Basic question for someone. When mounting a scope how tight should the rings be on a scope? I had just sighted in a rifle then the scope started sliding in the rings
I just had a scope mounted by a gunsmith. I just got back from the range and my scope shifted. How tight should I tighten the rings? I am afraid to overtighten and damage the scope
regards
Dan

take it back to the "gunsmith", as you call him, and see what he says... he sounds like a real professional.. 721

Remove the scope and clean off oily fingerprints etc. with alcohol. Clean the inside of the rings as well as the scope tube.
Then re-tighten, probably about as tight as it was. You want it damn snug but there is no need to tighten to the point of being concerned about stripping out threads.

Thanks 721 I am pretty pizzed by the smith. Last week I took it out "after it was boresighted" and found the aft mount had to be shimmed to get on paper at 25 yards. Today I sighted it in and all was well then I stared to get fliers . I then noted that the scope had shifted forward a half inch. I will do them up snug this time but I don't want to damage anything

About 12 to 15 inch pounds. Depending on the type of rings (2 screw vs. 4 screws and size of the scope) as whether or not you need something in the rings inorder to create more friction. Powdered rosin is probable the best for this purpose,just put a little rosin on the inside of the scope rings and it will not slip again.

Powdered rosin is good, as is plain old grade-school rubber cement.

JB

What jwp and Mule Deer said. That said, any time I don't use Burris Signature rings (which is hardly ever the case anymore), I lap and/or epoxy bed the rings. Doesn't take a mechanical engineer to figure out that the greater the surface in contact, the less pressure will be needed to hold the scope firmly.

Paul

A lot depends on the scope and rings you use as well. If you use matte-finished black rings, for instance, such as Talleys, and either Burris or Leupold matte-black scopes, it's darn hard for the scope to slip inside the rings, because the finishes tend to grip each other.

A perfect instance of this is a Burris 1.75-5x Signature Safari that I have had on several hard-kicking rifles from .338 Winchester up to .416 Rigby. This is not exactly a lightweight scope for its size, but it has never shifted at all in several different kinds of rings, due to the friction of its finish. Yet another reason not to use "gloss" finish scopes on hunting rifles.

Some other matte finish scopes are much more slippery. Swarovskis come immediately to mind, as well as Nikons.

JB

Thanks for all the replies. I will try the rosin. The screws in the rings seemed pretty slack to me.
regards
Dan

I have used silicon seal in the rings with some success on sharp kickers. A 30-378, though, was literally digesting some Leupold type mounts )shearing off the dovetails beneath the windage screws). A set of Talley's fixed that problem. 1Minute

The scope company's say use 20 to 25 inch pounds. On some scopes you can put over 100 and it will not hurt them. The best thing is alot of contact on your rings.

<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" /> Please don't try this at home. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />

May I ask where you came up with your numbers? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/help.gif" alt="" />

I don't know if it's a great idea, but I solved the problem on my rifle with some automotive type 2-sided tape. It's kind of rubbery and thick, and when I tightened my rings down, it flattened out nicely. Scope hasn't moved since.

A hundred inch pounds? Gee, the cam caps on my bike, with 104 inches on 6mm (10 head) might take a hundred, but scope screws? Me no think so.

A piece of friction tape applied to the bases and the caps keeps scopes still. Electrical tape works too.

The #'s for the torqe is on the web page's of the scope company's. 102 inch pounds is only 8 1/2 foot pounds. I hope you can put alot more than this on your bike. Most threads will handle alot more than this. I think the #'s are so low that they are covering there product. At 20 inch pounds you can turn the scope if you do not have good contact.

[Quote] by hotjob
The #'s for the torqe is on the web page's of the scope company's. [Quote]

Can you post a link? Which scope company recomends those torque numbers? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/help.gif" alt="" />

Try Loctite. It's a liquid that takes a little while to set, so you have some time to turn the scope to realign the reticle vertically if you have to.

Brownell's has more than one grade. (Enter "Loctite" in the search box on their home page.) The green general-purpose stuff is probably the best for this. The thread-locker grade may not be strong enough, but I'd stay away from the permanent grades, if I were you.

Thanks Ken, would never have thought of that. Much better kind of post to read, than some taking bites out of you!

I hate those little sticky paper shims thing, and the ooze they eventually produce. Guess even old guys can learn something, just got to remember it, LOL.

Best tip I ever heard was to use electrical cememt. (Like rubber cement) After it dries, you can just peel off the excess. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Instead of arguing about how many inch lbs is appropriate, I just called Leupold

[color:"red"] They told me 15-20 in/lbs. No more than 20! [/color] That is the standard I have used for years.... I've never had a scope on a rifle move.

Now handguns are a different story.... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

[color:"green"]Grasshopper [/color]


PS: I also clean the inside of scope rings and the scope tube with denatured alcohol prior to mounting. (about $4 for a quart can @ your local hdwe store.... lasts a long time.)

Double sided tape works good for me. It keeps the scope in place as you tighten it down.

I don't feel the need to torque the thing down too much, as I don't shoot high-recoil rifles.

I may be mistaken, but I assume that a scope would move forward under recoil if not tight enough.

You aren't.

Grasshopper,
I guess it depends on who you talk to at Leupold. Asked the same thing and was told 35 for bases and 25 for the rings using torx screws. That was about two years ago and I dont recall who exactly I talked to.

I also called before I posted and Nightforce recomends 15 inch pounds and that is with 4 screw rings and I also called Leupold as you did
I was just curious as to where hotjob got these high numbers

[Quote] by hotjob
The scope company's say use 20 to 25 inch pounds. On some scopes you can put over 100 and it will not hurt them. The best thing is alot of contact on your rings. [Quote]

Over torqueing the rings on some scopes when mounted near the power selection ring or near the turrets can squeeze the tube enough to cause the scope to malfunction........ <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

varmintsinc,

Likely you are right about who you talk to. It was probably 4-5 yrs ago when I called. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I don't have a clue who I talked to either. But you would think that they would have a universal standard. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

'Twixt you and I, I would think that we are dealing with one person's opinion rather that a set standard. Doesn't say much about consistentcy, does it?

[color:"green"]Grasshopper [/color]

FWIW, and just out of curiosity, I just got off the phone with Leupold Customer Support. I talked to Glenda. She said the answer is on their question and answer pages on their website.

She confirmed that 15-20 in/lbs is appropriate. She further stated that it is possible to go higher, but there is no need to. So there you have it! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

http://www.leupold.com/resources/MyInfo81/Answerbook/findanswers.aspx

Thanks for all the replies folks. I taped the scope with double sided medical tape and tightened up the ring screws. I am headed out for two or three hours now looking for a moose. It will be a day or two before I get a chance to try it again. Sucks to have a new rifle though and not be able to hunt with it. I was too busy in the time leading up to hunting season.I am off for the next two months though.
regards
and thanks
Dan <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

FWIW, I've always just lapped/sanded the rings and used blue locktite while tightening them "firmly" with a screwdriver bit. I did an experiment once with a torque wrench when changing scopes: the Leupy torx screws broke at the shaft fairly regularly at 60 in-lbs when tightening empty rings on the old set.
-lefty

I work for a Loctite distributor and when this topic came up I wondered if anyone used Loctite products for the scope/ring joint. I've read of many who use threadlockers for the base screws and perhaps also the ring screws. This thread is the first mention of using anerobics (either threadlockers or retaining compounds) between the rings and the scope itself.

Short course for those who are interested:
Threadlockers are for threaded assemblies. The color of the product indicates it's application. The purple stuff is for small screws (small to Loctite is <1/4"). The blue stuff is "removable". The red stuff is "permanent". The green stuff is "wicking" grade, meaning that you can apply it after the parts are assembled. There is more than one product in each coler, especially blue and red.

Retaining compounds are for non-threaded cylindrical assemblies, like a scope inside rings, or perhaps attaching the base to the receiver. There is a color-code in those products too, but I don't know what it is.

I like to tighten them until they screech, then give em one more bump for good measure<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Mike

MattO, Thanks for the post. Question though, is the purple for small screws removeable or permanant?..................DJ

The purple is removable. It has less than half the strength of the blue stuff and less than 25% of the strength of the red. However, most are probably not achieving full strength with whatever product they are using because of installation technique or not using a primer.

For base screws, which are generally "blind" holes, apply the product to both the screw and put some into the hole. If you just coat the threads, air escaping from the bottom of the hole will reduce coverage and therefore strength. A little product in the bottom of the hole results in forcing the threadlocker back up through the threads instead of air.

If the two parts are both "inactive", then you should use a primer. Inactive materials include stainless steel, plated steel, anodized aluminum, etc. Active materials include plain steel, commercial aluminum (not anodized), etc. If only one part is inactive, then a primer is not necessary. The primer they recommend is called Primer N, and it is mostly acetone. I would not hesitate to use regular acetone.