Drifting scope in rings question (must be a standard question?)

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delooper

delooper

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Jul 7, 2020
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Duncan, BC, Canada
Last time I was on the range I had zeroed my scope and I was taking shots further and further out.

And then all of a sudden, I lost zero.

At the time I didn't understand what was going on but now that I'm home and have time to look closely at the scope, I see it had drifted in the rings until the rings made contact with a the flared-out end of the scope body.

Other than torquing the scope rings to the correct amount, what do people do if their scope drifts? Is there a reason to avoid a tiny dab of loctite on the scope body or rings?

For context, all my childhood I shot rifles only with iron sights. Scopes are fancy, rich-person handicap devices!
 
Do you want to crap all over scopes and all of us who use them and expect someone to actually help you?

Or - do you actually want help?

What rifle, caliber and power are you shooting?
What scopes and rings are you using?
Picatinny or dovetail?
Are you using 30mm rings with size reducers to 1-inch diameter?
Did you use a torque wrench to tighten down the scope rings screws?
 
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Dry friction is good, but another trick is to put a small amount of rosin powder in the rings (I used to make a little slurry with some rosin and water and then paint a stripe inside the lower ring). These days I use a little Permatex Black gasket material (any auto parts shop). It kind of glues everything in place, but it's pretty easy to peel of the metal if you ever need to.

GsT
 
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delooper said:
Other than torquing the scope rings to the correct amount, what do people do if their scope drifts? Is there a reason to avoid a tiny dab of loctite on the scope body or rings?
Click to expand...

Without knowing what you are shooting or what rings, scope, you are using, there could be several things. It seems you don’t like nice scopes, so I assume you don’t like nice rings. Bad rings can be a problem, as can $20 scopes.

I would NEVER suggest “loctite” on the scope body to hold them to the rings!

I have never had an issue with good rings and proper torquing. Nothing fancy needed between the scope and rings. You just clean them both good and properly torque them to spec. Most standard rings don’t require more than 15-18, but that isn’t universal, because some are made differently to be torqued differently. Be careful so you don’t ruin your scope.
 
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yes, the issue is almost always related to the rings being over torqued at some point, especially cheap aluminum rings .. once theyre out of shape theyre garbage and it dont take much ..i learned the hard way .. rings dont need to be torqued hard AND the little 'tape' insert applied to most rings usually takes a set and locks them in place pretty good with one exception - the use of loctite ..loctite turns those tapes that 'set' your scope into place into a gooey mess that basically lubricates the tube ..NEVER put loctite on a scope fastener ..let me repeat that .. never .. its not needed .. the fumes from loctite can eff up other things to that are nylon, plastic, seals, rubber.. true story ..
 
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dizzums said:
yes, the issue is almost always related to the rings being over torqued at some point, especially cheap aluminum rings .. once theyre out of shape theyre garbage and it dont take much ..i learned the hard way .. rings dont need to be torqued hard AND the little 'tape' insert applied to most rings usually takes a set and locks them in place pretty good with one exception - the use of loctite ..loctite turns those tapes that 'set' your scope into place into a gooey mess that basically lubricates the tube ..NEVER put loctite on a scope fastener ..let me repeat that .. never .. its not needed .. the fumes from loctite can eff up other things to that are nylon, plastic, seals, rubber.. true story ..
Click to expand...

Scalarworks scope ring fasteners come with a tiny smidge of red loctite on them, for what its worth. It's pre-dried so it doesn't function in the manner intended, I imagine it's just there to aid in bolt retention.
 
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DesertSilver said:
Use a 1 piece scope mount. Never had that problem using one on my Diana m48 side lever. Make sure the stop screw is in the hole in the scope rail securely.
Click to expand...
Suspect I just under-torqued my scope ring, and maybe the scope was a little oily. I was using a 1-piece Scalarworks unit, for what it's worth.

Anyhow, thanks for all the comments.
 
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