Best material for scope shims??

I use brass shim stock. It comes in all kinds of thicknesses. And that makes for a perfect fit. Just keep stacking in the center of the bases, then cut after you get what you one from one thick piece. I glue to a chunk of wood for drilling and shaping and remove from the wood when done. Trying to hold while you drill and shape by hand is and invitation to trouble.
 
I'm a cheapskate. I've made them out of aluminum from drink cans. It's easy to cut to shape with scissors but may not be the most stable of materials. It may take two or three thicknesses to get what you need but the material's free. I'm sure the brass is better but I never seem to have any around when I need it. Lately I've went to the Burris Signature rings on the last couple of rifles I've built just to get around this and other problems. I don't think they are as classic looking but they do the job well.
 
I am generally pretty cheap but I try to buy the best scope i can afford , As a result I end up spending a nice chunk of change on them . I use burris zee signiture rings due to the fact they that It is almost imposible to find ring mark when I take them off and with the platic inserts and the shims that they make for them its easy to shim a scope .
 
the soda pop can trick does work. i did it on a winchester 670 .30-06 last year for a guy at work. the reciever was mild wrong and no scope made had enough elevation to get it up to zero at 100 yards. three pieces of pop can got it to hitting 8 inches high at 100 yards. he just hunts deer with it in the woods so a 100 yards shot is almost never heard of. shot a 5 shot group allowed it to cool 4 times. all four groups were inside of a 1 inch bull so he was happy. cheap way out, but it works.
 
Pops said:
I am generally pretty cheap but I try to buy the best scope i can afford , As a result I end up spending a nice chunk of change on them . I use burris zee signiture rings due to the fact they that It is almost imposible to find ring mark when I take them off and with the platic inserts and the shims that they make for them its easy to shim a scope .
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Please do not call them shims. They are not; they are offset inserts. If you will look at them carefully, they are spherical on the outside, and ride inside the special Signature rings, which are spherical on the inside. They are much more than simple shims, and that is why they work so well.

To answer the original OP: Best material for shims? Thin metal from the surface of the planet Mars. Don't even THINK about using anything else.
 
i like coors lite cans myself, but sometimes i also use burris signature zee rings

bill
 
OldSwede said:
Please do not call them shims. They are not; they are offset inserts. If you will look at them carefully, they are spherical on the outside, and ride inside the special Signature rings, which are spherical on the inside. They are much more than simple shims, and that is why they work so well.

To answer the original OP: Best material for shims? Thin metal from the surface of the planet Mars. Don't even THINK about using anything else.
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For me to explain what a offset insert is would take about 3 pages and be about as clear as mud , I like them enough that I bought the huge assorment pack so I have a life time supply(i hope)
 
Thin strips of electrical tape to get the offset you want, then bed (both rings) with JB-Kwik.
 
I feel you should be shimming the bases (steel shims) not the inside of rings. For instance a 1 inch ring is meant to accept a 1 inch scope tube... now place 10 or 15 thou of shim stock in the bottom of the ring and clamp the 1 inch scope tube in... the bottom ring half is no longer for a 1 inch tube and forcing a 1 inch tube into it and clamping down with the top ring will distort the scope tube.

The Burris Signature rings with the offset inserts are the best solution if you can not shim a base.
 
Burris Rings

I have an action that wont let me get enough windage. I think the base holes are out of alignment because the scope points off to one side with Weaver bases. I use Weaver bases because I need the lightest bases and rings to make weight. Would the Burris rings help align the scope better so its adjustments are centered.

Thanks
Steve
 
Steve Nash said:
I have an action that wont let me get enough windage. I think the base holes are out of alignment because the scope points off to one side with Weaver bases. I use Weaver bases because I need the lightest bases and rings to make weight. Would the Burris rings help align the scope better so its adjustments are centered.
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Steve,

A qualified yes.

Turned thru 90 degrees, the rings can correct windage issues, as long as it is within the range of the offset bushings you buy with the bases. You might need to fiddle which ring or rings you place the offset bushes in depending on how your screw holes are out of alignment. It might pay to shoot a string line or straight edge along the action & barrel to get a handle on which base is off line or if both are & see if you can wor out what adjustment is needed to correct that.

My first set of 1" rings came with standard bushings & I had to buy 5, 10 & 20 bush pairs as a single extra pack. My 30 mil rings came with standard & 10 offset.

John
 
I was able to cure both a windage and an elevation with burris inserts on a rifle. I used the windage correction on the front ring and the elevation correction on the rear ring. Thanks, Douglas
 
Durable

shims can be made from a plastic milk carton. The plastic is somewhat compressable, acting like a lock-washer when mounted between your scope rings and receiver. It won't rust, mar surfaces, react with metals or their finishes and is a bit cheaper than new rings.
 
Steve Nash said:
I have an action that wont let me get enough windage. I think the base holes are out of alignment because the scope points off to one side with Weaver bases. I use Weaver bases because I need the lightest bases and rings to make weight. Would the Burris rings help align the scope better so its adjustments are centered.

Thanks
Steve
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Yes... and Weaver bases can be forced to the side to give quite a lot of windage correction as well... when the screws are snug tap one base in one direction and tighten the screws more and do the same with the other base in the opposite direction. The scope should not be in the rings when you do this.
 
I've done the softdrink can thing but that was before I discovered the Burris Signature Zee rings.

The Burris rings are the best option for correcting alignment issues.
 
Awesome guys! Thanks for the help. I'll stick to soda cans, I stopped buying the beer cans a few years ago. However, my neighbor could help out if they are needed.
 
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