A gunsmith told me that lapping rings on a Ruger is a good idea if only to eliminate or minimize ring marks. My question is I bought a Sinclair lapping tool and it explicitly says at the end of instructions that lapping will have to be repeated if rings come off the base. Would this also apply to Rugers?

SE,

Anytime you remove something, there is always the possibility that it may not return to the "exact" same position that it was. Ruger rings are no exception. Once lapped they may be less of a problem than some of the other designs, but they are not immune from it entirely. Sinclairs remarks are intended for those who's ultimate goal is award winning accuracy. If this is your goal, then heed their advise.

Good luck,

Malm

G.Malmborg is correct (no surprise -- he knows what he is doing! :-)

I lapped my Ruger rings in, then after some scope and ring switching, eventually got them back on the same reciever months later.

Even though I pushed the rings forward each time before tightening, they did not go back perfectly. I say this because after remounting, I hit the rings with some instant blue, then tried a few strokes with my lapping rod and a little compound to see if re-lapping was necessary. It was.

However, it only took about a dozen strokes to get 80% contact again.

HTH,

jpb