I have a real problem overdoing everything I do. I just mounted my scope and I want to make sure I got the rings tight enough to hold well but not tight enough to damage things. I was using the regular allen wrench torx head on the rings. How tight do you get them and how do you know your there? thanks

Whitey

Bearbuck, There'd be others that know more details on this than me, but I don't think you can hurt a scope by overtightening rings, assuming they are not crooked in relation to the scope tube in the first place. You can strip the screws of course. Lappping the rings will address the first point, hopefully somebody will address that point here. As to the second, that would call for a torque wrench sufficiently delicate for the task, and I know not what torque value would be called for.

All else being equal I put my best TLAR(That Looks About Right) on the screws, tightening them in a pattern as you would do for tire lugs, and try to balance the effort as best I can with a somewhat firm pressure generated by thumb(on the wrench shank) and middle finger at the end of the wrench. The only problem I've ever encountered involved a glossy fininshed Redfield scope that slipped in the rings under recoil. A small piece of electrical tape under one half of both rings solved that issue.

Well, let's see if somebody else chimes in with some advice, maybe we can both learn something.

Ditto it's absolutely important to make sure rings are aligned properly - can be done with ring alignment tools or here's a simple test:

place scope in lower rings; alternately press down directly on scope above front and rear rings while watching for tube to lift off of (or any other relative movement to) other ring.

Moderate tightening should guarantee no scope movement unless on a heavy recoiling gun.

ONLY wrist tight!!! if you overtighten the ring tops, you WILL dent the tube.

Even badger ordnance tactical rings specify only 15in/lbs any more and they will NOT replace the scope tube you crush.

If you use the long end of the wrench and place anymore pressure than just your wrist can provide (i.e. you use your arm) you have gone too far. I prefer to lapp my rings to keep the impingement of the tube to a minimum.

You can damage the scope. I have a very strong friend who alwasys thought if tight is good, tighter is better. Three or four screwed up Zeiss scopes later, we found the enemy was him.

I always mount the rings with a precision chrome bar...1.00" first to get them straight with each other. Then lap them a little at a time to get as near full contact as possible using another bar I made up just for that purpose. Clean everything up and set the scope in the bottom halves....because rings are made in pairs make sure to keep the top and bottom halves together and properly indexed. Set the top halves on the bottoms and run the screws down just til they stop, checking as you go for even gaps between the rings on both sides. Then using about 1/8 turns alternate tightening ....front left rear right front right rear left and so on til they are sufficiently tight. Make a very small line mark with a Marks-a lot on the back side of the front ring right on the scope tube. go out a shoot off a few and check for slippage there. No slip, its tight, slip go back to the 1/8 turn again for another round.

The cost of rifles and scopes makes a good inch/pound torque wrench one of the best investments a guy can make...IMO. Anything short of that is by feel and by golly at best.

If you go to a veretically split ring like Talley's or Warne's, you don't have to worry about lapping.

Tightening is a little less subjective as well, just follow their directions, since they (vertically split rings) by design 'pinch' the scope, tightening till the screws are good and snug--wrist pressure only as one poster stated--and they don't move for me--even on some big recoilers.

Good Luck--Don