Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Talley aluminum bases/rings - good?

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.