Rifle Scopes Gluing scope to mount...

[joelinux]

Few weeks back, i got my RPR 6.5CM.

I'm getting my Nightforce Scope tomorrow, and I got my Spuhr mount today.

Reading through the instructions, it suggests loctite on the screws and possibly gluing the gun in place.

Would you all recommend this, or is largely unnecessary?

 

[spife7980]

Unnecessary

 

[joelinux]

Err...gluing the scope in place...sorry...

 

[JFR]

Definitely unnecessary.

JFR

 

[TonyTheTiger]

Sometimes it's necessary.
30mm scope + 34mm rings = you get the picture.

 

[joelinux]

Sometimes it's necessary.
30mm scope + 34mm rings = you get the picture.

lol....

 

[Sako man]

WTF, the manual recommends lock-tighting the optic in place? I have never heard of this!

 

[joelinux]

They are cagey about it. "Some shooters..."

And they talk about loctite on the screws, gluing the scope to the rings.

 

[Dustysa4]

They are cagey about it. "Some shooters..."

And they talk about loctite on the screws, gluing the scope to the rings.

May depend on the amount of recoil. I've heard of the big magnum rifles needing a little help to prevent scope slipping. There was actually just a thread on this.

 

[Huskydriver]

no glue, no loctite just 15 inlbs or whatever NF calls on their ring screw torque specs and thats it. Send it

 

[ncr92]

Interesting. I would never do that.

 

[Steel head]

Unnecessary

This!

Sometimes it's necessary.
30mm scope + 34mm rings = you get the picture.

But possibly this as well.

 

[Rekkr870]

No way, Jose. That would suck when you tried to make little adjustments to your reticle if its canted or lengthen/shorten eye relief.

 

[plidenbrock]

I've only rarely heard of truly gluing scope to rings for securing the scope, and then only in heavy magnums. Not familiar with too many bench rest types that use those.

Most of the gluing that I'm aware of was Elmer's or rubber cement as recommended by the scope manufacturers years ago in order to protect the scope from cosmetic damage / ring marks. Elmer's will just peel right off a scope leaving a smooth surface.

In this thread from Oct 2018, Spuhr seems to confirm this, as I recall Rosin used to be the thing instead of glue for Spuhr.

Post #11:

Nope, you don't need it.

You need it for very heavy recoil, but most important is to NOT clean of the wax of the screws as that will greatly limit the torque holding the scope in the rings.

Rosin is as written above a small insurance to not get any ringmarks, now there is a minimum risk of getting ringmarks with our mounts but never know, it might happend.

I use to put rosin inside all rings.
But that is just me, thinking anything that is worth killing is certainly worth overkilling

Having never used Spuhr mounts, I wouldn't know if they are prone to leaving ring marks, although I wouldn't think so.

How odd that the instructions have changed so dramatically...

 

[Sticks]

I could see the glue acting as a bedding compound in leiu of honing, not unlike locktite on a AR barrel shank, or various other bedding methods.

 

[18Echo]

General consensus is unnecessary. I put a little dab of the wife’s clear nail polish on each mounting ring and let it get a little tacky before finishing the mounting in my Spuhr. May not be needed, but it makes me feel better and it will come off with nail polish remover....

 

[joelinux]

General consensus is unnecessary. I put a little dab of the wife’s clear nail polish on each mounting ring and let it get a little tacky before finishing the mounting in my Spuhr. May not be needed, but it makes me feel better and it will come off with nail polish remover....

Clear? What an opportunity wasted...

 

[Mr Flannel]

A couple of related practices spring to mind - putting a little rosin powder on the inside of the rings to help avoid slip. I also saw a video recently where the guys bedded the scope into the rings using 2-part epoxy and release agent on the scope. The latter is not something I’d do - but I do use a little rosin powder. Only because I have some.

 

[Currycure]

its unnecessary

 

[joelinux]

its unnecessary

That does appear to be the consensus.

 

[Dougie308]

I typically put just a drop of loctite on screws and even the battery compartment threads on scopes, sights, etc.

I've never had an issue with rings, but the caps on my aimpoint and one other were a problem.

 

[Phatcow]

If I may give my 2 cents... I worked in a gun store for years while I was in college and my boss always promoted the idea of lapping scope rings on hunting rifles. The idea was to maximize surface contact between the scope rings and scope to improve holding power without over-tightening the screws and damaging the scope. Using Locktite on rings seems like it may be the lazy-man's solution to avoid lapping.

Is it necessary on CNC'd 1 piece mounts or high precision scope rings today?
probably not... but thought I'd share anyway.

 

[LawnMM]

If you lap a $400 Spuhr mount you should be shot on the spot.

The reason lapping is popular with the hunting crowd is because they use cheap shit rings that couldn't hold zero in perfect conditions.

Spuhr mounts are machined on equipment worth hundreds of thousands of dollars with tolerances beyond anybody but a gunsmith's comprehension.

I've shot a Spuhr on a 338 with brake and suppressed and nothing moves. If you're shooting anything smaller, don't sweat it. Blue loctite on the cap screws, torque to 18in/lbs and be done with it.

 

[M8541Reaper]

If you lap a $400 Spuhr mount you should be shot on the spot.

The reason lapping is popular with the hunting crowd is because they use cheap shit rings that couldn't hold zero in perfect conditions.

Spuhr mounts are machined on equipment worth hundreds of thousands of dollars with tolerances beyond anybody but a gunsmith's comprehension.

I've shot a Spuhr on a 338 with brake and suppressed and nothing moves. If you're shooting anything smaller, don't sweat it. Blue loctite on the cap screws, torque to 18in/lbs and be done with it.

This. All of this.

 

[Vodoun daVinci]

Most modern rings with any reputation are machined to tolerances that make lapping a thing Grandpa used to do "back in the day"....the top end Seekins, Vortex, or even Nightforce, MDT rings would never need lapping. Or glue.

Just set the screws with a proper torque and do not worry about glue and lapping and all that.

VooDoo

 

[joelinux]

Most modern rings with any reputation are machined to tolerances that make lapping a thing Grandpa used to do "back in the day"....the top end Seekins, Vortex, or even Nightforce, MDT rings would never need lapping. Or glue.

Just set the screws with a proper torque and do not worry about glue and lapping and all that.

VooDoo

Both the spuhr and nightforce manual threatened grievous bodily harm to anyone who tried to lap. Not doing it.

 

[RifleBlog]

I really enjoy the lapping debate on the long-range Facebook groups, as it usually devolves into the “we’ve always lapped everything” fudd crowd and the newer “it’s not needed on nice stuff” camp.

Invariably some turd will try to win the argument by posting pictures of their lapping job on a pair of $150-$200 rings.....which was done with a $30 Chinese Wheeler Kit, while bolted to a $12 Amazon’s-finest scope base.

 

[kingston]

http://eliteaccuracy.com/services/pdf/2017/scope-mounting-on-the-precision-rifle.pdf

 

[morganlamprecht]

http://eliteaccuracy.com/services/pdf/2017/scope-mounting-on-the-precision-rifle.pdf

ive been bedding my rings for years, perfect fits...the contact even on high end "precision" rings aint always that great

 

[guyandsuch]

+1 for unnecessary, the only thing I do is apply a bit of purple loctite (222) to the inside of a ring bottom and a drop on top of the scope maintube when mounting a scope. Just a little goop to fill in the porous surface of the metals and its easy to remove if needed.

 

[Ironcreek]

I'm 71 years old and have never heard of using glue to set a scope of any type. Crazy.....

 

[Blue Sky Country]

View attachment 7113319

Interesting. I would never do that.

Really learn something new every day, huh?

Without the background info, I'd think that gluing scopes and other ad-hoc measures are exclusively features of third world civil war plagued shitholes.

I still wouldn't do it though. And neither will those magnetic-mounted, all fitting scope rails either. Maybe I am a bit of a traditionalist here but these measures just do not seem to offer a firm, true, and shooting environment-resistant hardware mounting.