommodate the abrasive lapping compound!
To do this correctly, you will need a qualified person to measure you scope to confirm that it is exactly 34mm or 1.3385" in diameter! I would then machine the lapping bar to 1.3350" in diameter! The thing you really need to make sure about is, that who ever it is that machines the lapping bar, that hey have a lathe capable of turning/machining your piece of steel parallel at this diameter, over the 8" length!!!
They will then need to shamfer both ends and then part it off. Then Drill and Tap a hole about 1/2 way along, to accommodate a 1/4" + size bolt, to hold onto this thing with!

Hope that helps

Doh!
Homer


Lick the Lolly Pop of Mediocrity Just Once and You Will Suck For Life!
 
Posts: 459 | Location: Canberra, Australia | Registered: 21 July 2009Reply With Quote
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Kokopelli Products makes a 34mm ring lapping kit.
 
Posts: 1244 | Location: Golden, CO | Registered: 05 April 2001Reply With Quote
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Picture of Kenati
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quote:
Originally posted by DavidReed:
Kokopelli Products makes a 34mm ring lapping kit.


I wrote and asked him if he carried one. I will save him some embarrassment and NOT post his response here. What a jerk. I would NEVER buy anything from him.
 
Posts: 1051 | Location: Dirty Coast | Registered: 23 November 2000Reply With Quote
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quote:
Originally posted by Kenati:
quote:
Originally posted by Big Wonderful Wyoming:
Not to pry, but most of the 34mm scope rings are fairly expensive jobs themselves.

What brand did you buy that is out of whack that much, so I can avoid it?


It is not a brand thing. I lap everything form expensive Bobro, Leupold Mark 4, Nightforce, Griffin, Talley... all the way down to the most inexpensive ring.

A common misconception is that the rings are poor quality or not finished well. That is sometimes the case, but no always.

On classic 2 piece mounts, the rings may be fine, but the holes drilled in the receiver may be off. There may be misalignment in the Picatinny base which can cause perceived issues with the rings being misaligned. Or the little clamp pieces that hold the rings to the bases. Maybe there is grit or dirt under the mount of the rail. Or maybe the rail is warn from cam-type mounts being used (A.R.M.S., LaRue Tactical). Whatever the reason, and there can be many, I like to lap the rings and knock down any high edges that may exist. I have been doing this for about 15 years on all scope that I mount and NONE of my dozens of scopes have any scope ring marks on them. So even if nothing else is accomplished, I am preventing scope ring marks, which seems to help resale value tremendously. So for me, it is worth it.

I took a few photos of the last rifle I mounted a scope on just for demonstration purposes. These are Griffin rings and are very nicely machined and finished. I think I paid right around $80 for the pair.

[And before anyone starts criticizing the necessity of a Picatinny rail with such a short low scope, please let me explain my reasoning. I put the rail on there so that I can have the ability to use my "slut scope" on it for load development. My slut scope is a 6.5-20x50mm Zeiss Conquest that has been with just about every rifle I own. She sits in a Bobro quick detach mount and jumps around from rifle to rifle as needed. Hence, the Picatinny rail on this rifle. However, when I finish up load development, I have a pair of low Talley one-piece base/bring combo that should keep the scope as low to the bore as possible. Do note as well, this rifle is chambered in 300 Blackout and is threaded for suppressor use, so some scope clearance above the top of the suppressor will be needed as well.]







This is halfway through the lapping process.






I stopped lapping when I got to this point.






 
Posts: 1051 | Location: Dirty Coast | Registered: 23 November 2000Reply With Quote
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quote:
Originally posted by Kenati:
quote:
Originally posted by DavidReed:
Kokopelli Products makes a 34mm ring lapping kit.


I wrote and asked him if he carried one. I will save him some embarrassment and NOT post his response here. What a jerk. I would NEVER buy anything from him.


Oh come on... You mentioned it, let us read it and judge for ourselves! Wink
 
Posts: 1138 | Location: Washington State | Registered: 07 September 2005Reply With Quote
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G'Day Fella's,

Kenati, I would say that is a perfect done job!
For those that aren't up to speed on this, you don't need to remove metal until you have 100% contact! All that will achieve is lowering the top ring down until they make contact with the bottom halve of the rings, when the screws are tightened!!! And you don't want that!

Also, what I do on hard recoiling firearms, is to place a drop of Loctite 601 on each of the scope rings and spread it around on both halves with a Cotton Tip, prior to assembly! This will fill in any areas not touched when lapped and act like a bedding compound does between the action and stock. You do need to do some preparation work prior to dong this, like cleaning all the abrasive from the rings and then de-grease them. You will also need to know the final location of your scope in the rings as well! I do this with some masking tape on the scope for lateral/eye relief location and on both the top ring half and scope with a pencil mark, for squareness (Vertical-Horizontal) of the reticule!!!

Hope that helps

Doh!
Homer


Lick the Lolly Pop of Mediocrity Just Once and You Will Suck For Life!
 
Posts: 459 | Location: Canberra, Australia | Registered: 21 July 2009Reply With Quote
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When you guys lap steel rings do you apply cold blue or something else to the surface or just leave it alone ? I saw the post about the locktite, is that easily removed from the scope when you take it off? I've blued some, put paint on some just wondering what you guys do.
Thanks
 
Posts: 206 | Location: North Alabama | Registered: 13 January 2006Reply With Quote
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