Lapping honing scope mounts - how important is it?

[The_Eric]

I don't remember seeing this sort of question pop up before, so I thought that I'd make a separate thread just to have a searchable subject.

While I wait for my new scope to show up, I've been watching some videos on scopes and mounting them and have now seen it brought up a few times to lap or hone your mounts with a precision bar and some lapping compound to ensure the rings are properly round. How necessary is this process? Are the tubes really that sensitive to slight misalignment? How much can it affect accuracy?

 

[burbguy82]

This is a topic amongst precision shooters that will never be settled.

The last time I helped out someone with putting together a precision gun, WE DID lap the scope rings with a bar i had from Pacific Tool.

Roundness? Straightness? Whatever go want to call it, I see the value in doing it, for many reasons.

Accuracy? not so much IMO, but durability of the scope to ring connection is enhanced, as well as any bending of the scope due to a misalignment of the rings.

Typically, honing rings, the rings stay with the gun, and should not be moved to another gun.

Technique in this process is key.

 

[The_Eric]

This is a topic amongst precision shooters that will never be settled.

The last time I helped out someone with putting together a precision gun, WE DID lap the scope rings with a bar i had from Pacific Tool.

Roundness? Straightness? Whatever go want to call it, I see the value in doing it, for many reasons.

Accuracy? not so much IMO, but durability of the scope to ring connection is enhanced, as well as any bending of the scope due to a misalignment of the rings.

Typically, honing rings, the rings stay with the gun, and should not be moved to another gun.

Technique in this process is key.

Technique? In honing or mounting without honing?

 

[burbguy82]

Technique? In honing or mounting without honing?

both really, but honing more specific to this topic......

are you new to this type of stuff? no offense intended

 

[dnewton3]

Where would one get a honing bar? (30mm)
Do you use traditional lapping compound?
I can see the benefit with separate mount rings, but is it as beneficial with a single piece mount?

 

[The_Eric]

both really, but honing more specific to this topic......

are you new to this type of stuff? no offense intended

None taken. I'm familiar with guns and shooting - I own many and have shot for years, but I am very new to the world of proper rifle calibers, scopes and shooting at distances beyond 100yds.

 

[AZjeff]

None taken. I'm familiar with guns and shooting - I own many and have shot for years, but I am very new to the world of proper rifle calibers, scopes and shooting at distances beyond 100yds.

It's going down a rabbit hole. If you need to tighten up your 1000 yard group that last .10 inch to win the match after you have the rest of your precision shooting technique dialed then sure. If you're hunting not so necessary. You can change the point of impact by changing the torque on the ring screws if you're deep enough into precision shooting. Honesty you've got a long way to go before honing rings will show results.

 

[The_Eric]

It's going down a rabbit hole. If you need to tighten up your 1000 yard group that last .10 inch to win the match after you have the rest of your precision shooting technique dialed then sure. If you're hunting not so necessary. You can change the point of impact by changing the torque on the ring screws if you're deep enough into precision shooting. Honesty you've got a long way to go before honing rings will show results.

I'm sure that I own WAY more rifle and scope than I have skills at this point. I haven't actually figured out what I have available to me for distance, but I'm pretty sure that it's nowhere approaching 1000 yds

 

[burbguy82]

None taken. I'm familiar with guns and shooting - I own many and have shot for years, but I am very new to the world of proper rifle calibers, scopes and shooting at distances beyond 100yds.

ok...

so is ring truing a thing? yes.....does everyone do it? no....is it always needed? no.....does it add to a system? yes......is it needed with every scope to ring mount.....not practically.

some solid mounts like spuhr or warne, are already honed.

to do it right takes an understanding of why. it would be good to watch some old videos on this process if you are interested.