Vertical split ring issue?

[EmanP]

What was the issue with vertical split rings not allowing scopes to return to zero? I've got friends using Warne rings on hunting rigs and I have LaRue mounts on ARs.

 

[goosed]

I can not address the specific issue discussed in the pod cast, but in general...

There are a few issues with split rings:

1) Pressure imparted on the sides of the scope tube in front of the turret will cause the erector to bind
2) Pressure behind the turret can cause parallax issues
3) The design lends itself to improperly centering the scope while mounting causing the rings to become out of round; compounding above issues

Some scope designs work better with split rings than others, but if you're going to be dialing I encourage you to just avoid any possible issues and buy quality(non-vertical split) rings.

 

[EmanP]

That's weird that it would cause binding or parralax issues when rings are supposed to place equalateral pressure on the entire tube. Why would it only happen to vertical rings and not horizontal ones I wonder?

 

[goosed]

That's weird that it would cause binding or parralax issues when rings are supposed to place equalateral pressure on the entire tube. Why would it only happen to vertical rings and not horizontal ones I wonder?

A large part of the issue is how do you place the scope perfectly in the center of split rings while tightening?

Past user error, in theory there will be even pressure if everything is machined to zero tolerances. Unfortunately, we don't live in a perfect zero tolerance world. Plus, split rings are typically of cheaper quality and price with looser tolerances. Thus in the real world there ends up being additional pressure from the side, specifically on the bottom half, with vertical split rings that cause issues.