Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Lightweight rings for a Ruger?

Are there any?

VA,
I'm not sure but the thought crossed my mind about having holes machined in them....

That's what my custom rifle maker did (hollowed out the underside) to the rings on my Ruger custom rifle. I don't know just how much weight he saved, but he took a whole pound off of the rifle in the process.
Some of it was going to a, "JimF" style foam recoil pad. Say 6 ozs. Some of it was removing some of the shoulder on the barrel. Maybe 3 ozs. or less. The rest of it came off of the action. The cocking piece, the underside of the action, the bolt handle, and the scope rings.
Prior to going to work on the rifle, he told me the aluminium rings out there probably wouldn't save much weight.
BTW, if your scope will allow it, the standard Ruger Rings can be replaced by a lower set. Those, simply becasue they aren't as high, should be a bit lighter. E

Wanna 'splain me how aluminum rings won't save weight over steel?

Not a question of would they be lighter. It's a question as to how much weight saved vs. hollowing out the steel rings. I'm sure you could do both as well for even more. But again, how much ? E

VA, sounds like you should send your rifle pronto to E's gunsmith. For 2 hundred bucks he will re contour the barrel, re machine the scope rings, skeletonize the bolt handle, install a lighter recoil pad, rework the safety and lighten same, repaint the stock and barreled action, recrown the barrel, rebed the action, hollow the stock and adjust the trigger. I think he works for 10 bucks an hour give or take.

RDFinn;

wtf was that?

E;

My point is that aluminum rings/bases (a la Talleys) are a whole helluva lot lighter than, say, Leupold DDs.

If there are aluminum rings out there for the Ruger, I am unaware of them, but would be interested. As for "hollowing out" the existing Ruger rings, I can't see where the $$$ would be worth the weight savings.

Read E's post on how his Ruger lost a pound.........This guy works magic for peanuts....

I did..... Easiest way to lose a pound on a Ruger, is to lose the Ruger rings for lightweights, if possible..... Which is what I'm after.

I think the key word of E's statement was MUCH. He is right that you won't save much weight from standard ruger rings to alu. mainly because you don't have to use bases.

I have gone to the Warne ruger rings for all of my rugers. I like them mainly because they don't have the screw on the side that can come loose and they are very strong and don't leave ring marks.

I don't find them to be all that heavy either. I am not a huge fan of the factory ruger rings....

For a lightweight Ruger 77, start with the tang-safety round-top model. Bases/rings for a Rem 700 will fit it. Then add a Douglas Featherweight barrel and a light synthetic stock. I've got the pieces but not assembled yet.

My R77 Ruger rings weigh a little over 4 ounces.

Bruce

Leupold's rings for the Ruger 77 are much slimmer and noticeably lighter. I can't say how much because I haven't weighed them, but they are substantially less metal all around.

The Burris steel custom rings for the Ruger go 5 oz.

jim

Just build off a Remmie! Problem solved!

MtnHtr

I weighed an extra pair of Warne PA maxima's I had sitting around. They came in at 6oz. Not bad and remember they have over .70in of width to them so that is alot of surface area.

Like I mentioned above I really like how they are vertically split and have the part that goes into the indention built into them so you don't have a big screw sticking out that is known to come loose.

http://www.swfa.com/pc-11450-1753-warne-maxima-permanent-attach-1-rings.aspx

Anyone notice who's rings Zeiss decided to put there name on?
http://www.swfa.com/pc-12553-1026-zeiss-victory-1-permanent-rings.aspx

Kinda hard to build off a Remmie, or use a tang safety, when the Ruger in question is a 77/22 Hornet. It don't need the weight in the first place....

Can the reciever be milled to accept Talley lightweights????

I'm pretty sure you can find aluminium rings for a Ruger in Brownell's catalog. Try their website.
I'm pretty sure you can get Talley Lightweights adapted to a 77/22.
BTW, both McMillian and MPI make stocks for that rifle. E

I thought that I read on a previous thread that S&K made a LW ring for the rugers.

E;

Thanks. I knew McMillan made stocks for it, but was unaware that MPI did as well.

The problem is that no one currently does, and finding a decent used synthetic is damned near impossible.