help with scope moving....

S

scott mims

Guest
rough start with my new benchrest rifle this weekend. was not shooting at all. finally noticed the front scope ring had moved forward after I made a earlier adjustment (didn't have it forward enough would hit me in my shooting glasses) (looked like the back ring stayed put). anyway when I got home and unloaded everything I noticed it looked like the scope had move in the rings after all of that. again very bad weekend not happy at all.

this is my questions (also did a search on here and found a few posts but wanted to ask again).
by the way I have BAT scope mounts and kelbys single rings with a valdada 36x scope. rifle is on the light side around 9 lbs 12-14 ounces can't remember.

1) how tight do you tighten everything. I have one of those little torque wrenches. I tighten my scope ring bases to around 40 lbs-inch. I tighten the the top screws around 10 lbs-inch.
saw on another post someone said 12-15 lbs-inch on the top screws and 45 lbs-inch on the scope ring bases. would that have made a difference?

2) would it be better to get double screw rings and if so what kind (I like the kelbys but see a lot of different kind now a days). not sure I want the BAT style rings.

any other info would be helpful again I had high hopes with the new rifle and when I saw that the rings looked like they moved then the scope moved, in a way I was kinda relieved hoping that will be the problem and not the rifle :rolleyes:

hope I asked the correct questions

thanks
 
I don't understand using a torque wrench on anything related to Benchrest. Sounds good though....

If the scope moved...fix it where it won't. Actually, I think my scope is moving a bit based on a few marks here and there. I'm using those rings I bought years ago...the ones that folks quit using because their scope moved.
 
On the Kelbly scope rings we recommend 15 - 25 inch pounds on top of ring that holds scope on. 40 inch pounds on bases screws. If you had your scope tighten to 10 inch pounds, yes the extra 5 to 15 inch pounds makes big difference. Double rings will do you no good if you only tighten to 10 inch pounds, will be same as single rings. We also recommend that you check your rings every time you travel and shoot rifle. Long trips can loosen screws on scope rings and even pillar bedded stocks, best to check instead of finding out scope moved during your competition. As you know makes for bad weekend.

Jim
 
I have been using thin strips of painters tape for years and have not have slippage. Remember back in
yesteryear when ring manufacturers use to include fitted pieces of tape with their rings? I wish that
someone would start making that again.
Regards,

Joe McNeill
SW Arkansas
 
Computer lables

Some of us use computer labels. The paper helps hold the scope in place, the sticky back holds the label in the rings. Been doing it for years. Also, I realize it is a heavy hand but I installed tension pins, standing up, fore and aft on my HBR mounts so the mounts can't go forward or backward. I have found the small bases with boomers are reluctant sometimes to stay in place. The computer labels also discourage ring marks. All said and done, if I were to start over, I would use all pickatiny (sp?) on everything, assuming light ones can be had.

Pete
 
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Scuff 'em up

The polished rings irrespective of what make will slip more than those that are not. All I did with the Kelby rings (polished) was scuff up the insides as well as the inside of the dovetails with valve grinding paste. Another shooter I know masked them up and bead blasted the same spots. Fixed and never moved again.
 
scott mims said:
rough start with my new benchrest rifle this weekend. was not shooting at all. finally noticed the front scope ring had moved forward after I made a earlier adjustment (didn't have it forward enough would hit me in my shooting glasses) (looked like the back ring stayed put). anyway when I got home and unloaded everything I noticed it looked like the scope had move in the rings after all of that. again very bad weekend not happy at all.


any other info would be helpful again I had high hopes with the new rifle and when I saw that the rings looked like they moved then the scope moved, in a way I was kinda relieved hoping that will be the problem and not the rifle :rolleyes:

hope I asked the correct questions

thanks
Click to expand...

If the scope moved either on the base dovetail or in the top and you are using Kelbly rings? Tighten the poop out of the screws. On the shiny dovetails make a felt tip mark on each side of both rings. Make a lead pincil mark on both sides of the scopes top rings, both rings.

Use the standard hex wrench long side as the handle and "tighten the poop out of all the screws".
(I've got probably a dozen sets of Kelbly rings, two screw and four screw, never had a scope to move. I use two fingers to hold the long side of the hex wrench and tighten till it hurts...never moves!!)

If you are using bolt on bases, epoxy the bases to a well cleaned action.

Trade your little torque wrench for more powder. It ain't gonna' shoot, even a new gun, if it ain't in tune!!


.
 
I had same problem last year
A little rubber cement in the rings and re tightened seemed to work on the scope to ring problem
For the rings moving on the bases Matt Owens makes a little do dad that clamps on the base in front of the rings that cured that problem.
 
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