Question about lapping scope rings!

BCshooterFMJ

BCshooterFMJ

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As I am getting more into shooting, its looking like it will soon be to be time to dig the first gun I ever bought back out from the safe, a savage model 111 7mm Rem Mag and put some decent glass on her .Going with a leupold vx2 4-12x50 unless of course someone could suggest better in the 600-700 dollar price range? (Also, Its going to be 50mm no matter what, its how my leupold rings are already set up. )

So, I have learned about lapping scope rings and home kits for it (Weaver makes one) Is this a necessary step to a truly accurate rifle?

Should I already be doing this with ANY rifle I mount a scope to?

If I do go about this, anything I should be careful of?

I am going to be mounting 6 to 8 scopes in the next year on different platforms, 4 within the next 2 months , so I am curious about this, as in: is getting this kit worth it for less then 100 dollars? Is this something all good gun smiths and experienced shooters do before mounting a scope?

I appreciate your time and any opinions,

Cheers.


(skip vid to 8:24 to see the lapping technique)
 
While not essential, lapping rings does a few things you may appreciate but not absolutely need.
Lapping basically machines the rings to the diameter of the scope, removing imperfections and reducing the chance of marring your investment.
It also effectively line bores the rings after they have been mounted to your rifle, reducing the chance of bending your investment.
If you have to dismantle your rifle from time to time it will go back together a lot closer and require less to re-zero afterwards. You can use the lapping bar to mount the rings true again.

I am biased, but I will put this way. You are going to spend 700 bucks on a scope, if you damage it while installing it on improperly mounted rings you stand to lose your money. Think of it as insurance.

You don't HAVE to buy the wheeler kit. I built my own lapping bars from hardchrome rod I picked up at my metal supplier.
It cost me about 20 bucks. I made a 30mm and 1 inch rod.
 
Really the biggest reason to lap rings is so your expensive scope does not get marked up by the rings or in severe misalignment damaged internally.
 
Thank a lot for your reply, you put it that way, there is really no good reason I SHOULDNT do it, and yeah, thats just the one scope, I am buying leupolds for 2 other rifles, plus a new rimfire scope (Still unsure of which scope I am going to get, just something better then the hideous thing and mounts on my marlin right now) plus a scout, then mounting a few I own already.

What do you use to clean the valve grinding compound off when finished?
 
guntech said:
Really the biggest reason to lap rings is so your expensive scope does not get marked up by the rings or in severe misalignment damaged internally.
Click to expand...

Not really...it's so you get better contact between scope and rings. Lapping will not rectify severe misalignment.
 
Years back my dad got a lapping bar ,he's always lapped his rings, my brothers and I have always borrowed it from him whenever we had new setups. We are hunters not presicion shooters and have always believed lapping was a safeguard against the scope moving from getting bumped out in the bush or from big recoil. I don't think there is any reason not to lap your rings.
 
From here on out I will forsure, it's funny, I got myself into shooting, so basically I learn from mistakes and what I read about online, so I just wanted some opinions and what not , glad to here the feed back, hopefully other people that werent really aware of it stumble upon the thread as well.
 
BCshooterFMJ said:
What do you use to clean the valve grinding compound off when finished?
Click to expand...
Towels mostly. Just make sure everything is covered with towels so it cant drip everywhere, and don't use too much.
I don't have the two piece rods for alignment when mounting the bases, so I leave the screws just loose and put a drop of oil in the bottom of each ring. I set the scope on the oil and look at the pattern the oil makes to know if I need to move the bases a bit. Worked for me.
 
My EGW rings and My ADM mounts have never marked any of my scopes so I dont see lapping doing anything extra.

Spend the money and buy good rings.
 
Nightforce lists on their website that their mounts are designed for their scopes and therefore do not require lapping.

Perhaps other manufacturers say the same?
 
DILLIGAF said:
My EGW rings and My ADM mounts have never marked any of my scopes so I dont see lapping doing anything extra.

Spend the money and buy good rings.
Click to expand...


I thought leupold were good ?

And in answer to fireball, I figured its dependent on the base/rings/drilled holes on the receiver. I also like leupold, I am going to stick with them for now, though Nightforce is an option I have been putting a lot of thought into lately.
 
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