Lesson learned: be careful not to switch or rotate top halves of rings...

The Kurgan

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...as it can lead to significant scope (windage) misalignment, as I experienced last night while mounting my Bushnell Tactical scope to a pair of Leupold PRW rings. A bit of experimenting with position of ring top halves and the scope perfectly aligned with plenty of windage adjustment to spare. Just an FYI for those experiencing similar problems and have resorted to shims or believe that their mounting holes are misaligned, etc.
 
That's rather weird... All the top halves do is clamp the scope into the bottom halves which control where the scope is located, and they are fixed in place on the bases... the top halves sort of free float and center on the scope tube, they can't really force the scope anywhere but into the bottom rings.

??
 
Another theory I have is that I didn't screw down the top halves in a even fashion and somehow slightly distorted/flexed the bottom halves?
 
I assumed the bottom halves were lapped...? But possibly uneven tightening did affect position with this particular style of ring...
 
Out of curiosity what is the best method for tightening down rings?

For 4 screw rings I screw the one side corner just a little then the opposite corner screw a little and go back and forth tightening left side/right side/ front and back etc.

14
32

Over and over until all are tight to the proper amount

I wonder if using 2 screw drivers together and turning together might also work or is that too screwy lol
 
Out of curiosity what is the best method for tightening down rings?

For 4 screw rings I screw the one side corner just a little then the opposite corner screw a little and go back and forth tightening left side/right side/ front and back etc.

14
32

Over and over until all are tight to the proper amount

I wonder if using 2 screw drivers together and turning together might also work or is that too screwy lol


i tightne my rings down like the head of a motor, start in the center and work your way out, alternating sides, doing it in 2 or 3 steps till proper torque is acheeived but im speaking about rings that have 2 screws per top cap... for single screw rings i do like you and ##### cross pattern
 
you should follow the instructions that come with your rings

I know the TPS rings I use are installed in a very specific manner which is explained here:

First, place the rings out on a flat surface as in Figure “A”. Note the “Index” mark that is
present on both the cap and base of the rings. When you assemble the rings, the “Index”
mark must be assembled on the same side
The next step is to mount the base of the rings onto your scope base rail. Pay careful
attention to any possible burrs on the base of the rings and your scope base rail itself. Any
burrs, nicks or debris is going to have an adverse and possibly damaging effect on not only
your rings but also your optics. Once you have your ring bases securely attached to your
base, torque the 7/16 hex nuts on your ring bases to a 65 in/lbs. If you don’t have a torque
wrench for this application, be careful to not over tighten the hex nuts. They need to be
adequately tight to prevent slippage, but not to the extreme of damaging the rings and
bases. Using a standard 7/16 box wrench can far exceed the recommended torque,
if used carelessly.

The second step is to carefully place your scope tube into the installed ring bases. Again,
pay special attention to any possible nicks, dings or debris that is on the ring bases and/or
the scope tube. As in the Figure “A”, keep note of the “Index” mark on your ring bases
and the ring caps. You must install the ring caps so that the index marks are on the same
side.
Keep close attention to the side of the ring that has the “Index” mark. The side that has the
“Index” mark is the side that you have to install the first two (2) of the Torx crews into.
Install the two (2) Torx screws into the ring cap as in Figure “B”. Tighten the screws lightly
with the Torx wrench provided. Then back off the screws one (1) turn. Preform this on both
the front and rear rings.
Once you have the two (2) screws installed on one side of the ring, install the other two(2)
screws into the other side as in Figure “C”. . Only
screw them in about 4-5 turns as shown in Figure “C”. Repeat this operation for the
remaining ring.
DO NOT TIGHTEN THESE DOWN YET


With the eight (8) screws, four (4) per ring partially installed into your rings, comes the next
step. Do your final adjustment of your scope in regards to proper eye relief. In the next step,
you will be able to adjust the “Cant” in your scope reticle, but it will be more difficult to adjust
the scope back and forth for eye relief, but not impossible.
Now that you have your eye relief properly adjusted, carefully tighten the two (2) screws
on the side of the “Index” mark as in Figure “D”. Tighten the screws completely with the
Torx wrench supplied. Do not use any leverage other than what you can apply with hand
tightening. DO NOT USE ADDITIONAL LEVERAGE ON WRENCH.

Once you have the two (2) screws on the “Index” side of the rings tightened, adjust your
reticle”Cant” to be positioned perfectly vertical. Once you have established your reticle in
a vertical position, tighten the other two (2) screws on the opposite side of both rings. Now
you have all eight (8) screws tightened, and you will now notice that your scope reticle is
still vertical as you had adjusted it. If for some reason, you accidently moved your scope
while you were preparing to tighten the last step, loosen the two (2) screws opposite of the
index mark and readjust the reticle back to vertical. Tighten the screws again.
.
You will notice as in Figure “D”, that the side of the “Index” mark that there is no gap between
the base and the cap of the rings. This is normal and your rings are designed this way. If the
rings are installed as per instructions, you will have a 20/1000 of an inch gap, on the opposite
side of the “Index” mark side. This gap is to accommodate any slight variations in scope tube
diameters from various manufactures.
 
Buy Near. I had my scope out of the rings and rail. Buttoned everything back up. The gun shot exactly like it was before, didn't need to re-zero. Talk about precision.
 
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