Rings.. cheap vs expensive

eco

eco

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Anyone have any real unbiased input on cheap vs expensive scope rings?

I've googled for a while and not much out there actually putting one vs the other on a real life true precision test.

It's been a while since I got a scope. Just got a nice zeiss, dropped 2k on it. Figured that was the like 95% of the money needed to get it going. But now I'm looking at a picatinny rail, plus zeiss rings, plus zeiss caps for the scope... it's like another $600-800 for the authentic stuff!

Or i look at the cheap Chinese stuff (mind you most these days is made in China anyways) and I can get the caps for under $20, cnc machined aluminum rings for under $30, cnc machined rail for $20.. and so on.

Most comments online sites cite better accuracy of the authentic stuff. But you can get a cnc machine off ebay or Amazon for 1-2k that will cut you rings down to 100th of a mm precise. They aren't made by hand and someone filing them into shape. Am I missing something?

Looking at them i can't tell a difference. Just had a $20 pair of amazon rings arrive, and they look and feel nice. Anodized aluminum, nice lines, no dings, screws look like as they are supposed to look. Sitting next to my old Leopold rings, I can't tell the difference in machining.

It's metal. It gets screwed down. It's not a moving part. It's plenty strong just like the authentic stuff (aluminum or aloy of sorts). But the price of $20 vs almost $400 for the zeiss ones is just ludicrous. It's a block of aluminum. Not gold.

Sure the glass is worth the extra over cheap stuff. It can't be copied as easily.

But this accessories stuff just blows my mind.

Anyone ever seen a video or website comparing the rings with same scope and same rifle side by side? Curious.
 
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The big difference is going to be quality - quality of workmanship, quality of materials, and QA checks before stuff leaves the factory. Also customer support if you have any issues.

Its not that you CAN'T get a good cheap set of rings, its that you will KNOW you're getting good rings if you buy quality, whereas its a gamble with the cheap stuff. As just one example, the machining might look good, but how straight/flat are the rings once mounted? Cheap rings might not be aligned nicely, causing unwanted forces to be applied to the scope tube.


That said, I don't have anything close to $400 rings, just mid-tier stuff from reputable companies like Nikon, Burris, Leupold, etc. and I haven't had any issues.
 
it's like buying a race car and putting in cheap gas.

I personally have been using Warne as my go to. I did pick up a new set of MDT rings but can't actually use them because the require two slots on the rail, my Rem 700 warne base only has 1 slot on the rear base.
 
Vortex used to offer a really nice set of premium rings at about $80, called the Pro Series. Then they jumped the price.

MDT used to offer a really nice set of quality rings at a similar price. They, too, jumped the price.
 
Waste of money, Leupold mark4, Sportsmatch, swfa, badger will all perform more than adequately and you won’t have to worry about em breaking
 
adamg, I too bought some V-Pro rings about 5 years ago for ca $90 at BP - just looked and they're $130 today. And I got them for a couple 22s :rolleyes: Then last year I had to get a Burris EXT Sig set for $175 and that sukt. But I also have some amazon rings that cost $20 and work fine too. I just don't crank the torque past 15 or so, and they're fine on my 308. Just the scope is only $300, not $3K 😉
 
I’ve had experience with the cheaper rings like the economy Vortex, UTG etc and although they have their place on lower recoiling guns like rimfires, they will cause havoc on high power guns. The last straw for me was chasing an accuracy issue on a big bore Savage last year. Ended up being the rings. Now, I stick with Leupold PRW2 or similar. I’ve used them years ago and still do with no issues. . Their not cheap but they are reliable.
 
$400 rings seems excessive to me, but it’s all relative.

My neighbor exclusively seems to run Chinese Amazon optics/accessories, but he’s shooting a Derya TM22, so that works in his case, he gets what he pays for but he doesn’t need much to function.

I run MDT on my target rifle, and I’ve used Vortex in the past. No problems.
 
Accuracy = Repeatability so in order to function, rings need to hold the scope in the same position, relative to the bore, shot after shot after shot.
That's all they need to do.
That said, certain things like the quality of the metal and machining, hardware, and clamping force all contribute as does the location of various forces and how they are applied.

In my experience, MDT rings and even Vortex rings have been very good to me. I am currently flirting with the Arken 99$ ones on my new hunting build because I like the price tag and I have been very happy with my 1 piece Arken on my AR. Personally, I avoid the Talley one piece style and the Sako dovetail style. though the Talley's are pretty light.
 
This isn't quite the video I was trying to find... but it's close, maybe there's a PT3. It's mostly comparing one piece and two piece mounts. But essentially the principles have been covered...

Cheap rings (better phrased as poor craftsmanship) may put strain on your optic and that can actually damage the scope or cause issues with tracking. You don't have to bend a scope very far to affect the tracking.

You don't need to spend $400 on a set of rings, if you are spending that, it better have some extra features.

I picked up a pair of $17 amazon rings some years back to see just what they were all about. Upon examination, I wasn't willing to put them on anything. Maybe if amazon had a $17 scope to match.
 
eco said:
Anyone have a any real unbiased input on cheap vs expensive scope rings?

I've googled for a while and not much out there actually putting one vs the other on a real life true precision test.

It's been a while since I got a scope. Just got a nice zeiss, dropped 2k on it. Figured that was the like 95% of the money needed to get it going. But now I'm looking at a picatinny rail, plus zeiss rings, plus zeiss caps for the scope... it's like another $600-800 for the authentic stuff!

Or i look at the cheap Chinese stuff (mind you most these days is made in China anyways) and I can get the caps for under $20, cnc machined aluminum rings for under $30, cnc machined rail for $20.. and so on.

Most comments online sites cite better accuracy of the authentic stuff. But you can get a cnc machine off ebay or Amazon for 1-2k that will cut you rings down to 100th of a mm precise. They aren't made by hand and someone filing them into shape. Am I missing something?

Looking at them i can't tell a difference. Just had a $20 pair of amazon rings arrive, and they look and feel nice. Anodized aluminum, nice lines, no dings, screws look like as they are supposed to look. Sitting next to my old Leopold rings, I can't tell the difference in machining.

It's metal. It gets screwed down. It's not a moving part. It's plenty strong just like the authentic stuff (aluminum or aloy of sorts). But the price of $20 vs almost $400 for the zeiss ones is just ludicrous. It's a block of aluminum. Not gold.

Sure the glass is worth the extra over cheap stuff. It can't be copied as easily.

But this accessories stuff just blows my mind.

Anyone ever seen a video or website comparing the rings with same scope and same rifle side by side? Curious.
Click to expand...
Look on the EE at all the scopes with rash,slight marks,marks only on the bottom but not seen etc. Its pretty evident that junks junk and you get what you pay for. Buy a $1K scope and $49.95 amazon rings?? Pay for quality and you can remove your scope and remount with no impact shift as well as removing the scope with ZERO damage.
 
I put a pair of $54.99 amazon bought Monstrum Pro rings on a 308 target rifle and they seem fine to me. The reviews are overwhelmingly good, although some people claim to have broken the fasteners. I tighted mine to spec using a torque setting driver and didn't have any problem.
 
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Exactly.. the cheaper ones seems to be working fine. For a 100-200yrd hunting/range shot, they all seem more than adequate.

If i was competing at the Olympics or making money with it every day, sure, but I feel like for 99% of us the expensive stuff is an overkill. If you got the cash sure. Otherwise I'm not buying it..

Like I said with the current technology and capabilities that even the cheap cnc machines can produce, the nanometer differences, if any, are way too insignificant for what most of us shoot or use imho
 
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