In an effort to show my ignorance, I ask the following...
I use lots of Warne rings and Talley rings and I have never lapped them. Warne instructions suggest that you not lap and I am not sure about Talley. I have never had trouble with ring marks or scope movement either. This has been true of rifles up to 338 Edge and 375 H&H. But my question is really a physics question, I suppose. I don't deny that lapping can eliminate ring marks, for the record.... but
When you lap rings, I understand that you increase the surface area of scope ring that comes in contact with the rifle scope, hence, in theory, increasing the ability of the ring to "hold on to" the tube of the scope. But does spreading out the compression actually decrease the liklihood of slippage, as the total compression to the scope is actually not increased, only dispersed? Regardless of the footprint of the ring on the tube, the total force exerted on the scope tube can only be increased by tightening the rings. What am I missing? There has to be something more as everybody seems to do it.
I use lots of Warne rings and Talley rings and I have never lapped them. Warne instructions suggest that you not lap and I am not sure about Talley. I have never had trouble with ring marks or scope movement either. This has been true of rifles up to 338 Edge and 375 H&H. But my question is really a physics question, I suppose. I don't deny that lapping can eliminate ring marks, for the record.... but
When you lap rings, I understand that you increase the surface area of scope ring that comes in contact with the rifle scope, hence, in theory, increasing the ability of the ring to "hold on to" the tube of the scope. But does spreading out the compression actually decrease the liklihood of slippage, as the total compression to the scope is actually not increased, only dispersed? Regardless of the footprint of the ring on the tube, the total force exerted on the scope tube can only be increased by tightening the rings. What am I missing? There has to be something more as everybody seems to do it.