In over 50 years of using scope rings I’ve run into the occasional glitch, but this is by far one of the most surprising. Brands I’ve used have included Burris, B-Square, Weaver, Leupold, Redfield, Ruger, BKL, Millett, Talley, Warne, Westhunter (good quality chinesium stuff, btw), an Australian brand that I’ve forgotten the name of, and one or two English air gun rings. For the most part, I’ve never had an issue other than the odd burr or flaw occasionally cropping up.
Perhaps that is why I’m so surprised at the issues I had with a set of rings I expected a great deal from. UTG/Leapers has made a conscientious effort to improve their product line over the last few years, specifically by introducing American made items into their lineup. I was particularly interested in seeing the results, and so I ordered a set of their 30mm Picatinny rings, item # RWU013022 to be exact. These were to mount a fairly large Nikko-Stirling on my new Benjamin Kratos, in itself a goodly sized rifle. The UTG rings appeared massive in advertisements, and I thought they would provide a good cosmetic match to my rifle and scope.
Imagine my surprise when I could not fit them to the integral rail on the Kratos! I fussed and fooled around for over 10 minutes before I came to the rather obvious conclusion that the lug on the bottom of the rings that is meant to mate with the slot in the rails was just too big. I tried the rings facing both forwards and backwards, and I completely disassembled one to confirm that it wouldn’t fit. I was able to mount both Burris rings and B-Square Interlock rings with zero issues. The Burris rings with their round section locking screw are of course meant for the similar Weaver style bases, but they did work. The Interlock rings however, have a distinctly rectangular profile to their lug, very much like the UTG. They fit perfectly, as did more conventional Weaver style rings also by B-Square.
I have to admit to being pretty disappointed, especially given the price I paid for the ring set, just over 50 bucks. The UTG rings were exceptionally well machined, and had a nice monolithic appearance. Given that I was able to easily mount three other ring sets, I can only come to the conclusion that something is subtly but distinctly off in their machining. It might be as simple as a grossly exaggerated case of plus and minus tolerances gone wild, but I cannot recommend these new UTG rings to anyone.
As an aside, I mentioned Westhunter rings above, and I can honestly say that their 11mm dovetail rings are obviously well made and a true bargain at the asking price. Those prices, btw, tend to run less if bought at the “bay” rather than the “big river”, and I have no experience with any of their Picatinny style offerings or other products for that matter. For those looking for a novel 11mm ring set, they come in a variety of colors, and the fit and finish are both top notch.
I hope that is of some use to a few of my fellow airgunners!
Perhaps that is why I’m so surprised at the issues I had with a set of rings I expected a great deal from. UTG/Leapers has made a conscientious effort to improve their product line over the last few years, specifically by introducing American made items into their lineup. I was particularly interested in seeing the results, and so I ordered a set of their 30mm Picatinny rings, item # RWU013022 to be exact. These were to mount a fairly large Nikko-Stirling on my new Benjamin Kratos, in itself a goodly sized rifle. The UTG rings appeared massive in advertisements, and I thought they would provide a good cosmetic match to my rifle and scope.
Imagine my surprise when I could not fit them to the integral rail on the Kratos! I fussed and fooled around for over 10 minutes before I came to the rather obvious conclusion that the lug on the bottom of the rings that is meant to mate with the slot in the rails was just too big. I tried the rings facing both forwards and backwards, and I completely disassembled one to confirm that it wouldn’t fit. I was able to mount both Burris rings and B-Square Interlock rings with zero issues. The Burris rings with their round section locking screw are of course meant for the similar Weaver style bases, but they did work. The Interlock rings however, have a distinctly rectangular profile to their lug, very much like the UTG. They fit perfectly, as did more conventional Weaver style rings also by B-Square.
I have to admit to being pretty disappointed, especially given the price I paid for the ring set, just over 50 bucks. The UTG rings were exceptionally well machined, and had a nice monolithic appearance. Given that I was able to easily mount three other ring sets, I can only come to the conclusion that something is subtly but distinctly off in their machining. It might be as simple as a grossly exaggerated case of plus and minus tolerances gone wild, but I cannot recommend these new UTG rings to anyone.
As an aside, I mentioned Westhunter rings above, and I can honestly say that their 11mm dovetail rings are obviously well made and a true bargain at the asking price. Those prices, btw, tend to run less if bought at the “bay” rather than the “big river”, and I have no experience with any of their Picatinny style offerings or other products for that matter. For those looking for a novel 11mm ring set, they come in a variety of colors, and the fit and finish are both top notch.
I hope that is of some use to a few of my fellow airgunners!
