Rings.. cheap vs expensive

There’s definitely a lot of marketing hype when it comes to scope rings, and I agree that the price disparity can be hard to justify. That said, the main difference between cheap and expensive rings comes down to consistency, durability, and alignment.

What You Pay For in Expensive Rings:

  1. Material & Machining Precision – Higher-end rings (Zeiss, Spuhr, Nightforce, Seekins, Badger, etc.) are precision-machined, often to tighter tolerances. This ensures better concentricity and alignment, meaning less stress on your scope tube and better tracking.
  2. Quality Control (QC) – More expensive brands generally have better QC, reducing the risk of rings that are slightly misaligned, unevenly anodized, or made from subpar aluminum alloys. Cheap rings can work fine, but consistency is the issue—you might get a good set, or you might not.
  3. Strength & Longevity – While a $20 Amazon pair might look great and hold zero on a .22LR or a mild .308, the real test comes with time and higher recoil. Cheap rings can develop slippage, stripped screws, or poor clamping force over time.
Where Cheap Rings Can Work Just Fine:

  • Low-recoil rifles (rimfires, .223, mild .308 loads)
  • Budget builds where you’re not expecting sub-MOA repeatability
  • Casual range or hunting rifles where absolute precision isn’t critical
Middle Ground Options ($50-$150):

  • Burris Signature Zee Rings – Affordable, great alignment, and their polymer inserts help prevent scope damage.
  • Vortex Pro Series – Good machining and durability at a reasonable price.
  • Warne Rings – Good strength and reliability for the money.
  • MDT Elite Rings – Solid choice for the price and widely respected.
 
Our dollar going down is likely a bigger factor in price increases, but the recession and lower demand might make retailers lower prices so maybe the prices will be stable.

It sure looks like the media and Liberals want tariffs.... the Liberal Polls have them back in the race due to fear #### around Orange Dawn.
 
  • Like
Reactions: eco
I had alot of issues when I was younger, dumber and broke, back then I finally "bucked up" on a set of weaver rings (the style with the steel band) instead of my usual "deal extreme" or eBay rings and all my issues went away, many years later and I'm still partial to those old style weaver rings, just seeked out a set of those rings to mount my new scope the other day.
 
Spuhr Hunting Rings are just over $200 and still use 7075 aluminum.

1739364120441.png
document_2025-02-10_193549-jpg.901245
 
Mik - The Vortex Pro 34mm rings are only $130 at Cabelas and maybe less at other places. I have 2-sets of the 30mm rings and have had them for ca 5-years on a Sav B-22 and a CZ-457 VMTR - not on a 'heavy caliber' rifle but lots of use on both - ca 3L rounds on each rifle. However I also have some Amazon $20 rings that have held up well on .223 and .308. I just wanted a 'better ring' on my most accurate rifles.
PS - The Vortex set is 6061 AL per the Cab-site.
 
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...
As has been stated , you get what you pay for. JMO , I would go with mid range costs unless a special build then buy the best I can find. If your happy with ebay purchases so be it.
 
Buck1950 said:
Mik - The Vortex Pro 34mm rings are only $130 at Cabelas and maybe less at other places. I have 2-sets of the 30mm rings and have had them for ca 5-years on a Sav B-22 and a CZ-457 VMTR - not on a 'heavy caliber' rifle but lots of use on both - ca 3L rounds on each rifle. However I also have some Amazon $20 rings that have held up well on .223 and .308. I just wanted a 'better ring' on my most accurate rifles.
PS - The Vortex set is 6061 AL per the Cab-site.
Click to expand...

I like the Vortex Pro rings, torqued to specs they are great.

Over time, I removed Vortex pro rings from a dozen scopes, and not once did they leave a mark on the scope tube.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom