I have a number of scoped rifles, and some of them could benefit from having the rings aligned, or at least checked.
I have thought about buying a tool for some time, and if I can't borrow one I might import one. Or for now, going to our friendly neighborhood gunsmith. But I wouldn't mind doing it myself.
Happy to pay for postage both ways if there isn't one local, with a modest fee if required.
Any out there?
I use a 2 metre long 1 inch pipe to lie in the rings to line up while looking through the barrel. Works perfectly
Hey BW I've got one you can borrow
First up, file-in the rings. If you have any kind of engineering "hand" at all this will be easy and you'll quickly see how little powder-coat is actually holding your scope.
Hard to explain but easy to do. Fetch a needle file, keeping it 90 degrees to the rings' bore, tip it fore and aft gently and you'll feel when it's "flat"
Draw-filing around the radius with it on this "flat" angle will minimise chance for gouges or errors, but with a bit of practice you should be able to drive the file fo'ard through the radius.
Maybe grab a couple sets of cheap rings from ali-express and have a practice.
As above, once your rings are "true" ish you can mount them anduse a 9/10" bar (stainless offcuts will probably be available from any local engineer) wrapped in emery paper to square them to each other.
This assumes your reciever or scope grooves is true to your bore axis in plan.
It's pretty easy to make a set up out of centerless ground bar. A 1" centerless bar of about 10-12" for the lapping tool (use with grinding paste never paper) and two 4 or so inch long pieces with one end machined to a point. These could be 1" O.D. (outside diameter) tube with a solid end welded on and machined to a point...
The better lapping bar I saw had the center drilled out about 1/4" but the exact size isn't critical as long as it's true. This allows it to be sighted down and the setup allows you to confirm the rings are pointed the same way (two points meet in the right place) as well as the same way as the bore. Main problem with lapping rings is it doesn't take much at all off them to make them useless and not capable of holding a scope under stout recoil. Less is more...
The other and better option in my opinion is if you have a setup that isn't true for whatever reason going to a one-piece mount or a rail and rings that are designed to not require lapping. Then you only need to worry if they point the right way.
i have one for half price if you want it.(offer)
Just my opinions, and assuming we're only talking about 1" rings:
> Your alignment bars should be made from 1" bar (or tube, if the OD is accurate). Don't worry about making points - you'll get a better result by just accurately facing the ends square. Just as easy (or easier) to see vertical or horizontal offset but they'll also show you if there's any angular misalignment. I made my alignment bars pointed on one end and faced square on the other. I never use the pointed ends.
> For lapping, wet/dry sandpaper is both quicker and cleaner than grinding paste. Grinding paste also tends to imbed in the softer of the two metals in contact while abrading the harder one (which is of course how lapping works), and the scope ring is often softer than your lapping bar. BUT - you don't want to wrap paper around a 1" lapping bar. If you measure the thickness of a bit of P400 or P600 wet and dry you'll find it's just about perfectly 0.2mm. So use restickable spray adhesive to stick the paper to a metric 25.0mm bar instead. 25.0+0.2+0.2=25.4mm=1".
> Having a lapping bar drilled out to show alignment sounds good, but that's a long, small hole to have drilled with enough accuracy to be useful. When I want to check alignment of the rings with the bore I just use the scope. Centre the scope adjustments and mount it with one ring only - it's easy to see where that ring is pointing relative to the bore. Your square-end alignment bars will then tell you where the second ring is pointing relative to the first ring.
I have the Wheeler Set in Australia.
I'm not sure how important lapping is unless you see an obvious problem.
Some good advice above.
I used to lap my rings but now days modern rifles the machining is so good I have had no need with quality rings.
I don't even know where my lapping g bars are anymore.
Probably lent them to someone as ya do.
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I am mounting leupold std rings onto Mauser actions that have needed the bases to be realigned by gunsmiths. The misalignments off-centre were bad and easily noticeable with the naked eye. I believe both corrections have been done expertly, however, it would give me great piece of mind to correctly align and lap the rings as well.
In one case, I failed to correctly tension the screws and the scope slipped under recoil, leaving a mark in the scopetube. This made me suspect the rings could do with lapping.
The rest of my scope rings on other rifles are all inexpensive ones, so I’m just going to do the lot and be done with it.
If nothing else, an excuse to spend a few hours in the shed tinkering with guns while I watch C&Rsenal on YT.
Thanks for all the advice though. Hatz has offered me a good deal on a tool and that’s easier for me than sourcing materials to make one.