Aluminum or steel base / rings for .300 Win Mag

[JGrelle]

Are aluminum rings / base strong enough to stand up to the recoil of a .300 Win Mag, or should I / do I have to go steel?

Scope tubes are aluminum, no problems with quality aluminum rings, I prefer Badger Ordnance & Seekins.

 

[zerosprk]

I run Seekins rails with the integral recoil lug and Nightforce rings, both made of aluminum. Blue Locktite on the rail screws and ring crossbolts along with proper torque on all the screws = no issues in several years.

 

[1st-MarDiv OldBreed]

Are aluminum rings / base strong enough to stand up to the recoil of a .300 Win Mag, or should I / do I have to go steel?

Check out American Rifle in Seattle area!!

 

[Clay Crusher]

I generally stick with steel for anything .300 and above, but maybe that's just an old wives tale. Metallurgy these days is incredible.

 

[bbelgians]

I would go steel all the way, I have spent hundreds on aluminum bases that will work great until they don't, and it's always in the worst spot. After having several failures in not so nice spots I go steel for everything.

 

[Rob01]

Not as easy as just steel vs aluminum. There are garbage steel products too. If you buy quality steel or aluminum you will be fine. Buy garbage if either and you won't.

 

[Mark37082]

Just to be clear, I am guilty of over analyzing things. I am doing this with scope rings as I write this. Every ounce is important to me. Strength and durability are critical factors as well. Aluminum rings on a steel or high quality 7075 aluminum base should be just fine when mounting a scope on any rifle. Other factors such as anti cant bubble levels, profiles, mounting hardware, and height options can add to the decision process as well as cost. I have narrowed my search down to Seekins, Hawkins, NF, Zeiss, IOTA, or Farrell. So, it will probably come down to finding the perfect height for the new scope.

 

[HockeyDad]

Well, I ended up going all aluminum. A Leupold one piece with a little loctite, and Vortex rings. Unfortunately, the perfect spot for eye relief for me put the back ring on one of the small nubs, not one of the full width slots. I hope this doesn't prove to be a problem. Or do you all think I should continue to tinker with it until I find a setup that puts both rings in front of of width slots?
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https://www.scheels.com/p/leupold-b...rowning-x-bolt-la-1-pc-matte/03031702098.html

 

[Mark37082]

You will probably be fine as long as it mounts up with no slop before tightening the rings down.