My first experience with Talley Lightweights was back when they were only available with New Ultra Light Arms rifles.
Melvin Forbes originally designed them specifically for his rifles, and had them made by another company. My wife got a NULA in .270 Winchester in the early 90's and I mounted a Bausch & Lomb 2-7x on it in Melvin's rings, the worked up a load with 130-grain Nosler Partitions that shot VERY well.
For the next 10 years Eileen would go to the range before each fall hunting season and shoot one shot at a 100-yard target, which would land dead-center, 2" high. Then she'd go hunting. The rifle did that every year for a decade, and her hunting included airplane trips, boat rides, and a lot of climbing up and down mountains. The ONLY reason the rifle didn't stay sighted in after a decade of hard hunting is the scope finally went bad.
Eventually the company that made Melvin's rings went under, and he approached Talley. They said they'd make Melvin's ring if they could also make 'em for other rifles. I've used Talley Lightweights on lots of rifles since, including several NULA's, and never had any problem. If you mount them straight (one of D'Arcy Echols mounting bars helps), there's no need to lap them.
If people really, truly believe aluminum mounts don't work and want gthe strongest steel rings possible, I would either go with one of the many good, heavy-duty tactical rings out there from a number of companies, or follow Safariman's advice and buy rifles with integral bases. I've had very fine luck with both CZ and Ruger rifles and steel rings, in fact they've worked just as well as Talley Lightweights.
