Rings fully tightened, scope creeping forward after shooting??

FightingIrish

FightingIrish

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I just got home from the range. Finally had some time to put 100 rounds through the 700 SPS .308. I noticed marks on the Vortex Viper scope tube (30mm) right in front of the rings. After pondering, I've realized it's because the scope is creeping forward from all the rearward force from shooting. The rings are as tight as they'll go. What should I do? Are they ####ty rings?

Irish.
 
Do you have a torque wrench to check how tight is tight?

Some people have been known to use rosin powder, apparently a small amount of it can help add some grip.
 
Stevebot-7 said:
Do you have a torque wrench to check how tight is tight?
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No torque wrench, maybe that should be next on the tools list?
ultimate_monkey said:
this..

what rings and base are you using?
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It's a weaver one piece base, the rings were fairly cheap ($50), I don't even know which brand they are. They're bulky looking with 3 torn screws per side.

One thing I have noticed after taking it apart just now is that when fully tightened, the two piece rings are tight together. So, maybe the rings aren't clamping the scope enough because there's no room to? Should I sand the flats of the clamps down to allow for more tightening?

EDIT: The rings are Millett Tactical Rings (low). I wanted to spring for the Trijicon but it wasn't in the budget.
 
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Sounds like some crappy rings, which IMHO pretty much describes anything Millett...

Not that I am a huge Leupold guy, but I have found that the Leupold PRW Rings are pretty damn good bang for your buck.
 
I have never been impressed with the Millett line... I think Leupold are the best bang for the buck... and all 'solid' rings should be lapped. Burris Signature rings do not require lapping.
 
If the rings are bottoming the flats together then wanting them is a step in the right direction. Lapping the rings is also another step. I personally locktite all my scopes into the rings as well.
 
I have a set of Millet Tactical rings and never had any issues with them. I usually degrease the scope and rings before setting them up. A torque wrench is a must. Make sure it's in inch pounds and not foot pounds! You'd want one that goes down to at least 20 inch pounds.
 
For rings with multiple screws, it's vital that you evenly torque them. In many cases that might involve only doing a quarter turn on each one as you jump around the screws to keep things level.

Now, if the ring segments are pressed tight together then it's unlikely that they're unevenly torqued, but it's always a possibility. With my Leupold PRW rings I had to go over the screws five times before they would stay properly torqued. Every time I tightened one the one beside it would loosen, or the opposite one was too tight and had to be loosened to keep the ring level.
 
When your rings were tight, did you have clearance between the bell of the scope, and the front of the rail?
When you tightened the rings, did you start with the center screw on each side, alternating outward?
Have you heard of Burris ;)
 
When I could not afford descent rings, I used a paper punch to make litle circles from latex gloves.
Place one in each base in the same spot. That will give you some room and excellent traction.
(NO......I know better now)
 
Leave your weaver bases on and see if you can get the Zee ring in 30mm that attach to a weaver base. The Zee ring manufacturer is currently escaping me? FS
 
9x19p said:
When your rings were tight, did you have clearance between the bell of the scope, and the front of the rail?
When you tightened the rings, did you start with the center screw on each side, alternating outward?
Have you heard of Burris ;)
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Yes I started on the center screw and worked outward.

nomad 68 said:
Get yourself a decent set of rings and then you will know what you have. I have Talley ightweights on my 700 and no issues.You shouldn't have to file half joints to tighten rings imo.
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Fassteel said:
Leave your weaver bases on and see if you can get the Zee ring in 30mm that attach to a weaver base. The Zee ring manufacturer is currently escaping me? FS
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Juan For All said:
I would get a different / good quality set of rings.
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I have Burris Z Rings on my other rifles with 1" scope tubes and like them. I couldn't believe/understand the price difference to go with 30mm rings, so I opted not to. Twice the price for slightly larger rings didn't make sense.

It sucks, because now I'll probably end up with Burris rings anyways, and will have thrown $50 away on these Millett ones.

Thanks everyone!
 
FightingIrish said:
I just got home from the range. Finally had some time to put 100 rounds through the 700 SPS .308. I noticed marks on the Vortex Viper scope tube (30mm) right in front of the rings. After pondering, I've realized it's because the scope is creeping forward from all the rearward force from shooting. The rings are as tight as they'll go. What should I do? Are they ####ty rings?

Irish.
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A 308 usually is not something that moves scopes around unless there is something seriously wrong.
In saying all of that look at contacting Millet to state your problem, a few minutes and an e-mail might be worth it.
Ring halves touching together is not normal when tightening, there is always a gap when the rings are tight, are they the right size rings?
Don't waste your time sanding the ring caps to fit that is Millet's problem, let them fix it. Opinions vary but Millet rings do work.
IMO
BB
 
bigbull said:
A 308 usually is not something that moves scopes around unless there is something seriously wrong.
In saying all of that look at contacting Millet to state your problem, a few minutes and an e-mail might be worth it.
Ring halves touching together is not normal when tightening, there is always a gap when the rings are tight, are they the right size rings?
Don't waste your time sanding the ring caps to fit that is Millet's problem, let them fix it. Opinions vary but Millet rings do work.
IMO
BB
Click to expand...

Yes they're the right size rings. They're 30mm, and so is my scope. I'll try contacting Millet to see if they are willing to do, but in the meantime I've picked up a set of Burris Signature Z rings.
 
Just finished installing the Burris rings. Can't say for sure if they've resolved the issue until I shoot it this weekend, but the ring halves are not touching even when fully torqued and it looks like the inserts have quite a grip on the scope tube.
 
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