Hey guys,

Got a unsatisfactory answer from Leupold when I called and asked how to prevent ring marks on their scopes when using their rings and was told you can't. Not the answer I was looking for after just removing a scope that I'll now have to sell for less because of stupid ring marks.

I read different things, tape, lapping, but then also read that burris rings solve the whole problem. (when I suggested this to Leupold guy he said that the plastic inserts could move, hmmm...don't like the competitors? )

What's the best solution that 1. works, 2. fairly easy?

Oh, he did suggest the birchwood casey touch up pen. Gotta love it.

Red
PS
still love leupold scopes, but I have a feeling this is my last pair of leupold rings.

I think most guys over-tighten them, and that's how you get the ring marks / damage to the tube.

I just mounted a scope this weekend and thought about taking photos... but I didn't.

I lapp the rings, square the scope and epoxy it to the rings with the rings just "snug."

Remove excess epoxy with q-tip and WD-40, and allow it to set up overnight.

Next day I torque the rings with blue loctite.

Haven't had a scope move yet, and haven't had a ring mark either...

Oh, but the epoxy?

Yes, if you have to remove the scope, pop the ring loose with a wooden dowel and hammer and put a little epoxy remover on the scope tube. It wipes right off.

I just use the Burris Signature Rings. And the plastic inserts aren't going to move either. Try 'em, you'll like 'em. I've used Burris rings for years and haven't marked a scope yet. They hold the scope better than any other ring I have tried. It's hard to turn the scope to line up the crosshairs without even having the top half of the rings on. They simply don't slip easily.

God Bless, Louis

A more-or-less satisfactory solution is to first bend the ring halves outward very slightly, if possible. Bend the top ring even if you can't bend the bottom one. I grasp one end in the brass jaws of the bench vise and then tap/whack (grin) the exposed end with a brass hammer; it doesn't take very much of a bend to relieve the inward pressure. It works better with vertically-split rings since both halves can be bent.

After bending the rings, now deburr the inside edges with a needle file or coarse stone and finish up with a fine stone. You must be sure to deburr all 360 degrees of the edges on both sides of both rings plus the inside parting-line edges where they touch the scope.

The slight bend will relieve the inward pressure of the ring half when assembling the mount and scope, and the now-deburred edges will not scar the scope when it's rotated or slid in the rings before tightening. The screws will tighten up the ring halves in exactly the same way as before, except the sharp edges have now been removed and the ring halves now don't force the parting-line edges into the scope's tube.

DO NOT polish the inside surfaces of the rings, only the edges!

That fellow you spoke with on the phone sounds like he certainly DOESN'T need to be working for a scope company! In fact he sounds kinda 'behind the 8-ball' for a scope-company employee or even any sort of workmanship jop at all.

This type of little mod is fairly common with quality gunmakers as well as most quality workmen in other fields. You will please take note of the adjective 'quality' above....
Regards, Joe

I lapp mine and after scope removal you cant tell they have been mounted

Thanks guys.

I took the 2.5x scope off my 375, it just isn't enough for this computer techs eyes after 17 years of staring at computer screens. I plan to mount my very nice 2.5-8 (and the money I get from my 2.5 will go to a 1.5-5 for my 416) on there but will rework the rings first.

Id' switch to burris but the quick release setup works nice on here

I will go JD's route, seems I can do that without a big investment, lapping setups look like they cost upwards of 75 bucks (I mount maybe 1 scope a year).

Thanks very much for the good instructions and advice gentlemen.

Red

Lap them properly and you want have any marks on the scope.

quote:

Originally posted by df06:
Lap them properly and you want have any marks on the scope.

+1


Some people also use that white plumbers tape
but if you lap the rings correctly and only tighten then up correctly and not over tighten, you won't mark the scope.

.

quote:

Originally posted by 505G:
[QUOTE]Originally posted by df06:
Lap them properly and you want have any marks on the scope.

+1


This will work every time. Lap the rings until the scope will slide in the saddles when you GENTLE slide it forward & back.

Buy you a 1" peice of cold roll about a foot long and weld or run a bolt in the side of it at 90 degrees smack dab in the center then get some 220 lapping compound.....less than $20

All of mine are home made even my drill powered unit

Lapping is acceptabel but take it one step further. When you lap, you open up the ring diameter. Misalignment is the culprit.

I normally lap and then bed the scope to the rings. Use a release agent and Devcon. Just put the scope into the rings and compound and let it set up, use a collimator to make sure the scope is pointing in the right direction, adjust the elevation by turning the top ring screws if it is off. Easy clean up and you can be assured that the alignment is correct.

Line the inside of the rings with Scotch double sided clear tape. The only downside is you will need to soak the rings/scope in solvent or WD40 to remove the scope from the rings.

quote:

Originally posted by Lapidary:
Line the inside of the rings with Scotch double sided clear tape. The only downside is you will need to soak the rings/scope in solvent or WD40 to remove the scope from the rings.

That will hold the scope better but It won't help if the rings aren't aligned which is the big reason why you will get marks on the scope