I need some scope bases and mounts for a Browning BAR in 270. I have a set of Talley aluminum base/ring combos already in my toolbox that will fit. Are they good-to-go or should I go with steel?

Pandora’s box here. Lol. Let the fireworks begin.

Why is that?

My last two titanium rifles with carbon barrels cost thousands of dollars and used Talley aluminum. My Weatherby ultralight six lug 8mmCoyle has them. I have used them for decades without a problem.

Some guys love them and some hate them, very polarizing. I have used them for years no issues but many here have had them crack, I have seen one crack in person on a buddies gun.

Gotcha.
Well, based on yours and Ringmans responses, I'm going to put install them and rock on!
Thanks.

I’ve only had (9) sets of LW’s puke on me. Hint……….

Hawkins Hybrids are a better mousetrap if they work for your situation.

Lots of other stronger lightweight options that you don't have to worry about.

I haven't seen any one piece ring/base combo's that are worth even considering, when so many two piece options blow them out of the water.
Bases or rail, and good rings. Pretty simple

Talley has always great stuff. Unless you have a very heavy scope in the very high recoil rifle……I’d never think twice about them! JMO memtb

Thanks, gentlemen.

I wonder if the cracking issues that some have had were due to improper torque of the screws during installation. 🤷‍♂️

They wouldn’t be my first choice especially given that it isn’t a lightweight rifle to begin with but if I already had them I wouldn’t go out and buy something else.

That's exactly where I am. I've got 'em already, so I will use them.

Actual use has an effect on wares,that Imagination and Pretend doesn’t. Hint.

Gals who need to ask questions about such things,are routinely stumped by same. Hint………….

Most guys aren’t going to use or push to the limits gear the way that you do.

Talley’s a decent American company and for a guy that wants to put the rings on a deer rifle that gets taken to the range once, maybe twice a year to confirm the zero and plug a deer with. If I missed a deer, the Talley rings would be way down my list of reasons to have missed IMO.

Leupold Backcountry or Hawkins if I wanted something along those lines. I have a few sets of Talleys but won’t be buying anymore.

Here we go again…

If you must use them, they need to be lapped. There are just so many better options.

Lapping will not/can not "improve" Design or Metallurgy. Puke #9 here. Hint.




Reupold BC's in comparison. Hint.





As compared to DNZ. Hint.





Pardon my simply shooting it all and then some,as you Droolers DREAM aloud. Hint.

Fhuqking LAUGHING!.....................

They have given me very little trouble on probably 40 or so rifles. I do not lapp them.
I wouldn’t hesitate to use them going forward

you have them use them...
they worked for Ultra Light Rifles for 35 years

I think they are the best rings, have them on almost all of my rifles, never a problem

I had trouble with a couple of sets. One split on the top strap, the other cracked through the threaded holes in the bottom portion. That was enough for me. Had over a dozen sets in service at one point.

And yes, they were all torqued to spec. But let's just say that they were a little over; does that really make anyone feel better to know that they absolutely need to be treated with kid gloves or else your hunt might be ruined? I like things that keep working even when situations get outside of normal use parameters.

The issues I had were some time ago (10 years or so). Maybe they're better these days? I'm not likely to find out. There's stronger options for most rigs, IMO.

Have mentioned all this before when the subject came up, but here it is again:

Started using the same basic rings with the first Ultra Light Arms rifle shot or hunted with in 1989, a .300 Winchester Magnum Model 28--which came with the rings that Melvin designed. They were identical to the present Talley Lightweights, including the type of aluminum,except back then were made by J.B. Holden, the Midwestern company that was better-known for making "see through" rings which allowed the use of iron sights with a scoped rifle.

Holden went out of business a while later, and Melvin and Talley worked out a deal: Talley would make the same rings for Melvin for free, if he also allowed them to make them for other rifle actions. Which is when Talley Lightweight mounts appeared on the market.

During this entire period both I and Eileen used them on a number of ULA rifles, and NULA rifles after Melvin reacquired his company from Colt in the early 1990s. One example of our use was Eileen's first ULA, a .270 Winchester Model 24 she started using as her primary big game rifle in 1991, and kept using for over a decade with the same load, a combination of IMR4350 and 130-grain Nosler Partitions, which the rifle would shoot into about 1-1/2" at 300 yards.

Back then hand-held laser rangefinders hadn't yet appeared on the market, so she sighted-in the rifle 2" high at 100 yards, and killed game out to around 400 by knowing where to hold. Each year, just before hunting season, we'd go to the range and she'd shoot one shot at 100 yards, which always landed within 1/4" or so of 2" high. Then she's go kill stuff--which included all of the basic Montana big game from pronghorns to elk--but she also traveled with the rifle to various other places across the U.S. and Canada. It never changed zero, even after backpack hunts here and bouncing around in an open boat in the Arctic Ocean on a caribou hunt, or riding in various planes, sometimes in rough weather. It finally did lose zero when the scope died, so I put another in the same rings and the rifle kept on working—and retaining zero.

Eileen eventually developed recoil headaches and switched to a NULA in .257 Roberts, which she's used with the same basic rings, by then made by Talley, on game from pronghorns and wild pigs to elk in various places around the U.S. Have also used the Talley Lightweights on all our other ULA/NULA rifles, which now number five, with no problems.

Also have them on half a dozen big game rifles that aren’t ULAs/NULAs that have been hunted considerably, including Eileen’s custom Serengeti Rifles .308, built on a Kimber 84 action, which she’s also used widely from various parts of North America to Africa. Not a single ring has broken in those 34 years.

I've used between 25 and 30 pairs. I always lap them, and tighten the uppers no more than 20 inch lbs. Never a problem.

LW’s are a Lovely Notion MUCH better in Theory,than Application. The less one does,the “better” they are. Hint.

Pardon actual use and trigger time,doing things that talking about same,can not. GPS coordinates make minimal fhuqks,though in fairness,I get more weather than anyone. Hint……….

Me too. I don’t lap.



P

I’ve used two sets, both properly torqued. One on a .308 and one on a .300 wsm. Both cracked. I will never use them again.

I know your feeling. I used to use Burris scopes and rings. On one rifle both Signature rings broke and eventually all the Burris scopes failed. So, I don't use Burris anymore.

Like a broken record.

Does he ever shut up?

I told you, Pandora’s box. Lol

Using them for the first time on a light weight 6.5 with just under 750 rounds thru it. No issues.

Pandora doesn’t shoot and Hurt Feeler Reports don’t “bolster” Metallurgy. Pardon wares that exist and the use of same. Hint………….

Nope. The only shooting trophy he has ever received is for shooting 57,000 rounds of pure bull$hit. HINT

I have not had any of the problems with breakage others report experiencing. Mostly I have used them on lighter kicking rifles and/or rifles with fairly light scopes. Probably the heaviest kicker / heaviest scope was a Leupold 3.5-10X 40mm obj/1" tube on a Kimber Montana .280 AI. That bastard would hit me in the eyebrow now and then so it was not trivial recoil though I'm sure others have put them through a lot worse.

Tom

It appears that a certain Little Twig must be offering his verbal diarrhea of alcoholic thoughts. Just put the little gnome on ignore and don't take his bait and you'll be much happier.

The scope I'm mounting is a Swaro Z3 3-9x36, which is very lightweight, so I should be good in that regards.

Two pairs on separate 30-06's. One cracked, the other went in the bin and was replaced.

Imaginary Pretend Ignore is very “powerful” stuff,just ask KenBitchAgain. Hint.

Fhuqking LAUGHING!………..

Don’t be an idiot. At least 4 other poster’s replies confirm Stick’s experience

My rifles have big cases. One is a .338 RUM necked to 6.5mm and the other is a .338 RUM necked to 7mm. Both have Pierce titanium actions and carbon fiber barrels. The scope on the first one is a Leupold VX-6 4-24X52. The other is a March 2 1/2-25X52. Both scopes are about twenty-four or twenty-five ounces. Both have titanium brakes. So they are big kickers without hurting my shoulder. The other rifle I have is a Weatherby six lug untralight with a Bushnell 6500 4 1/2-30X50. I think it is a couple ounces lighter. It's case is a 7 Rem Mag with the belt turned off and the rim turned down to fit the little action. It definitely kicks more than the others because of the 198 grain bullet.

I know of the 195 and 197 7mm bullet. Who makes a 198? Or is the 7RM case necked up?

The 6.5 used the Nosler 140 grainer at 3,419 fps. The 7 used the Hammer Hunter Tipped 132 grainer at 3,665 fps, and the 8 used the Hammer Hunter 198 grainer at 3,054 fps.

I’m with Stick on this. Love Talley steel rings and have a few sets.

Won’t use any more aluminium ones. Broke across two top screws on my Kimber Classic 3006, Leupold 2.5-8x. Not overly used. Properly torqued.

Same here - I've had a Talley fail despite proper install and minimal shots. They work good until they break.

There appears to be enough folks with problems to give me pause on using them.
Since lightweight is not a specification for this rifle, as it's being put together for a recoil-sensitive shooter (me😊), I may as well go with a steel setup.
Thanks, gentlemen.

Not all wares are “equal” or even close and Martha Stewart could discern with a casual glance,that LW’s are a Goat Fhuqk design. Hint.

I personally don’t know anybody who has driven same and not Puked them. Hint…………

I’d never say people’s negative experiences aren’t true or were self caused.

But we have 6 different 300 magnums on rough steep brushy public land elk guns for years without a problem. Plenty of problems with scopes & other mounts even a couple of frozen firing pins but no Talley failures.

My careless son dropped my Ruger 7mm from 4’ up on a branch 2 seasons ago, a VX3 in Dual dovetails it lost zero, I mounted it in Talley LWs on a 25-06 holding zero now without the drop treatment. Same year more loosened Leupold mounts caused a gut shot cow I had to finish for a hunting partner. He switched to a 300 Weatherby VX6 in Talleys this took a buck & a bull without help this year.

Anecdotal evidence yes but very good examples of hunting optics adventures.

Yet.

I swore by nosler ballistic tips until one blew up on entry for me then changes. Mule Deer was & is good on multiple rifles for decades, I’m probably 20+ rifles in the field for 10 + years without failure. My son & grandson could break an anvil the way they treat things (just like my wife) so holding up for them is an accomplishment.

I put heavy seeking steel rings on a heavy target 6.5 Creed so I’m not married to them but they’re terrific in my experience. Had the rifle fall over in the snow once this year - stayed zeroed.

Rifles ONLY shoot loose and never tight. Hint.

Round count and weather,grease skids on a Puke. Hint.

Just saying…………

I put $14 rings on a few of my rifles. Playing with fire…. Did fine for me this season.

https://www.amazon.com/Monstrum-Pre...ifle+rings&qid=1701705369&sr=8-7

None of mine have ever failed. However, realistically I don't think steel ring weight is worth worrying about if one is concerned with strength. Just buy the steel.

BT/DT. Hint................

Big Stick, which rings and bases have you had the best luck with?

I’ve personally not had a problem with several sets of Talleys but I definitely don’t use my rifles as hard as Stick does. The fact that several others have broken Talleys too should be a clue as Stick says. On my latest build I used the DNZ Game Reaper 2 mounts. They are very similar to Talleys but definitely heavier built.

I have a set or two of the Talleys still on rifles and another set or two sitting around. I've not had a problem with them. Probably won't buy more but may well use the extra's when the need arises. I'm usually not far from a back-up rifle though.

Anybody ever have a problem with the old Weavers, the j-hook on one side and two screws on the other? Not the best looking set-up but I've never saw a scope move in them.

REALLY tough to beat a 1913 interface. Hint..................

👍

Well, I found an extra set of steel Burris Zee-rings in my stash, along with a set of Weaver bases, so I've got them installed now.
The Weaver bases are aluminum, but whatever....maybe they will hold.

How’s Imaginary Pretend Ignore treating you? Don’t forget that you “can’t read” this. Hint.

Fhuqking LAUGHING!…………

I've used them some without problems. I currently have a pair on a M70 .338 Win Mag and they have worked fine so far. But I don't have the extensive experience with them that some folks have.

Tall cheek bones. Have to get my scopes as low as possible. Talley LW lows and extra lows are my Go-To's. Zero issues.