setting up new scope rings

[marksman]

so I bought a new set of rings from rebel gunworks for the old brno 30-06 to put a different scope on it that I've had sitting around for a while, 10 years
I thought I'd share the way I do it
first I set up the lapping bar and tighten the rings down at the base's how they will be forever now



then I set the scope in place to see if it is low enough and that I get enough eye relief
its an illuminated leupold 4.5-14x50 vxl that I've owned for years



I lap the lower rings till I recon they will be ok




I set the scope in place and tighten it down with reticule square and bugger



I cant open the bolt fully because the bolt hits at the ocular area
so I am determined that I'm going to fit this scope and give it a good home, I've been on the go a fair bit lately so much Christmas
anyway I've planned on doing this for to long so I start to grind the back of the bolt where it is hitting to get a good fit and function



it ended all ok I didn't have to take to much off so the bolt functions properly



that's the scope on the rifle ready for the next sambar with the old scope a 4-12x50 vxr on its little brother a 308 that my young daughter will be using for her first deer this year, we hope

[TassieTiger]

What does the lapping actually do in this case - especially curious when just attending to 1/2 of the ring set ?
Appreciate you taking the time to load pics and show this.

[marksman]

What does the lapping actually do in this case - especially curious when just attending to 1/2 of the ring set ?
Appreciate you taking the time to load pics and show this.

it helps with proper alignment between the scope rings, it knocks down the rough spots and high areas for a straighter fit of the scope
I didn't do 100% surface polishing as I don't think it is really needed with these rings

[brett1868]

Any reason for not doing the top as well? I mark the tops and fit them loosely when lapping then progressively torque them. Not too much but just enough till I've got %80 or more coverage.

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[TassieTiger]

So I’ve always been told to put some tape in the top and bottom section of the rings to prevent marking up the scope but also for dealing with hidden anomalies such as what is being polishe out by lapping - is this incorrect??

[Daddybang]

A good example of lapping for the newcomers !

[brett1868]

So I’ve always been told to put some tape in the top and bottom section of the rings to prevent marking up the scope but also for dealing with hidden anomalies such as what is being polishe out by lapping - is this incorrect??

Cello tape on the rings is a good way to protect the scope tube from minor anomalies and something I still do on some rings. The aim of the tape / lapping is to increase the clamping surface area to prevent the scope from moving. My favourite solution has to be the Optilok rings from Sako, unfortunately I'm not aware of a similar solution for other platforms.

[marksman]

why I don't lap the tops is that the tops have a bit of flex and would conform a bit better than the bottoms,
I think and I don't want to over enlarge the tops so the scope is tight if I did take out more than I should from the bottoms
I do see a better fit if the tops were lightly lapped
I didn't lap these rings as much as I normally would as I thought it would take to much out
the rings IMHO are very good rings and were lined up by the lapping bar, I didn't lap much out though
I have used the tape idea and recon it better than nothing at all