Hello I have seen in a few posts lapped rings to scope , I dont know what that means or why its done ,sorry for the dumb question just trying to learn more about terms I dont know the meaning too thanks in advance geoff3
Rifle Scopes Lapping scope rings
- Thread starter geoff3
- Start date
lapping the rings means the gunsmith takes a piece of bar stock, let's say 30mm in diameter, spreads lapping compound (think really fine, liquid sand paper) and smooths out the rings. the reason for this is so the high spots on the rings don't pinch the scope. not pinching the scope means no scope ring marks and a better, more consitent contact area.
i had it done. i was talked into it buy a "gunsmith". guess what, the fucker charged me $75 (i know, i know, i got ripped off) and i still had ring marks.
i am not sold on ring lapping.
i had it done. i was talked into it buy a "gunsmith". guess what, the fucker charged me $75 (i know, i know, i got ripped off) and i still had ring marks.
i am not sold on ring lapping.
+1 on what Graham posted. I have lapped rings over the years and can be beneficial on rings such as Ruger integral rings. It is a PITA and generally avoid it if possible. No need to do so with high quality rings and most manufactures of those rings recommend not doing so.
Hello and thank you ,So if I buy the correct scope rings for the scope Lapping the rings to the scope is more or less up to me , I thought Lapping the scope rings to the scope was similar to blue printing your rings making the rings fit perfect , I also thought it will help protec your scope and rings ,thank you for explaining to me my question ,geoff3
geoff,
In the past, lapping rings was just part of a proper installation of the scope. However, ring manufacturers have been producing rings of such quality and precision that you really don't need to lap them. The only time I lap rings is if I have two independently mounted rings. You can get a lapping kit at Brownell's. I get around the requirement by buying the best scope mounts available. Many of them are unitized - 2 or 3 rings are connected at the base, and the base clamps on to a Weaver or Picatinny rail. Those are the type I prefer. I bed my rail to insure I'm not causing it to twist when i tighten it down. After that you just mount the unitized rings set, mount your scope and go shoot.
In the past, lapping rings was just part of a proper installation of the scope. However, ring manufacturers have been producing rings of such quality and precision that you really don't need to lap them. The only time I lap rings is if I have two independently mounted rings. You can get a lapping kit at Brownell's. I get around the requirement by buying the best scope mounts available. Many of them are unitized - 2 or 3 rings are connected at the base, and the base clamps on to a Weaver or Picatinny rail. Those are the type I prefer. I bed my rail to insure I'm not causing it to twist when i tighten it down. After that you just mount the unitized rings set, mount your scope and go shoot.
Doesn't matter what quality rings you buy, sometimes they are aligned and sometimes not. Keep in mind that it is not just the rings that need to be machined right. You also need a good rail. Now if the rail is straight, but is torqued onto an action that is not perfectly round, then the rail gets twisted/bent, which puts the rings out of alignment. It's about alignment of the rail to action, rings to rail, and rings to scope...a lot of potential for tolerance stacking problems. So, the real bottom line is to check the alignment on your rings with a good piece of kit like this one: Kokopelli Products, the quiet little company from the mountains of northwest Montana I use Badger, Seekins, Leupold, etc. About 1/2 of them needed lapping and half did not. Just check and then you'll know.
Taking these thoughts to their natural conclusion, you would bed your rail to the action to eliminate stresses and ensure a solid mount, Then you would bed the scope to the rings. Why? Well, why do people bed the action to the stock? Same reason. Personally, I'm happy just lapping a set of rings in when needed. Once a set of rings is lapped, it's been customized for a particular rifle/rail and should stay with it.
Taking these thoughts to their natural conclusion, you would bed your rail to the action to eliminate stresses and ensure a solid mount, Then you would bed the scope to the rings. Why? Well, why do people bed the action to the stock? Same reason. Personally, I'm happy just lapping a set of rings in when needed. Once a set of rings is lapped, it's been customized for a particular rifle/rail and should stay with it.
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I just took two scopes out of higher end rings. One was Seekins and the other American Rifle rings. Both scopes had such slight ring marks I could not even photo them when selling the scopes. I think good rings are the way to go
+1 for a good set of rings over lapping cheap rings. From experience, a good set of rings (seeking leupold nightforce badger etc.) mates perfect with a well built scope. Don't need to fuss about lapping.
To keep my reply short, I lap my dovetail (dual dovetail and windage rear), but not the higher end picatinny style. With the dovetails, I have little or no ring marking and it gets the alignment nearer perfect. I still use dovetail rings on most of my rifles. They have a cleaner look to my eye and lower to the bore.
This is one reason I prefer a one piece mount - no lapping required.. But even if you want cheaper rings, get the Burris signature rings with the spherical inserts. If you can misalign those, you need to hang it up.
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