I have a fairly new 338WM with a tasco world class scope. The gun is a Tikka Whitetail hunter and the rings are the ones that I got with it. I bought it from someone online in new/unfired condition. The scope was new also and I have been having some problems with the scope holding groups. At first I thought it was the scope but sometimes when Im out it will group fairly well, then the next time I go out it is way off and inconsistent. I noticed that the scope seems to be slipping. On the top of the gun you can see where the ring used to be and it is consistently moving back, it is currently about a half inch from where I originally tightened them. I have the rings as tight as I can get them but the they seem to be as tight as they can go, there is no gap between the bottom ring and the top ring, so i dont think the grip on the scope itself is actually getting any tighter, resulting in further slipping as I shoot. Should I get new rings or can I shim the rings I have with a thin piece of material? Maybe something like a little piece of paper on the bottom and top between the ring and the scope itself might help? I dont know much about this, do you guys have any suggestions that might help resolve this problem, short of buying new rings?

I'll be surprised if that Tasco stands up to the .338 recoil for any amount of time, but for what it's worth- the best way I've found to keep a scope in place is to put a small piece of double sided tape on the inside of the ring halves, top and bottom, before tightening them down. Never failed me yet!- Sheister

First check to make sure the rings are for 1" scopes and not for 26mm scopes.If the rings are for 1" scopes and there is absolutely no gaps between the ring halves,I would probably stone the halves to create a slight gap to allow the rings to tighten more on the scope.

I have been using a gasket material (comes in a tube, and is fairly runny). A bit of this on the inside of the rings, then tighten. It does not take very much - the more you use the more excess you'll have to remove. Advantage: when you want to remove your scope, the gasket material is removable with a bit of rubbing alcohol.

If you don't mind your scope staying in your rings permanently, you can also use a bit of epoxy. It is possible to take the scope out of the rings afterwards, but the finish of the scope is marred. But it sure makes the scope stays where it is supposed to.

The standard remedy is rosin inside the rings.

As mentioned above, do make sure your rings are the right size, and consider well if a Tasco is what you want for a .338 Win Mag, before you go to all the trouble of mounting it right.
- mike

Loctite 243

It's surprising how bad rings can be, and how much trouble they can cause a scope. The worst I've seen is Ruger rings, they are awfull.

First, you need to lap them to be sure they are in line with the scope, and no burrs are present. How many scopes do you see with marks on them from the rings. They weren't lapped. You can also see how little contact is being made to the scope to hold it.

Then, if the rings have no gap left, you need to "bed" the rings, using epoxy, like JB Weld, Marine Tex, or the like. Lots of release agent is applied to the scope, the outside of the rings, and the flats wheere the screws are. Put a small tab of modeling clay next to the ring edge to prevent epxoy from getting to the screws. Apply a thin layer of epxoy bedding to the inside of both halves of both rings, set scope in there, and lightly install the screws, but stop well before you close the gap, leave a 1/16" on each side. Leave over night.

You will now have a perfect contact between rings and scope. You will easily feel the difference when tightening the screws on the scope, in that they will come up against a solid "stop". This is due to the fit of scope and rings.

Just be careful, clean up things as needed. Use common sense and you will have a great mount. A little resin can be used, but I doubt it needed.

Using tape, or some kind of filler inside rings change the inside diameter. The scope doesn't change, until you tighten the screws. Something has to give, usually the scope tube does. The proper way is to create a perfect "fit".

About 50 years ago the old Weatherby's used Buehler rings. The rings were widely available with mounts for may actions. They had a sticky substance on the inside. I used those rings and still have several. I found out that what Buehler used was nothing more than rubberized paper glue available in any stationery store and at the super market. I've been using it ever since and it's never failed me even in light but heavy kickers like 338's. Buy a bottle of it, coat the inside of the rings with it and let it dry. Then mount them. Any overflow or accidental spotting cleans up nicely just rubbing your finger on it. As one poster mentioned, insuring good contact with the ring surfaces is essential by lapping the rings first.

Another thing you can do, if you don't want to use any of the sticky stuff that others here have mentioned, is to make shims of several folds of aluminum foil -- the kind that comes in rolls for kitchen use -- and put them inside the rings, between the rings and the scope. The foil is very thin, so you can fold it several times and then trim it with scissors to whatever width and length you want.

What kind of "release agent" do you use? If I go in and ask for it will they know what Im talking about? This sounds like a good way to go to get a good fit and lapping might not even be necessary, they JB or whatever should make up for any irregularities right? Seems like it could end up being messy though and I dont want it to look crappy when its finished.

A lot of good ideas so far guys, thanks for the help.

I would still recommend lapping the rings, there could be high spots that still can harm the set-up. You can use Johnson's paste wax or shoe polish for a release agent. Put on at least two coats. Polishing the wax isn't needed. When done, bore solvent or most anything will clean things up nicely. There is no need for ot to be messy, it doesn't take much to do the job. There will be some excess squeeze out, and this can be removed with a rag with solvent on it. Final cleanup is easy.

1. Make sure you are using the correct size rings.

2. Buy a Leupold Vary-X III 2.5-8x scope for your .338.

2. Or place a small drop of clear nail polish under the scope (between the scope and the base).

Lap first, then bed with devcon, Johnson's paste wax for a release, hold the scope into the rings with a couple of rubber bandz and then coat with powdered rosin after cleanup and before mounting the top half of the rings.

First a compensater and than the Loctite. roger

Plain old rubber cement also works well, and is easily removed when you want to clean off the scope tube.

When I pulled the scope off today the front of the scope was really in bad shape, where it was sliding it was actually cutting into the scope tube. I will take a picture of it later and try to post it so you guys can see. I remounted it with the tikka rings that came with it. I cut a piece of self adhesive rubber foam from a bandaid and put it underneath the scope on the bottom rings and I used some black gasket sealant goop on the top rings (the kind thats alcohol soluable and black). Tightened it nice and snug, wiped off the extra gasket goop and Im going to let it set for a few days to cure. I hope this solves my problem but if it doesnt they guy at a local gun store suggested I put some weaver mounts on it with wider rings. I hope the scope isnt shot because the tube is slightly indented on the bottom front where the ring was cutting into it. The adjustable magnification ring still turns fine so I guess I will have to try it for a while before I know for sure.

Used to mount a lot of scopes in the shop I worked at. We always tried to get the customer to use quality rings. Mostly we used Redfield. A lot of the rings were pinched a bit at the split. In other words the were tight on the scope if you just laid them on the tube. There were usually burrs on the split too. Bottom line was that you could not do any ajusting of the scope position without damaging the tube. So, we always filed the junction to remove the burr. We also put the rings on a lead slab and wacked them with another piece of lead to spread them ever so slightly. This way you could fastent he screws lightly and still ajust the scope position. When you tightened them completely they did not come fully togehter. That is good and shows that you are getting good pressure on the scope. If they came completely togheter we knew the rings were too big. If the customer wanted fancy looking rings we used "Control" or some other brand that looked better but, they were harder to work with. Weavers worked ok but tended to tork the scope as you tightened them down. We avoided any all aluminum rings. Trash-Co made some that you could get at K-mart. They were pretty bad. I guess the bottom line is that if the rings are quality, made of steel, and fit right you do not need any sticky stuff. In fact I would think that tape and such would be a detriment. If you compare the problem to removing a barrel you might infer that a tight mating of the parts and possibly a little rosin would be rock solid as you can get.

I only use two methods for mounting scopes: Burris Signature Rings with inserts or sandpaper. If I'm not using the Burris rings, I use a very, very fine grit (400 or so) sandpaper, cut into strips just slightly smaller in width and length than that of each ring half, lay these strips GRIT-SIDE AGAINST THE RING and secure the scope. I have never, EVER had any scope slippage, and I shoot some industrial-strength boomers, too.

Russ

Sand or Emery paper is a Good method ... you should lap the rings as well, whatever you do..

Use a smear of roofing silicone, thats what I do with my hard kickers and it works well.

I wouldnt use sandpaper, if it gets wet the paper could hold moisture against the metal for prolonged periods. A dab of black silicone will keep moisture out and is easily removed.

I dont know what kind of rings come with a Tikka, but if it is the 2 piece little gizmos with a top and a bottom bolt, you should tighten the bottom one first. Not all the way, just snug it up then alternate them.

If they are a 2 piece with a set of screws on each side then you want to also tighten in a sequence so the gaps on either side are about equal. What you dont want is one side snug and the other with a gap.

Most of my rings are of the Weaver variety and seem to work pretty well.

I have been using some 3M stuff called scotch-loc ( I believe) for years. It is similar to rubber cement but has more strength. Just a dab is plenty. I'ts what I used to mount a VariX-II on my Ruger .338 with factory rings back in '88 I think. It has not moved once since then with plenty of shooting.
I personally don't like the epoxy for scope mounting.

I think that's called Scotch-Cote or Scotch-Kote. There may be a Scotch-Loc too but the other is for doping up electric wires before taping them, especially when using self-vulcanizing rubber tape. very water proof when done right. It works miracles in scope rings.

No reason to use Weaver rings these days - use the Burris Signature Zee rings instead - all steel, and come with the ring inserts.
- mike

Furor,

i've done the sandpaper thing.. in fact, it's the "only" use I have for 600+ grit... works great

second, the rubber cement works good. WITH the sane paper better.

third, with the rings cutting the scope, i believe you have over tightened one side more than the other, and it's not "round" no more....


jeffe