Am I the only one who hates BKL rings?

[bchannell]

I was changing scopes on my AR Challenger HFT and started using BKL rings against my better judgement, and couldn't get the base to tighten, it had galled in the aluminum and was no going any further. I took it out and lubed it and proceeded to round off the socket head trying to tighten it. I had already pinched them in til they would barely fit on the dovetail, and when I rounded off the socket, they were almost tight. Thankfully, I was able to use an easy out and get the ring loose enough to slide off, but what a p*ss poor way of doing things. I think I have three or four sets of them, so if anyone wants them, they can have them. I'm sick of this happening.

OK, that's my rant for the day, I feel better.

 

[Motorhead]

While admittedly I like/love the Self centering nature of BKL's there willingness to open or close readily over the range of what Dovetail widths we see across the manufacturers has using them in some instances a PITA !!! I typically strip out the threads trying to get them tight enough.

 

[TnCnDn]

Bought a springer at a gun show that the seller had thrown in a set of 4 screw capped rings. Cool I thought, kind of sweetened the deal. Wrong! The lower wedge flex just above rail fixing screws has stress fractures rendering 1 useless. Another time here I bought a ring / base unit 4 bolt dove tail with same issue. Be careful when you buy used. No more BKL for me. Sportsmatch only!

 

[MongooseV8]

Wow I am kind of surprised, the BKL rings I have came with the best hardware I have ever seen in a set of rings.

 

[Motorhead]

Wow I am kind of surprised, the BKL rings I have came with the best hardware I have ever seen in a set of rings.

No doubt, as I would agree if sizing to rail and fit is good on the dovetail there super solid.

 

[Bedrock Bob]

I bought the BKL because they theoretically center in the dovetail. On a wide "11mm" a standard mount was offset and that bothered me. The crosshairs were slightly out of plumb with the bore.

Had nothing but trouble getting them on and off. And the angle on the mounting claw didn't match the dovetail angle. It grabbed the dovetail but it didn't lock underneath it right. The steel dovetail stamped a groove in the aluminum mount. They worked. But I was unimpressed.

A UTG picatinny rail fit perfectly and flexes to center itself on rail like a BKL so I bought one. The threads for the mounting screws were crap. It put the scope up too high. Had to cut a couple lugs off the rail to clear the objective bell. It worked. I didn't like it much.

Got a set of Sportsmatch 2 pc. 4 screw mounts. Absolutely perfect fit around the scope and on the dovetail. Never a problem in thousands of shots.

I've got them on all my scope mounted rifles now. It put an end to fiddling with mounts all the time. They have been 100% trouble free and will hold tight without excessive torque on the dovetail screws or the scope straps.

Bought a set for my son's Tikka T3 in 30-06. Same results. Perfect fit, rock solid and zero slip.

 

[longdog]

I've had BKLs on all of my dovetail equipped guns for years......love them.
As mentioned, they "self center" perfectly every time. They are lightweight. They do not move at all once secured.

 

[Ezana4CE]

No doubt, as I would agree if sizing to rail and fit is good on the dovetail there super solid.

This is key. It's important to know your dovetail width before ordering these rings. I think most of us have been there trying to get the BKL ring base to conform to the dovetail rail. If you have an 11mm rail and 14mm rings then I think that you may encounter some issues. I learned to tighten the base screws before trying to install the rings on the rail so that the base can bend in some to fit a narrower rail. If they don't fit after bending the base this way (off of the rail) with the screws turned all the way in, it's probably not going to fit and you run the risk of breaking or stripping something.

 

[nervoustrig]

FWIW the self-centering feature is often regarded as beneficial to avoiding cant error. And it may indeed be helpful with certain scope-mounting strategies but it is by no means necessary if one is familiar with how to align a scope and install a level.

For example, two methods that are tolerant of uncentered scope mounts are the mirror method (orienting the reticle to the reflection of the muzzle) or the laser boresight method (orienting the reticle to the laser).

 

[MongooseV8]

This is key. It's important to know your dovetail width before ordering these rings. I think most of us have been there trying to get the BKL ring base to conform to the dovetail rail. If you have an 11mm rail and 14mm rings then I think that you may encounter some issues. I learned to tighten the base screws before trying to install the rings on the rail so that the base can bend in some to fit a narrower rail. If they don't fit after bending the base this way (off of the rail) with the screws turned all the way in, it's probably not going to fit and you run the risk of breaking or stripping something.

So true. I dont think there are two dovetail with same dimensions, they all seem to be slightly different.

 

[RicL]

My wide BKL dovetail riser kept sliding back on my springer, so I tried tightening it unmounted and leaving it in direct sunlight. This was a few weeks back w/ Sacramento weather hovering around 100F. Every few hours I would retighten it to ~40 inch lbs.

To my surprise it didn’t work. I think the wide base was “eating” too much of the 35 in lbs of torque recommended. But I don’t really know.

 

[GeneT]

I've become a strong proponent of one-piece mounts, Leupold or Nightforce (NF will accommodate most anything, Leupy's have issues with some erector assembly bulges - not enough clearance on the bottom.) Expensive, but "perfect" and I never have to second guess my mounts or rings.

GsT

 

[cavedweller]

I was changing scopes on my AR Challenger HFT and started using BKL rings against my better judgement, and couldn't get the base to tighten, it had galled in the aluminum and was no going any further. I took it out and lubed it and proceeded to round off the socket head trying to tighten it. I had already pinched them in til they would barely fit on the dovetail, and when I rounded off the socket, they were almost tight. Thankfully, I was able to use an easy out and get the ring loose enough to slide off, but what a p*ss poor way of doing things. I think I have three or four sets of them, so if anyone wants them, they can have them. I'm sick of this happening.

OK, that's my rant for the day, I feel better.

I’m in the buy once cry once club… buy the best you can and enjoy it… !

 

[A.G.R]

Bkl , need some attention

First if the gun is over 15 ft lbs, You ,will need to clean both rail and ,mounts off all oils.
second, you get one time tightening to set the aluminum to the rails. Repeated
removing and installing WILL result in sliding.

What I do,is drill and retap the side mounting screw holes to a bigger 10/32 fine thread for maximum grabbing, I’ve stripped the course threads a few times.

When done and tapped they hold on 30 lb springers.

They are a one gun mount. Don’t try to swap unless it’s a low powered springer.
I use exclusively 263 high mounts. That being said I have a set of single strap high on my 8 ft lb R7.

 

[Ezana4CE]

@A.G.R. Good suggestions. Thanks!

 

[cavedweller]

Bkl , need some attention

First if the gun is over 15 ft lbs, You ,will need to clean both rail and ,mounts off all oils.
second, you get one time tightening to set the aluminum to the rails. Repeated
removing and installing WILL result in sliding.

What I do,is drill and retap the side mounting screw holes to a bigger 10/32 fine thread for maximum grabbing, I’ve stripped the course threads a few times.

When done and tapped they hold on 30 lb springers.

They are a one gun mount. Don’t try to swap unless it’s a low powered springer.
I use exclusively 263 high mounts. That being said I have a set of single strap high on my 8 ft lb R7.

question: is it worth all the trouble to deal with a crappy product because it's cheap? dunno... my patience and time is worth more than a few dollars saved.

 

[A.G.R]

Yes it is , 15 min to drill and tap if on bigger springer isn’t much to address for the look and light weight of them.
Brand new ones with clean rails rarely move.
I dispise clunky one piece mounts and their added Weight and non traditional look.