“Quality” cutoff for rings?

[Bluto]

I managed to nab a used SWFA and looking to grab some 30mm rings. Lightweight is a goal but doesn’t trump reliability. I’m 90% sure I’m going two piece pic bases.

That being said, what gives on the cutoff of quality? Prices are all over the place. I’ve been leaning towards Warne/Seekins/Hawkins/Burris XTR. Even Warne has two nearly identical rings that go from $69 to $146 with no visible difference (one says “PA” with no description, whatever that is.) The Burris’ go for $70 and Hawkins at $144 as another example.

Normally there’s a premium on premium product. But 100% from Burris to Hawkins when Burris actually come pretty highly related has me scratching my head.

Open to other ideas as well as any “hey, dummy” enlightenment.

 

[sndmn11]

I have been happy with Talley modern sporting rings as the least expensive option in my mind.

Talley Modern Sporting Rings

The Talley Modern Sporting (TMS) Scope Ring is a new solution for your Picatinny rail system , available in 1", 30mm, 34 and now 35mmm

www.talleymanufacturing.com

For rails I have Nightforce, Talley, Warne Mountain Tech, and functionally doubt there is any difference.

Other rings I have are Warne Mountain Tech, Warne steel, Talley steel, Hawkins, Seekins, and the above Talley modern rings. Functionally, they all do the job.

 

[Bluto]

Many thanks, and kind of what I suspected. I’m wading dangerously close to grossly overthinking this one...

 

[BRTreedogs]

I used warne on a couple 1" tube scopes on rimfires.
But alot of it depends on how big/heavy you're scope is and how hard of a recoiling rifle you will be mounting it on.

I'm with you, in the past I've been a major scope ring cry baby as far as the money goes.

But they definitely make a difference. And I'm quickly becoming a ring snob.

The swfa rings are plenty beefy but when it came to alignment I had to lap them with a power drill on the lapping bar. And never got them 100% i quit because I thought I was gonna get to where the rings touched.

I have 2 sets of @HawkinsPrecision rings and they are fantastic.
I have the light tactical and the LR hybrids.

Switching from the swfa rings to the tactical on the same rifle no lapping required.

Just the fact the screws use a T25 torx vs the normal tiny t10 baloney is worth the price of admission for Hawkins to me.

I'm convinced enough I think I'll use them on rimfires if I upgrade to 30mm tubes.

 

[BRTreedogs]

If you loose zero on a hunt the extra $100 will seem like chump change.

 

[JohnJohnson]

I don't cheap out on my rings. I exclusively use ARC M10 rings for years now. I've used NF ultralite rings and Seekins rings in the past but the ARC are definitely best for me.

 

[GMB54-120]

Talley Modern Sporting are 6061 iirc. Vortex Pro are 7075 just like the Precision series. Steiner H series light weights are around $75-80 . The real bargain IF you are using a true picatinny rail are Contessa Light Weights for under $80 at EuroOptics. 7075 and dual recoil lugs.

Contessa 30mm Light Picatinny (.90" Height) Rings LPR02/A

Contessa 30mm Light Picatinny (.90" Height) Rings LPR02/A For Sale

www.eurooptic.com

Ive got a set of TPS XTR rings that are similar. Also very nice rings and cheaper than Seekins. On sale atm too for under $110. The super lows will fit a 42mm obj on a taller rail like a Murphy.

TPS XTR Series 30mm Picatinny-Style 7075-T651 Aluminum Alloy Rings

XRT Series X-Rings, bringing a whole new level of beauty and precision into an extremely rugged Picatinny platform scope mount.The X-Rings have been...

www.midwayusa.com

Plenty of room for my S-TAC 3-16x42 with the covers on it.

 

[Bluto]

Many thanks to all. I should have been a touch clearer in my first post as well. It's not that I mind spending the coin for a good set of rings, it's just tough to decipher the disparity in some manufacturer's goods. (Nevermind getting into the discussion of which rings will only fit which bases if not manufacturer matched.)

As far as specifics, I've got a cart ready to check out with some Hawkins (though I'd prefer the offset level but can't seem to find them available,) Burris, and Seekins but just haven't made a call. I've seen a few rumors and admit they look identical - that the Vortex precision are rebranded Seekins. At the same price point, I'm not sure what the point of that exercise is.

For what it's worth, the discussion is to mount a SWFA 3-9x42 on a lightweight .308 Weatherby Mark V.

 

[BRTreedogs]

Many thanks to all. I should have been a touch clearer in my first post as well. It's not that I mind spending the coin for a good set of rings, it's just tough to decipher the disparity in some manufacturer's goods. (Nevermind getting into the discussion of which rings will only fit which bases if not manufacturer matched.)

As far as specifics, I've got a cart ready to check out with some Hawkins (though I'd prefer the offset level but can't seem to find them available,) Burris, and Seekins but just haven't made a call. I've seen a few rumors and admit they look identical - that the Vortex precision are rebranded Seekins. At the same price point, I'm not sure what the point of that exercise is.

For what it's worth, the discussion is to mount a SWFA 3-9x42 on a lightweight .308 Weatherby Mark V.

Give Hawkins a call.
There rings are very nice.
Beefy for the weight for sure.
I'm convinced have the big screw is great. So much more bite. I have tons problems with the t10 bits on most manufacturers.

If you're around Central Oregon your more then welcome to check out my rings.

 

[sndmn11]

As far as specifics, I've got a cart ready to check out with some Hawkins (though I'd prefer the offset level but can't seem to find them available,)

I am pretty sure if you get in touch with Nick @HawkinsPrecision by calling they "might" swap out the normal level top cap for the offset one.

 

[tdot]

In my experience, there has been a noticeable quality increase as you move up through the price brackets to the $150ish range, after that it becomes more difficult for me to justify any real or perceived quality difference.

The cheaper rings will typically have lower quality metals and coatings. Their machining and alignment are not as consistent and the hardware isn't typically as high quality.

My last set of Talleys I had to lap and then bed to the scope they were so far out. I've tried a number of different rings, including Hawking and NF, but I've settled on a local Canadian company Alberta Tactical Rifle Supply (ATRS) their rings are fantastic. As light as any lightweight ring, yet as strong as any of your standard rings. They are also a single screw design, which I really prefer, once I wrapped my head around not having multiple screws on the top cap. With the US dollar exchange, they should be about $130.

 

[Wrench]

I have pretty much all that you've listed. I really like the ability to dial in all of my scope when using the burris inserts. If it's a rig that doesn't need 25mils on the table, a pair of hawkins hybrids are the slickest answer ive found. I'd trade my level for a cap because I laugh at the idea that you can use a level with a 2" purchase on the rifle that has potential to be anywhere based on screw tension sequence.

The pic rings from the quality makers are all pretty awesome today. If you plan on moving scopes or just like pic systems....there's lots of great stuff out.

 

[Bluto]

Holy cow. I’ve put in two days worth of looking and cannot find a two piece pic base with more than one slot (a-la Burris XTR bases) that will fit a Weatherby 6 lug/short action.

Am I on crazy pills here or is this really a difficult find? Contacted both today: Burris says the REM 700 might fit, call Weatherby. Weatherby says they don’t know, buy ones for a Weatherby.

Not needing any long range shooting MOA boost, I’ve basically decided Hawkins or Seekins, but bases are turning out to be a far bigger issue.

 

[sndmn11]

Buy a full length pic rail, mount it, use it, if you think you still want two pieces then take a Dremel with cut off wheel and remove the bridge while mounted. "Problem" solved.