Without trying to sound like a commercial...
Switch to Burris Signature rings, and forget about lapping...or torquing the scope tube, or leaving ghastly ring marks on your expensive scope!
Watch this vid, it explains a lot...
I'll give you an example, having worked is a sport shop and installed my share of scopes, and solved some serious problems along the way.
Older rifles are notorious for misalignment of drilling for scope bases, particularly Enfields, and the like, but lots also right out of the factory. Had one rifle, a 1917 Enfield, lots of work done to it and looked pretty decent. Wanted his old scope and rings off his current hunter mounted to it. I could tell there was going to be issues...whomever drilled and tapped it for bases did a horrible job. Of course, when I installed Weaver bases and then the rest of the gear, the scope was very visibly pointing in a different direction from the barrel! With the scope zeroed, a bore sight tool indicated right off the chart low and a foot to the left. No amount of internal adjustment was ever going to compensate for that...and as the video above demonstrates, over adjustment will bugger up the erector and lens alignment.
Solution: Signature rings. I used +20 in the 7:30 position with -20 in the 2:30 position on the front ring. And the exact opposite on the rear, +20 in the 2:30 position, and -20 in the 7:30. Set the scope into place with caps, properly torqued, and it was now in essentially in spot on alignment with the rifle. I made up the difference of a couple inches from the left and low to zero the scope.
Problem solved! No ridiculous shimming, no patching the action and re-drilling for bases, all for the price of a set of rings and a few offset shims, and about half an hour of my time. Solidly mounted and ready for sight in at the range.
I've seen brand new scopes, not just marked up, but literally crushed by a very popular make of rings. Would never happen with Signature rings.
I've seen new scopes so bound up by being bent when forced into misaligned rings, that the erector tube jammed enough it wouldn't move. Again, ain't gonna happen with Signature rings! The inserts automatically aligns the scope with the rings. Whether the rings/bases themselves are aligned with the rifle is another matter...see above!
I've taken scopes off of my rifles that have been in place for years, without even a hint of a ring mark to show for it!
Another instance: Dovetail rings with windage adjustment on the rear base - trouble just looking for a place to happen. Head to the range, the gun is shooting 10" to the right. Use the rear windage adjustment to move the scope. There is no way in hell the front ring that was twisted and locked into place with a tool and considerable effort is going to pivot when the rear is moved like that! You've just torqued the hell out of the scope tube, if not permanently bent it...and put pressure on the internal erector tube, and thrown the internal lenses out of alignment. However, with Signature dovetail rings, the first thing to do before adjusting windage is slightly loosen the screws on the front ring caps, which then allows the scope to pivot freely and maintain alignment with the rear rings. Adjust and then retighten the front caps. Piece of cake, and it works!
I swear, nothing but Burris rings go on my rifles and expensive scopes! All the rest are effectively the Model Ts of the scope mounting biz. Lapping is yesterday's solution to an ages old problem...and a poor one at that, IMHO. I've taken apart lapped rings that were well spotted with rust up against the aluminum scope tube...not good!
And the next scope that moves from recoil on my rifles will be the first!
