Mid level ring quality

Kevin Stenberg

Well-Known Member
About a month ago. In one of the scope threads conversation drifted to better quality scope rings. Wasn't there a general agreement that Burris Signature rings were good for there price. I am looking to upgrade a couple of rifle scopes. So I got a Wheeler scope ring alignment package. An now I am looking for a couple of sets of rings.
Do the ring inserts need reaming like steel rings do?
 

Ian

Notorious member
NO. The Burris Signature rings with the posi-line inserts are not intended to be reamed. There are two reasons for the design: One is to eliminate the need to ream, even if the rings don't perfectly align with each other, and the other is the inserts can be replaced with offset ones of different degrees of offset to get your scope mechanically closer to in-line with the bore without using much of the scope's internal adjustment. This is great when a barrel and receiver are not in-line with each other (happens more often than you might think) and saves having to adjust a scope to near the end of windage or elevation clicks just to get on target.
 

RicinYakima

High Steppes of Eastern Washington
I have been using them since they were first made and think they are great for fine accuracy rifles. For all the reasons that Ian states, they are fine. However, I have a lifetime supply of Weaver stuff that I use on the plinkers.
 

fiver

Well-Known Member
both me and Brad have had to deal with an issue like Ian describes above just recently.
I ended up lapping my rings, then shimming the scope.
Brad ended up with new rings airc.
 

Ian

Notorious member
One of my marlin 336s has a bad case of the infamous 'barrel droop', more like droop and to the right. AFTER running the scope through its full range of adjustment and counting clicks to center the reticle at a mechanical zero, I played musical inserts until I found that using two of the largest offset insert pairs (one each from two extra offset kits) turned at 45° opposite each other is what it took to point the objective down and right and the ocular up and to left enough to get the scope boresighted closest to center. That got me within half a dozen clicks of sighted in, and the scope's internal adjustments were not strained nor the image distorted. Without the inserts I actually ran out of elevation adjustment trying to zero past 100 yards.

I also have a Glenfield 25 with the same kind of droop, so I used the medium offset inserts I had left and that got me close as well, though it would have been closer with one medium set and one large set. Good enough for a .22 with a 3x9 scope. Over all I have to say the Burris Signature rings are my favorite rifle rings. They're not as trim as a pair of turn-in rings properly lapped, but they don't mar the scope's finish at all and are a lot more versatile.
 

Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
My Marlin 1895 had issues when I first scoped it. I ran out of vertical adjustment and still wasn't where I wanted to be. I shimmed under the rear base but wasn't happy with that.
Burris Signature rings with the offset inserts were the answer. They allowed me to add the amount of angle to the scope that I needed. Scope now has plenty of vertical for any load I need.
Great thing is they can give some horizontal adjustment too if needed, nothing says the inserts have to be placed top and bottom and not side to side.
 

Winelover

North Central Arkansas
Warne or Leupold in QD style are the rings I usually select. Lately Warne, mostly because they are a few dollars cheaper.
 

Ian

Notorious member
Yes, there are four different possible pairs of inserts, each set when put together in one ring have a 1", round hole in the center. The offset ones come in pairs that must stay together in each ring, with a thinner half and thicker half, like this:

(((( + )))) = 0
((( + ))))) = .005" offset
(( + )))))) = .010" offset
( + ))))))) = .020" offset

The rings come with centered inserts. If you need the offset, you buy a package of them that comes with three pairs of inserts, one size each. I suggest if you buy them, get two packages so you have two of each size.
 

Will

Well-Known Member
They work really well when you have a marlin the shoots a foot high when the scope elevation is maxed out.
My 1895 drove me crazy until I bought the (recommended from here) Burris rings.
 

Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
They work really well when you have a marlin the shoots a foot high when the scope elevation is maxed out.
My 1895 drove me crazy until I bought the (recommended from here) Burris rings.
Exactly!
 

Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
Ever wonder how much shim you need?
Simple ratio and proportion problem.
Measure distance between rings or bases, whichever you will be shimming. Calculate how much elevation or windage you need to correct.
Distance to target/elevation needed=distance between rings/shim required.
Make sure all units are same! How many inches to target, not yards!
 

Ben

Moderator
Staff member
The Burris Signature rings

Those rings are on several of my rifles.
The rings allow you to zero scopes on troublesome rifles.
A 2nd benefit is the scope will sit in the mounts in a zero stress situation.

Ben
 
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Pistolero

Well-Known Member
My stadards (other than Ruger rifles which use Ruger factory rings) is the Leupold
QD Weaver type. After that, for inexpensive rifles, or .22s, or just fooling around......whatever is a reasonable
price down at the Bushnell factory outlet or at a gun show.

Bill
 

Ian

Notorious member
I have two sets of Leupold qd ring/base sets, but of the cam lever mortise/tenon type. They work really well unless there is an alignment problem between the bases that binds the rings. I fixed one of them by egging the base holes of the off-center base and epoxy bedding it to the receiver.
 

waco

Springfield, Oregon
I use the Burris rings with inserts on my 338 Lapua to reach out to extended distance. It helps me get the most of the 19 Mils of adjustments my Viper PST has.
I mainly use Warne rings. Made right here in Oregon.
 

FrankCVA42

Active Member
Buddy had one of the Ruger 77 bolt action heavy barrelled rifles in 308. Using the factory rings he managed to put two large rings in the scope. Brought it to me and the rings weren't completely finished. The rings had two large corresponding rings that should have not been there. So much for boring out the rings. Filed them down as much as possible then lapped the rings. Took quite awhile to complete the lapping job. Cleaned out the lapping compound and the rest of the rings and installed the old scope. Made me a believer in Burris rings from that day on. Sako had rings quite sililar to the Burris rings in that they had the polymer inserts inside the rings. My Sako 75 Hunter came so equipped. Zero hasn't changed since initial sight in. The Burris rings and Weaver Grand Slam steel bases work very well together. Never tried it but I have an old Redfield 3200 and been thinking about installing it on a post '64 M70 match rifle for cast bullets. Since it is an internally adjusted scope it should work well with Burris rings.