Scope rings with 2 screws or 4+ screws for .338 Lapua Magnum?

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Changingmagazine

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Hello everyone! So I finished my shopping for my firearms accessories this year and I have my scope here for the .338 Lapua magnum I'm getting next year. Apart from the scope, I also bought a pair of scope rings that only have 2 screws on the ring mounts so one on each side and I was wondering if that is enough to hold the recoil of a .338 LM. This is quite disconcerting or bothersome as I was looking up images of .338 Lapua magum rifles and all I see is a bunch of scopes held together by a total of 4 or more screws on the scope rings and absolutely none with just 2 screws and I though: Did I make a bad purchase?

Any ways, I purchased a weaver style scope ring and it looks exactly like this: https://www.traditionsfirearms.com/data/catalog/products/images/379/800_800/A780.jpg

As you can see, there is only one screw on each side of the rings unlike these with like 6 screws in each scope rings: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ngDoEgEZAeQ/maxresdefault.jpg

Anyways, my main question is, would these scope rings with just one screw on each side work well for a scope mounted on a .338 Lapua Magnum or do I really need to get one with like 4 plus screws?

Also, does anyone know anyone that use these scope rings with 2 screws on powerful rifles such as a .338 LM and how did they do?


Many thanks.
 
It's not so much the number of screws as the quality of the rings, and the screws they use.
One trick is to not buy cheap rings and then strip a screw by way over tightening it. A good set of rings is about $200 and usually worth it, regardless of how many screws they use.
 
Thanks. I also got this wheeler torque wrench so I think I will be good with not over tightening it. These scope rings that I bought were around $40 Canadian. I am just wondering if 1 screw on each scope ring is good enough for handling a recoil of a .338 Lapua Magnum and that it won't damage my scope or anything else.
 
Depending on how much cash you have tied up in your optic, you might want to consider getting some high quality, name brand rings (Badger Ordnance, MDT, Nightforce, Leupold, etc). They aren't cheap but then again neither is shooting a .338 and it would be a shame to not only potentially scratch up a nice scope but also waste your time and money shooting while the scope (and your zero) moves around in the rings. Cheap rings also need to be lapped, a practice that is unnecessary with high end, matched rings.
 
Changingmagazine said:
Thanks. I also got this wheeler torque wrench so I think I will be good with not over tightening it. These scope rings that I bought were around $40 Canadian. I am just wondering if 1 screw on each scope ring is good enough for handling a recoil of a .338 Lapua Magnum and that it won't damage my scope or anything else.
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I'll be blunt, the rings you bought are low end and barely worth of life on a rimfire. Your 338 will need quality rings(and glass) and as mentioned those rings start around $200 a set and go up. I say steel rings with two screws a side as a bare minimum. Rugbydave has solid recommendations.
 
While I find myself questioning a lot of what Kidd X states as 'fact' on this board, he makes a good point on steel rings.

Get some steel rings, and a steel base if you are not mounting directly to your receiver. Aluminum has its place, but not between the optic and receiver on a .338
 
Kidd X said:
I'll be blunt, the rings you bought are low end and barely worth of life on a rimfire. Your 338 will need quality rings(and glass) and as mentioned those rings start around $200 a set and go up. I say steel rings with two screws a side as a bare minimum. Rugbydave has solid recommendations.
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Most "steel" rings are made of a mild steel alloy so are in fact less structural than some grades of aluminum alloy. And there have been many cases of "galvanic" action seen by using steel rings on the aluminum tube of the scope, specifically when cheap steel rings are used and the contact between the rings and tube is not entirely coated to prevent the substrates from coming in direct contact.
We have yet to hear of anyone having their scope move in our rings and we have sold literally thousands of sets, which are made of 7075 aluminum and employ only 1 screw per side. Now that being said the single screw that we use is much larger than the standard #6 size screw that most ring makers use.
The problem with many screws per side is you will never get 100% equal or even torque on all of them.

OP They say education is expensive, so far you are only into the learning curve down $40.00, so it could be far worse.
 
Can anyone comment on the Leupold qew? Are they considered quality rings ? My scope is large so I need to take it off and store it separately.
 
alberta tactical rifle said:
Most "steel" rings are made of a mild steel alloy so are in fact less structural than some grades of aluminum alloy. And there have been many cases of "galvanic" action seen by using steel rings on the aluminum tube of the scope, specifically when cheap steel rings are used and the contact between the rings and tube is not entirely coated to prevent the substrates from coming in direct contact.
We have yet to hear of anyone having their scope move in our rings and we have sold literally thousands of sets, which are made of 7075 aluminum and employ only 1 screw per side. Now that being said the single screw that we use is much larger than the standard #6 size screw that most ring makers use.
The problem with many screws per side is you will never get 100% equal or even torque on all of them.

OP They say education is expensive, so far you are only into the learning curve down $40.00, so it could be far worse.
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Lots of good information here. I agree on one screw per side. Easier to balance torque and completely adequate from an engineering perspective. Don't get me wrong, I'm not against aluminum rings, in fact most of my rings ARE aluminum, and mount directly to the receiver. The reason I recommend steel rings and steel bases have to do with thermal expansion. Aluminum expands and contracts about 2 times more than steel. Your point on galvanic corrosion is valid, but this is not the only problem with mating dissimilar materials. My experience indicates steel bases and steel rings are the most consistent mounting platform for a precision optic. I shoot when it's minus 30 out, I shoot when it's plus 30 out. You might be surprised at how few rifles can hold 'Zero' (obviously cold temps cause lower velocities due to powder combustion and increased air density. Point of impact changes, but is predictable, and can can be calculated. Other variables like bedding and mounts are less predictable)

Yes 'some' grades of aluminum (usually heat treated) are 'more structural' than mild steel, but implying that 7075 exhibits better mechanical properties than mild steel is simply false. Look at any data sheet.

The advantage of aluminum rings seems to be their weight, and the fact that they are less apt to damage an optic. The reality is aluminium is weaker and more difficult to work with at extreme tolerances, and less stable in use.
 
Canada tail said:
Can anyone comment on the Leupold qew? Are they considered quality rings ? My scope is large so I need to take it off and store it separately.
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I presume you mean QRW..? They work. Costly for what they are, but inexpensive relative to the competition. Probably ok if you are storing your gun a couple times a month. I would go with something a little beefier if storing it a few times a week. Just make sure you have a quality steel base to mate them to.

I like the warne system on a maxima one piece base.
 
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Canada tail said:
Can anyone comment on the Leupold qew? Are they considered quality rings ? My scope is large so I need to take it off and store it separately.
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Do not buy quick detach rings and do not remove your scope once it's correctly mounted and all the fasteners are properly torqued. No matter how good they are you will most likely have to re-zero your scope every time you remove it and put it back on. You are stepping into the ring with the big boys with a 338 and this is no time to be cheap. You get what you pay for and that translates into you pay for accuracy. No one shoots 338 Lapua for fun and at the price of ammunition, even if you handload you don't want to be wasting ammo re-zeroing your scope every time you go out and you don't want to be wasting barrel life either.

I have a couple pairs of ATRS single screw rings and have never had a scope move. The rings holding power has nothing to do with how many screws it has but instead is how accurately the rings are cut, if the bearing surface the scope rides in is perfectly parallel to the scope for maximum surface contact you will have a strong hold but it you buy cheap rings that are cut and finished poorly you will have to over-tighten them to get the same hold and you will damage the scope tube.
I've also never needed to use lock-tite between the scope and rings either, just a very small amount on the screw threads and that's it.

The absolute cheapest rings I would use on any centerfire larger than a 223 are the Burris XTR rings, they have 3 screws on each side but the problem is that it makes it harder to get them all torqued the same, I find you need to do a cross bolt pattern like when tightening the lugnuts on the wheels of your car but you need to go back over them 3-4 times to get them even since when you tighten on it takes the load from the one next to it and then that one needs to be tightened again.

If you're on a tight budget and especially if you're not a handloader you're probably not going to enjoy your rifle, at $5 per shot for factory rounds and over $2 per shot for handloads it's not a good cartridge for someone with shallow pockets or a nagging wife that doesn't like you spending money on your toys. As a handloader you're looking looking at between 85 and 105 grains of powder per round which translates into 70-100 rounds per pound of powder and at $50/ pound plus projectiles that are at least $1 each plus primer it adds up fast.

If you're interested I'm selling everything needed to reload for 338 Lapua on the EE in the reloading section. I sold my Desert Tech SRS and went back to a 300 win mag so I can enjoy shooting more and still have some cash for a new rifle once in a while.

Good luck
 
Thanks again everyone. I don't know if I'll get steel scope rings as I will have aluminum to match the scope base. I will buy a high end one for sure and yes I bought cheap ones that I didn't even bother taking at the post office. I don't know much about the leupold qew, but I did my research and found that vortex scope rings work great. There is the vortex lrs scope ring and the vortex match rings that seem to work pretty well.
 
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