Lapping scope rings?
10-06-2009, 10:03 AM
#1
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Camp Lejeune, NC
Posts: 3,869
Lapping scope rings?
I always thought it wasn't necessary but I have since changed my opinion. I bought a scope alignment kit the other day just for something to do. When I checked the alignment of the scope rings on one of my rifles, I noticed they were pretty out of alignment. I had to lap the rings for close to an hour to get to points to line up. I was just wondering how many people lap the rings when they mount a scope on a new rifle. If not, how many people even check alignment?
10-06-2009, 10:17 AM
#2
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Orange county, NY
Posts: 2,949
? what kind of rings/mounts are these? Are they turn in style? Its hard to imagine you could take off enough metal to visually see a difference in alignment. when I installed dual DT mounts, and rings on 2 of my rifles last winter, I used the alignment tool, to figure out how far to turn the rings, and the lapping tool to smooth out the inside surface of the rings for a better hold on the scope. It seems if you were to actaully grind off enough matierial to align rings, there would be a gap inbetween the rings and scope.
10-06-2009, 10:37 AM
#3
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Garfield NJ USA
Posts: 3,067
? what kind of rings/mounts are these? Are they turn in style? Its hard to imagine you could take off enough metal to visually see a difference in alignment. when I installed dual DT mounts, and rings on 2 of my rifles last winter, I used the alignment tool, to figure out how far to turn the rings, and the lapping tool to smooth out the inside surface of the rings for a better hold on the scope. It seems if you were to actaully grind off enough matierial to align rings, there would be a gap inbetween the rings and scope.
10-06-2009, 10:39 AM
#4
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Camp Lejeune, NC
Posts: 3,869
? what kind of rings/mounts are these? Are they turn in style? Its hard to imagine you could take off enough metal to visually see a difference in alignment. when I installed dual DT mounts, and rings on 2 of my rifles last winter, I used the alignment tool, to figure out how far to turn the rings, and the lapping tool to smooth out the inside surface of the rings for a better hold on the scope. It seems if you were to actaully grind off enough matierial to align rings, there would be a gap inbetween the rings and scope.
10-06-2009, 04:35 PM
#9
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Titusville Florida
Posts: 1,727
I prefer to use a one piece picatinny rail for a base. It's easy to see that the two piece bases might not line up very well, there's quite a bit of clearance in the screw holes that mount the bases to the receiver.
10-06-2009, 05:27 PM
#10
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Orange county, NY
Posts: 2,949
Its usually not the bases that dont line up, they line up w/ the holes in the receiver ,which are usually ,directly lined up w/ the bore. The rings are usually what are out of alignment, since many have windage adjustments, and even the screws, that are almost impossible to line up w/ each other w/out an alignment tool. Lapping the rings however, has nothing to do with scope alignment. Lapping is to smooth out surfaces.