Rifle Scopes When do you tighten ring to base screws?

[radmcg]

If you read Premiers installation instructions they tighten the rings to the bases first. If you read USO they tighten then last (at least with their opposing screw rings). What order do you tighten your rings? Just got too thinking as I was getting ready to install a new scope.
AHA
Rad

 

[mavrick10_2000]

Re: When do you tighten ring to base screws?

I tighten the bottom half of the ring to the base finger tight to make sure I get aligned on the tube the way I want with a rough eye relief setting. Then loosely set the top half of the rings on. Get behind the rifle, adjust eye relief and then torque down to the base, then level the reticle, then torque the ring screws.

I'm not sure that the order matters, just the way I've always done it.

 

[mdmp5]

Re: When do you tighten ring to base screws?

I tighten the bases first, but I understand the logic behind USO's prescribed method. If you let the scope tube ultimately dictate the orientation of the rings, then minimal stress will be placed on the tube when it is mounted. In a perfect idealistic world, precision rings should have been made to fit the rail and scope without any stress. However, if the bases of the rings were not super precise, even employing USO's method will not eliminate stress. As the bases are tightened, they will want to align with the rail the way they fit best, which may not be in perfect alignment with the scope tube, and stress it anyway.

I don't think major harm can be done either way with good rings and a pair of torque wrenches. However, if I had to choose between the 2, I would stick with my method of tightening the bases first, because tightening ring caps with only 15 in-lbs of torque is less likely to break or mar something than 65 in-lbs on the base. Since I started using torque wrenches, I haven't left 1 ring mark on any scope, which is a huge improvement from the past.

 

[sobrbiker883]

Re: When do you tighten ring to base screws?

USO rings are windage adjustable by having clamps on both sides of the rings.

If rings are "regular" and have a clamp on one side I tighten the rings to the base, then drop tube in bottom half and make sure nothing is catching, binding or other such nonsense. If the tube fits and can move freely I start the caps, adjust position for eye relief and level, tighten everything down, and go zero.

When I have used USO rings in the past, I just tightened one side of them and used them like single clamp rings. There were no windage issues with that application, so I never bothered utilizing the windage adjustment feature.

 

[radmcg]

Re: When do you tighten ring to base screws?

Thanks Guys. It just looked like using the base screws on the USO rings to align the scope after clamping the caps would really torque the scope. But i'm sure they know a hell of a lot more than I do. I never really thought about doing the caps last because they would exert less force just because of the inch pounds. Godd rationale whether its right or not
Thanks for the info
Rad

 

[Glen Seekins]

Re: When do you tighten ring to base screws?

I always do mine after. I just turn in the screws so they are just barely loose, mount the scope in the ring bottoms then tighten the side clamp. If one or both turn just ever so slightly when you tighten them it will seem as if they are out of line. the tube helps keep the rings in line with each other while you tighten. Then i remove the ring caps, place the scope where i want it to be and make sure all is well, and it always is. YMMV...

 

[hibc]

Re: When do you tighten ring to base screws?

rings to base finger tight, torque top halfs on, then torque bottoms to base.

 

[Rob01]

Re: When do you tighten ring to base screws?

I torque the ring bottoms to base with lapping bar in lower rings so if there is any misalignment the lapping bar takes the stress and not the scope body. Then you can see if lapping is possibly needed. Then I level the rifle, set the scope in the lower rings, level the scope and carefully torque on one ring cap as not to twist the scope during tightening which can happen. Then do the other ring cap keeping space betwen ring cap and bottom equal on both sides. Takes all of about 10 to 15 minutes to mount a scope.