I picked up a set of the superlight Talley rings (aluminum) but the scope will not bottom out in the rings. I have a lapping kit but I dont know how much to take off. How much contact should I try for? For info its a Burris 3x9 on a lightweight .308.

Aren't there lapping tools that are long rods which are 1" in diameter which you bolt into your bases and then rotate them back and forth until they slide with just a bit of reluctance? I've seen them in the Brownells catalog and assume this is how they work.

Lapping scope rings is only for burrs not fitting. I suspect one could overdo it pretty easy...I can't imagine your scope not bottoming usless you have uneven screw tension, but if it is a ring problem then I would get hold of Gary Turner at Talleys and talk to him about it. You may want to return the rings or he may have an answer for you...I have not had to lap talley rings and I have about a dozen or so of them on rifles.

Ray,
You are the first person I have noticed to have posted more than 10,000 times. Clark should give you something for such an achievement.

With horizontally split rings I set them up using allignment rods and when I get them as close as I can by shimming and bedding then I lap them. I use a Sinclair kit and they recommend lapping until about 75% of the inner surface of each ring has lost it's blue. Seems to work fine for me.

On vertically split rings I do the same process but instaed of lapping I use a reamer to get them that last bit of true. I then coat the inner ring surface with rubber cement and mount the scope. So far so good, but I haven't done any big bores except a 12ga. slug gun. No slippage.

Rob

Learned a trick years ago from an automotive machinist while watching him line bore a block.

Carefully hold ring flats to a belt sander to slightly reduce diameter. Now lap for a perfect fit.

Recently I have been using the Burris Signature rings. Lapping no longer necessary and with patience I can get rifle sighted with minimum change for scopes zero.

Wally