Advice Needed on Scope Ring Alignment

bsnedeker

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So I just recently did a bedding job on my Savage Axis .270 and I'm now putting the scope back on. When I first mounted this scope however many years ago I just bought some Weaver rings from Cabella's, threw them on, leveled the scope, and called it good. In the meantime I've mounted a few more scopes and have some additional equipment, including the Wheeler scope alignment and lapping kit.

When I remounted my Weaver rings and checked the alignment of them with my kit they are WAY off...I'm talking over a 16th from left to right. This is way more than I would be able to fix by lapping alone. I did actually spend some time lapping them just to see what would happen and it didn't really change much if at all. I have no idea if they were always this far out of alignment or if this is a new development but I'm wondering what the next step should be. I can bring them pretty close into alignment by turning one of the rings in the rail slot, but then the slot on the base of the ring is only touching the edge of the groove in the rail at one point (it's canted in the rail groove if that makes sense) and that seems like a recipe for inaccuracy once I start shooting the rifle and subjecting it to recoil.

The rings mount to the factory 2-piece rail that comes standard on the Savage and I did not remove the actual rail when I bedded the rifle so I'm hoping those are straight. There is no windage adjustment on the rails that I can see. Should I look at just upgrading to some higher quality rings, or should I look at an entirely new rail (perhaps a 1 piece?), or is there something I can do to bring those cheap rings into alignment? I did some quick googling on rings that are WAY out of alignment and couldn't really find anything so any advice from someone with more experience than me (which would be just about everyone!) would be very welcome.

TIA!
 

Apollo117

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Jan 22, 2018
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I think you'll save yourself some headache and worry by replacing the rail and rings. I was in a similar situation a couple years ago with my Savage M16 LWH. I replaced a cheap rail and rings with a pair of Talley's and I've been happy. Ironically, I wish I would have gotten a set of steel rings instead of the Talley's. However, the Talley's work well and haven't failed, so I'm not replacing them any time soon.
 
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bsnedeker

bsnedeker

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I think you'll save yourself some headache and worry by replacing the rail and rings. I was in a similar situation a couple years ago with my Savage M16 LWH. I replaced a cheap rail and rings with a pair of Talley's and I've been happy. Ironically, I wish I would have gotten a set of steel rings instead of the Talley's. However, the Talley's work well and haven't failed, so I'm not replacing them any time soon.

Thanks, that's the direction I was leaning towards. Do you think I should be looking at another rail/ring combo, or just go with rings that mount directly to the action? I put a pair of the Hawkins rings on my Tikka that are a direct mount to the action and they lined up perfectly so I might go that direction with this guy.
 

Apollo117

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Choosing a rail and rings vs one piece rings depends on the scope you'll use. With a rail and rings you can move the rings on the rail to get the best alignment. It's harder to do that with one piece rings and impossible with some scopes, particularly compact scopes.

Another thing to keep in mind is that scopes with windage knobs that stick out can impede ejection of spent casings. This issue is pretty uncommon and can be fixed with higher rings.
 
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