Scope mounting question.

[Tod Soeby]

Not sure what to do here.

I got my new/used HG this fall. BAT "L" 10" x 2". It came with a 20 MOA 1 piece pitcanny (sp) style base already attached to the action. It was tight, so I left it on the gun. It also came with a set of 30mm Leupold tactical rings with the 7/16 nut to tighten it down. I took everything apart the other day to get ready for shipping. Instead of taking the scope out of the rings, I just unbolted the rings from the base. Here is what I found.....when I set the scope with the rings attached on a hard level serface it "wobbles" ..... kind of rocks back and forth on "three legs" like the rings are not on the scope strait.

When I first mounted the scope I mounted the bottom 1/2 of the rings to the base first. I hand tightend each ring first and wiggle it as I tighten the bolts by hand until it stops moving and is hand tight. I then use a wrench and tighten them up the rest of the way. I then set the scope in the rings and put the top 1/2 of the rings on and work my way back and forth, criss cross ect.....gently and evenly tightning the ring screws until they are tight enough that the scope wont move without help and I then set the crosshairs strait. I then finish tightning the rings evenly.. I do not believe I cause any stress on the scope or rings.....I take my time and make sure that the rings are tightning evenly front to back and side to side. I did not lap these rings when I mounted the scope. Not sure why.

I just checked the base.....set it on a level serface......rock steady....sits flat.

It seems to me that I would be "torquing" the scope if I re-mounted it with the scope in the rings this way. The actions is on it's way to BAT for some work, followed by a trip to Spencer. Could the mounting serface of the action be "off"?

Any Ideas? I will take the rings off before I re-mount the scope....that is for sure. But, how did I get the "twist" in my setup, and how can I avoid it in the future???

Thanks,
Tod

 

[Bill Ohio]

The rings aren't a piece of furniture. Their function is to sit flat on a rail, not on a floor. So, it could well be that the portion of the rings which contact your table top are uneven. So what? )chillD

What's important is that the ring surfaces which engage your base are flat (enough) and that the ring bores are aligned to prevent excessive torque on your scope tube.

Here's what I do: First, ensure the base is properly mounted. Next, install the bottom halves of the rings, with the crossbolt abutted to the forward contact point across the slot in which the bolt sits. Ensure the rings are positioned that you can mount the scope for proper eye relief. Next, take a lapping bar of the diameter of your scope tube, and lay it across the ring bottom halves. If it slips in/out without binding, then lay the scope in there and finish up with the top halves.

If the lapping bar feels like it's binding, then loosen the crossbolts enough to give the ring bottom halves a bit of wiggle room. Then lay the lapping bar in the bottom halves, so they can shift a bit to accommodate the bar in the least stressful position. Then install the ring upper halves. Then, ensure the unitized lapping bar/rings are held forward against the mounting slots while you re-torque the crossbolts.

Finally, loosen/remove the ring upper halves, and remove the lapping bar, and replace it with your scope, and remount the upper halves after adjusting the scope for reticle plumb and eye relief.

 

[brian roberts]

Another thing that is helpful................

when you lay the scope in the rings, stand back, and have some light on the other side, so that you can look under both rings, front and rear, to see if you can see light under the 'scope. If you can, then you want to see if you have someone hold the ring up against the front of the slot where you want the ring to be, can you still see light under the scope? If you can, you may have to get some rings to swap around until the ring can butt up against the slot in front of where you want it to be(as it would be in recoil), with no light visible under it. There have been many times when I have had to swap rings around to get two that would bear evenly against the front of the slot, and still have no light visible. Remember, when you mount that bottom ring half, it has to be solid and locked down first, before you can begin lapping them in as a unit. Good luck.