Scope base or picatinny - overthinking it again?

[Dick]

On a personal note I would suggest the Warne rings that split on the horizontal axis. I find them easier to mount and to align the scope than those that split on the vertical axis.

Agree with that. But what's worse is that they are a lot more awkward to lap I should think. As in all these discussions lapping is seldom mentioned despite the fact that no rings will ever be aligned without it.

[Againstthegrains]

Agree with that. But what's worse is that they are a lot more awkward to lap I should think. As in all these discussions lapping is seldom mentioned despite the fact that no rings will ever be aligned without it.

I must say, I don't know anybody who has lapped their rings, and I have not come across any data that shows that it makes a difference?

[Fish Hunter]

I must say, I don't know anybody who has lapped their rings, and I have not come across any data that shows that it makes a difference?

I am inclined to agree. I have never lapped the scope rings I have used (Warne and Optilocks) and never had any issues with the scopes or accuracy.

[A-R]

I am inclined to agree. I have never lapped the scope rings I have used (Warne and Optilocks) and never had any issues with the scopes or accuracy.

I must say, I don't know anybody who has lapped their rings, and I have not come across any data that shows that it makes a difference?

Clearly you don't know me then...

I have lapped many rings. Some come out about right from the box and don't need it. Some are just rough and can do with some smoothing. Then there are those setups, and usually it is with 2-piece bases, that need a lot of lapping to get them aligned and prevent them from marking the scope tube. Mind you, I have also shimmed the occasional base where the factory dimensions were not properly matched to the action.

[oafpatroll]

I've done two on split mounts with a borrowed lap. Don't think it made them any more accurate but they fit precisely afterwards and didn't require excessive tension to secure.

[Dick]

I must say, I don't know anybody who has lapped their rings, and I have not come across any data that shows that it makes a difference?

you haven't seen the photo in my book of a scope tube which had been dented by the heavy point load exerted by the edge of a ring when the owner had torqued the hell out of it in a vain attempt to prevent the scope from slipping. It was unsuccesful as shown by the 6mm width of finish (and some aluminium) scraped off the tube. That wasn't the only such example I saw. No pair of rings is ever perfectly in line out of the box, because of manufacturing tolerances (building to a price). It seldom results in the problem I have described and when it does it is on the hard recoiling calibres. But it happens just often enough that I made lapping my standard practice to avoid come backs. I never had any but I reset and lapped several that had been done badly by other dealers or gunsmiths and never had one of those returned either. The fact that imperfect alignment doesn't always cause a problem, or that you've never seen it, doesn't make it not so. Much has been said in this thread about ring alignment. I fitted a lot of them, pretty much all makes, and had to, as standard practice, get them as aligned to the best achievable because my customers expected their rifles to be handed back sighted in on the bench to simplify final zeroing on the range. In every case, without a single exception, lapping took off some metal thus proving that they are never perfectly aligned without it. Of course this is where someone will tell me that I couldn't have got them aligned to start with. I can't disprove that but if it had been said to me twenty years ago I would have invited the accuser to come and watch me fitting scopes.