I just finished lapping my first set of steel mounts. Should I use the friction paper sent with the rings? Seems like that would defeat the purpose of lapping??

quote:

Originally posted by Born to Hunt:
I just finished lapping my first set of steel mounts. Should I use the friction paper sent with the rings? Seems like that would defeat the purpose of lapping??

I use a very light dusting of rosin, applied with a small paint brush, on rings after lapping or reaming them, and have never had a scope move on me. I’ve never used the friction paper gag, but don’t see why it wouldn’t work well also since it will be evenly compressed when you tighten the rings.

After I lap rings, I apply a thin coating of black silicone. It compresses evenly and the excess is squeezed out to be easily wiped off. You can't see it and it works well.

SST,

That’s another good idea that would work!

What allot of people forget is that lapping scope rings gives a perfect match between the rings and the lapping tool, not necessarily the rings and the scope tube. Many times the scope will not bear evenly in the rings even after lapping and that can cause some movement and even some stress on the scope.

I use plain old white cold cream on the rings to check for an even fit between the rings and the scope tube.

It may be of value to remember that lapping/reaming scope rings is not done to fit the scope to the rings...it is done to make the inside diameter of the rings concentric to each other along their axis.

Another recipe for you is my preferred way- paint a strip of rubber cement along the bottom half of the ring, let dry, paint another coat over the previous one, let dry, then assemble.

Of course, I do it that way because I also happen to have rubber cement, otherwise I think SST's dot of RTV would work, or friction paper, or something else sticky.

Lots of glues probably work just as well but the gold standard for setting a scope is 3M Scotch Kote. It has the consistency of rubber cement but is much tougher. I always thought a little Loctite would work, too.

Been using scotch kote for years since I read an article about it in a gun rag probably 20 years ago. Works great.

I use double sided Scotch tape, in the bottom half of the rings, after lapping. Never a problem with slipping or leaving the dreaded scope rings on my expensive scopes.
Mike