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 Adding 20MOA to Cheap Rings/Ring Bedding 
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Joined: Tue Nov 27, 2012
Posts: 1367
I'm a cheap person who's also a poor student, so when I set up a new AR for distance I used a YHM riser and Burris Signature Zee rings (with 20moa inserts) because it was the cheapest way to get a serviceable 20moa mount. This isn't a great solution, there are too many joints, the Zee inserts are slippery, and the rings only have one screw so you have to tighten them down too much. A better solution would be a billet upper receiver with a built in SPR style mount and removable rings (like Larue or AD mount rings), but no one makes that and I couldn't afford it if they did.

Unfortunately, after the first trip to the range it was obvious the scope was too low for comfortable shooting. Looking through my box of rando-crap I discovered a set of Chinese (probably UTG) aluminum rings of approximately the right dimensions. I've used these on .22 rifles and they work well, but the anodizing is slippery and the anti-slip tape they use inside the rings is sticky, probably not consistent in hot/cold weather, and if removed leaves the rings bigger than the scope tubes. Normally I would lap the rings to get rid of the slippery anodizing but they would end up being oval shaped and too big for the scope tube.

My next issue is that most scopes have less than half of their mechanical adjustment to spare once mounted and sighted in at 200 yards. This scope has 45moa of internal adjustment and with a .223 I need all the adjustment I can get. As is, I would probably have about 15moa of adjustment and would run out at about the 500-600 yard line. The solution to all of these problems is to bed the rings with some MOA built in.

The rings:

Image


The rings on the riser:

Image


Removing anodizing using my lapping mandrel and sandpaper. Aluminum oxidizes quickly in air and should be sanded as soon as possible before applying glue:


Image


Rings sanded, mounted, and masking tape applied:

Image


Scope set on the bottom rings. At this point, adjust the scope until it's about 10moa from the bottom of the mechanical adjustment and center the windage adjustment. Rest the upper on a secure surface, remove the BCG, and sight down the barrel like a diopter or peep to sight at a distant object.

Image


Once the scope is adjusted and the barrel is pointed at a distant object, use small pieces of masking tape to raise the rear of the scope until it is also pointed at the distant object.


Image


Put a few drops of glue in place (I used 5 min epoxy). You really only need it on the rear ring:

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Put something on the scope tube so it does not stick to the glue. I used Kiwi neutral shoe polish:

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Put the scope in place and let dry:

Image


The dried glue makes two pillars that will hold the scope in place while the JB Weld is drying:

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Put a nice layer of JB Weld down and push the scope down into the JB Weld:

Image


I also sanded the top rings and put a layer of JB Weld on. Tighten the screws gently, there no reason to do more than enough to squeeze the glue to the edge of the rings (the scope has already be pushed into the bottom rings, and they're the ones that matter).

Image


Wait for the JB Weld to dry overnight and break the top rings off:

Image


VERY carefully break the scope out of the bottom rings. A sharp tap usually does it but you can easily damage the scope. I mark the top rings so I know where they go. There's some space around the 5min epoxy, doesn't matter:

Image


The end result, this is the view of the back of the rear ring. The extra JB Weld can be trimmed with a razor. The front of the front ring is resting on the aluminum of the ring. Sighting in leaves me about 8 MOA on the bottom end and close to 40 MOA of usable adjustment:


Image


Tue Nov 22, 2016 4:33 pm
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Very slick. :bow:

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Tue Nov 22, 2016 5:03 pm
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Never heard of this technique, very intresting.
Great write up and pics by the way :thumbsup2: .
Interested to see how this works and holds up for you.


Tue Nov 22, 2016 6:02 pm
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This is a great way to save some money. Get a set of "$20" rings that look somewhat substantial and turn them into a set of $150 rings.

If you put one or two layers of masking tape on the flat portion the rings, where the screw holes are and only on one side (same for front and rear), then tighten screws so they fully contact the tape on that side and are screwed tight on the other side, you'll end up with what Barrett calls "Zero Gap" rings . When you get the tape and excess epoxy cleaned off and install the scope, you can torque the screws on the side you didn't tape (which may have a wedge of bedding on it to correct for angle) down snug and then merely torque the screws on the other side enough to keep the scope from moving.

This way you don't have to keep going from side to side to make sure gaps stay the same and keep the scope from rotating.


If this catches on there'll be a lot of unsold premium scope mounts and rails :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile:

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Wed Nov 23, 2016 9:17 am
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deadshot2 wrote:
This is a great way to save some money. Get a set of "$20" rings that look somewhat substantial and turn them into a set of $150 rings.

If you put one or two layers of masking tape on the flat portion the rings, where the screw holes are and only on one side (same for front and rear), then tighten screws so they fully contact the tape on that side and are screwed tight on the other side, you'll end up with what Barrett calls "Zero Gap" rings . When you get the tape and excess epoxy cleaned off and install the scope, you can torque the screws on the side you didn't tape (which may have a wedge of bedding on it to correct for angle) down snug and then merely torque the screws on the other side enough to keep the scope from moving.

This way you don't have to keep going from side to side to make sure gaps stay the same and keep the scope from rotating.


If this catches on there'll be a lot of unsold premium scope mounts and rails :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile:



Good idea, I'll try that on the next one!


Wed Nov 23, 2016 7:40 pm
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