Scope Lapping Kit

Does anyone have a scope lapping kit that they would recommend?

Buy good rings and good bases, and you'll never have to lap rings.

Yep.

This right here.

I'm running a set of TPS rings right now. They guarantee them to be 98% in contact with a scope tube (aka they are prelapped). I don't have any way to prove it, but Skylar@swfa recommended them, and I trust him.

To answer your question, the Wheeler kit seems to get good reviews.

Some mounting systems may not need lapping, but there are plenty of mounting systems that benefit from lapping for a number of reasons. And it ain't because they aren't "good" rings and bases.

The Wheeler kit is adequate.

Second that. I got a wheeler kit with a torque wrench and lapping kit, it was on sale at nearly he same price as just the wrench. I do it on all rings for no real good particular reason other than I have the kit.

The Wheeler kit is fine and you will see the high areas that are lapped down. No doubt high quality rings make a difference but none are perfect, especially when variances in the pic rail are considered.

What do you consider good rings and bases?

I think even good rings and bases can benefit being lapped, though they probably don't need it, defiantly doesn't hurt especially if your guns are put thru as much hell as mine. I use Wheeler, never had a problem.

This is a legitimate question.

I hear guys all the time say they put their guns through hell, or they are hard on their guns, or something of that nature. What kind of hell are you putting your guns through?

Well i have collectors but the guns I actually shoot get carried in the pickup or on a four wheeler 24/7, 90% dirt road and pasture miles, never cleaned unless they flat out won't function ect.

correct

100%

Here are some reasons why that is NOT correct...if you want to use a two piece base, the external surfaces of the receiver may not be perfectly machined. One ring may end up a little higher or lower than the other. A one-piece base is not a perfect solution to that issue either, it will flex when the screws are torqued down to the receiver. The alignment of the screw holes for the bases may not be perfectly aligned, and you end up with rings out of alignment laterally. A one-piece base may not even be an option in some cases, and if you have to fight to get it secured to the receiver, the base is either putting stress on the rifle's receiver or the receiver is putting stress on the base (more likely) and is strained enough to put the rings out of alignment.

Any of these dimensional issues with the rifle's receiver will cause misalignment of rings, and I don't care how much you paid for them. Lapping is the solution.

Agree ^^^^^

No machining is perfect. I have lapped Seekins, Aadland, Talley, Burris and DNZ and all had areas that showed lapping was useful.

Well said, and true

Hard to be humble but when you are right you are right !!!

It seems to me you're vantage point is one of very limited experience.



Or maybe Fitz has a reason to fib...hmmmm. Did you type that out with your fingers crossed, Fitz? If you did you are a very talented typist.

For my part, I do not chase thousandths of an inch in accuracy, and particularly not with my scope mounting methods. Tenths of inches? Yeah...but most of that effort takes place long after a scope is mounted.

I have mounted around sixty scopes---many of them brand new---since I started lapping rings, and not one of them acquired any ring marks in my possession. That's reason enough to lap rings. The fact that there are no marks on the tube when the scope is removed suggests that the tube was under no stress while residing in the rings also---another benefit.

No fibbing here I have engineered and built very high end precision military electro-mechanical-optical systems with tolerances very few machine shops can meet and I can assure you there are ALWAYS tolerance stack-ups. I lap once rings are mounted where they are going to stay and have ALWAYS seen high spots that were lapped down. As RR stated, I have zero ring marks and minimize any stress that is put on the scope. Does this make a meaningful difference in accuracy/repeatability? I can't say that it does but it does make sense to me and I enjoy tinkering and removing as much variability in the system as I can.

Below are a few examples of high quality rings where the manufacturer indicates lapping is not needed.