Getting the correct surface and alignment can make a big improvement in how well a scopes stays and how well it holds zero.
Having made special rings occasionally Heres what Ive seen. The rings were machined in a bar together 1 piece to start a small hole drilled for location x-0 y-0. then the dovetail cut in and if desired the cross slots. then flipped indicated in and the location hole used to set center. the hole is drilled bored and reamed to size. turned again and x y set sides are machined. The turned xy set and screw holes drilled and tapped then marked to each ring and tops are cut from the bases. rings are then split into 2 and front and back finished. These should be dead on when installed in the bases but seldom are. this seems to indicate there are variations in the bases and receiver rings.
Lapping scope rings is, to me, worth doing. But those costly "lapping" kits with steel bars and expensive grinding compounds are not just over priced, they aren't made for the best work for our needs.
I'm not going to go into explaining why, but the best laps we can use for fitting scope rings are wood: I use 1" hardwood dowels from any hardware store and my abrasive is an inexpensive small double-ended can of Clover's valve lapping compound bought from an auto parts store for not much.
Lapped rings won't cut the surface of the scope body, they won't slip and they won't try to force the tube to conform to themselves.
I use (and keep seperate) two 1"x15" dowel laps, one for each grit. The grit imbeds in the surface of the wood and cuts much faster than my old steel rod. Don't over do it, eyeball it from time to time and when about 80% of the ring's surfaces are clean that's good enough.
Ring lapping isn't watch making, it need not be done with a precise 1" rod. When properly tightened down the rings will easily bend to enclose the scope as precisely as if they were grown together.
Last edited by 1hole; 07-12-2020 at 02:26 PM.
Shall we progress into BEDDING mounts and scope rings?
This is what I did. Some fine valve lapping compound on the rod and then back and forth on the lower rings when they're mounted to the rifle, only takes a little time and when you see the results, you'll be surprised how much it trues them up.
Another thing, since I started doing this, I've never had any ring marks left on a scope I mounted. Probably not important, but it tells me it's working.
How are you mounting the base or bases?
That would be my first concern, before I'd think about lapping rings.
As Minerat mentioned Burris signature rings, that is what I'd use if I had thought lapping rings were necessary.
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“If someone has a gun and is trying to kill you, it would be reasonable to shoot back with your own gun.”
― The Dalai Lama, Seattle Times, May 2001
This is the mount i have on mine. No drilling or tapping needed. And it has a built in sight for shots under 100 yards. Im very happy with it.
Last edited by Pressman; 07-13-2020 at 02:46 PM. Reason: EBAY LINKS ARE PROHIBITED
One round at a time.
Member of the NRA,GOA and FAOC. Gun clubs Zerby rod and gun club. Keystone Fish and Game Association.
It couldn't hurt. Even on custom actions,I have had to blueprint the bridges just to level them. Expecting a military of commercial action to be "on", is very unlikely to happen. Look at the thread, "Joni Lynn's Mauser", and the extent I had to take the action to true it.
The solid soft lead bullet is undoubtably the best and most satisfactory expanding bullet that has ever been designed. It invariably mushrooms perfectly, and never breaks up. With the metal base that is essential for velocities of 2000 f.s. and upwards to protect the naked base, these metal-based soft lead bullets are splendid.
John Taylor - "African Rifles and Cartridges"
Forget everything you know about loading jacketed bullets. This is a whole new ball game!
Old military actions can be bad!
Denmark had a lot of left-over Mauser 98 after the war.
Many of them were modified by Schultz & Larsen with a new barrel in 6.5x55, and sold at a very fair price to shooting clubs all over the country.
In the nineties the Scandinavian shooting associations agreed on SIG Sauer 200 to be the "Nordic" target rifle - and suddenly the marked was flooded with old Mauser rifles.
I lost count on how many of these rifles I scoped in the following years, but I ended up writing a dedicated CNC mill program, where both front & rear face of the action was profile milled to remove the loading strip guide and to make sure both surfaces were parallel and uniform (also, the screw holes were drilled and tapped in the same setup)
On almost every action, the rear base "face" were offset slightly to the side (always the same side) and I sometimes had to take a deeper cut to clean the face fully.
Some were also slightly twisted and needed an even deeper cut.
Of course I also made a rifle for myself. This one cost me about $35 - that left financial space for a new barrel and a Leupold scope. The scope mounts are a homemade "baseless" design
Also, notice the holes for the rear aperture
Cap'n Morgan
Thanks all for the input. Sounds like it is largely unnecessary but might help. I like the bar stock idea, hadn't even thought of that. Much less expensive than the kits I've seen. I'll give it a shot.
I prefer to bed the scope bases in JB Weld or stock bedding compound using the rings on an old scope or tube to properly align the bases. Base screws must be left loose enough to allow some motion in the base being bedded. This can be a multi-step process. I check 2 piece scope bases with a rigid straight edge to get some idea how crooked things might be. Ground receivers on sporterized military rifles and other older 'hand-polished' rifles vary more than modern factory rifles. The flat Marlins are the easiest, Savage 99's seldom align bases properly. Get the bases aligned, then the rings will need little or NO work. I bed one piece scope bases in the same manner but it is easier. One piece base can be twisted or bent when the screws are tightened on 'crooked' receiver. The Burris Signature Rings with inserts solve many problems.
Good post MLG
BP | Bronze Point | IMR | Improved Military Rifle | PTD | Pointed |
BR | Bench Rest | M | Magnum | RN | Round Nose |
BT | Boat Tail | PL | Power-Lokt | SP | Soft Point |
C | Compressed Charge | PR | Primer | SPCL | Soft Point "Core-Lokt" |
HP | Hollow Point | PSPCL | Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" | C.O.L. | Cartridge Overall Length |
PSP | Pointed Soft Point | Spz | Spitzer Point | SBT | Spitzer Boat Tail |
LRN | Lead Round Nose | LWC | Lead Wad Cutter | LSWC | Lead Semi Wad Cutter |
GC | Gas Check |