Quality rings are already "lapped", and there are a lot of high quality stuff not mentioned in this forum, seen on high dollar long range precision which is where Vortex "started" Spuhr, Adamount, American Rifle Company.
Vertical Split rings are usually not a problem in set ups that are zeroed and left, but a lot of problems are being reported in tracking errors and non-zero returns in long range precision shooting.
some explanations are directed towards the scopes being designed to take stress at the sides, other explanations with the location of the springs. others with tops being tightened before bottoms.
this problem is recorded pretty well on other web sights.
Vortex initially got started by marketing to a specialized group in the high dollar group at the same time Premier and USO were really getting going. Most scopes in this group have glass for resolution rather than color spectrum balance. and they are/were built like truck, NF, etc. and heavy to take the abuse of long range precision type shooting. In this respect they are no different than Leopold, whose top of the line scopes are really good, and then not so much.
When Nikon set up shop in the Philllipines ,and others went to China, I suppose Vortex had to also be price competitive with the new stuff, Althon Primary.
You pay for what you get, and personally I think the Optics industry has improved light years from 10-15 years ago.
Got a lot of old scopes I kept just for fun
original 4x weaver
Burris - put the animal between the lines with mag. ring and it moves the horizontal to the holdover (like some of the new Redfields)
Burris varmint with adjustable Iris
weaver 8x56 German cross hair
couple of
