Scope mounting: Should I Lap or Bed my Mounting System?

[bushmotornv]

Great article,thanks. Question,what about lapping the top of the rail before mounting the rings? It seems to me that even bedding the rail to the receiver won't necessarily produce a truly flat rail top surface.And Vortex recommends absolutely no lapping of their precision rings. But as shown,if the rail is not flat,the rings won't align no matter how precise they are manufactured.

 

[Uboatrobert]

Good information. I believe that many good rails and scopes have been unknowingly damaged to various degrees due to improper mounting.

I will take any good info such as this to prevent such a mistake.

 

[jcampbellsmith]

Another Burris signature Z ring vote. No muss, no fuss. No ring marks ever, self aligned. Mechanically very secure. They give me enough extra Moa to Dial-a-mile. Low cost and they look good.

+1. Burris signature rings are good but could be improved. They don't currently have a quick release option. I want to be able to shoot with my target scope one day on the 260 Rem. Thermal scope at night and hunting scope the next day.

Regards

JCS

 

[6.5x284tony]

+1. Burris signature rings are good but could be improved. They don't currently have a quick release option. I want to be able to shoot with my target scope one day on the 260 Rem. Thermal scope at night and hunting scope the next day.

Regards

JCS

That's a good point!

Tony.

 

[Jim See]

Guys thanks for the responses, i agree about the Burris rings. i used to use them myself years ago. With the advent of big heavy tactical scopes I feel they are a little light for the application. I also agree with the comment about quik removal being a pain. I use an aerosol release agent called "Mold Shield" the commercial product Brownells sells in aerosol is very similar and both work excellent. For the epoxy I use 5 minute JB Weld, i usually let it set up for 20 minutes before pulling the scope out.

 

[newmexkid]

So, at 20 minutes the JB is setup properly? Also, would shoe polish work as a release agent?

 

[TexSavage]

I use the standard JB Weld and thoroughly degrease both the base and receiver surface. Apply the JB Weld, lube the base screws and their holes with Fire Power gun oil, tighten the screws to torque specs and wait for 30 minutes. After the base has set for about 30 minutes I back one screw out, check for epoxy and then re-lube and fasten to torque specs, then move to the next base screw. To remove after it has been installed I place a slightly damp cloth on the base, mainly so the hot iron does not burn up the cloth, and then set an iron on it set to high, within 5 minutes or so the base, & epoxy bed separate from the receiver and from each other.

I learned this from a gunsmith on another blog close to ten years ago. The blog has since been discontinued. Just so you know I'm not using this on a cheap setup, as I used it on a Savage model 12 SS in 300 WSM with rings and one piece G-Forec base from Ken Farrell Industries (Great bunch to do business with!! Top notch products and great customer service!!) . I have a NXS 5.5x22x56mm and have had no problems. I had to remove the base after I had it installed for about 3 years, but after looking at my notes realized I had installed everything correctly to begin with. The experience gave me invaluable learning and yes, I went back the exact same way. Been probably 5 years since I did the remove and reinstall.

Oh almost forgot, I did lap the 30mm rings from Farrell, although they said I would not need to. Lapped them anyway and it took maybe 4 very light figure eight passes it was done.

 

[Jim See]

So, at 20 minutes the JB is setup properly? Also, would shoe polish work as a release agent?

Not sure on the shoe polish, never tried it but if it works as a release agent for bedding rifle stocks I'm sure it will work for rings. Yes JB Kwik weld is set well enough at 20 minutes.

 

[Jim See]

Guys I just re-wrote this as a how to with pictures and great detail and submitted it to Andy, you should see the much better article soon.