#1B Scope Mounting Challenge

[mikestenger]

I have successfully mounted several scopes on Ruger No 1 rifles but...

#1B .257 Roberts/1" Leupold VXIII 2.5-8X 33mm/Ruger #4 rings. The ring screws seem a little bit too short. I have checked everything. Screw and mount threads are fine. Bottom halves fit snugly and correctly on mount bridge. Scope miked and is exactly 1.000". The ring screws mate nicely with the bottom halves except when the scope is between them. With the rings on the scope, the screws don't quite reach.

I contacted the Ruger service folks in NH. They had me make sure the screws are not stripped (they aren't). So, they are sending me another set of rings/bases. Maybe that will solve the problem, but I am skeptical.

Has anyone else ever run into this? I am truly puzzled, especially since my other #1 rifles all wear Leupold 1" scopes and they all fit just fine.

 

[HAWKEYE#28]

:?: New PACKAGING OR USED FIREARM SETUP? I HAVE NEVER RUN INTO THIS SITUATION WITH A NEW PACKAGE........Used, it relates to who messed with what........JS 8)

 

[mikestenger]

Mint, unfired and un-messed with 1980 vintage .257 Roberts.

 

[HAWKEYE#28]

So....Wrong size rings; or screws too short(Wrong ones);or scope tube too big for standard rings? Has to be one of the three........ :?: 33MM tube vs. 30MM rings? 8)

 

[mikestenger]

Thank you for your interest. As I mentioned in my first note, part of my initial analysis was miking the scope tube which is exactly 1". The screws are the ones that came with the rings from Ruger, and they claim to only stock one size of screws. The 33mm measurement is the diameter of the objective lens, not the scope tube. I remain stumped.

 

[BayouBob]

If you have another Ruger rifle you could pull just one ring screw and compare them, then you would know if the new ones are too short. Ruger buys their screws from someone so it is entirely possible a factory that ships millions of screws could have stuck some the wrong size in a box. As to the "only one size screw," isn't Ruger putting weaver style bases on their American Rifle? The screws for those bases would be shorter than ring screws. I can see a couple of ways the wrong screw could have gotten in the box. If the rifle is old, it has been sitting around and probably had the box opened many times so I could see a substitution being made there too.

 

[mikestenger]

Good idea. I removed a ring screw from a different rifle...they are the same length. The .257 is a 1980 vintage gun, but the rings were recently purchased directly from Ruger. I am hopeful that the rings that Ruger shipped me yesterday will solve the problem.

 

[5of7]

Mike the screws to determine the size, then go to a good mill supply store and buy some Allen head cap screws that same size and thread pitch and long enough to do the job.

When the new rings come, either sell them or keep them for future use. 8)

 

[mcknight77]

Screw the rings together without the scope in them and measure the inside diameter. It should be very close to 1".

 

[mikestenger]

After another careful inspection of the scope, rings, and mount bridge, it appears that one of the two top rings may be the culprit. On one of the top rings, the mounting flanges (part that mates with the bottom ring half) are thicker than the other one. This should explain why the ring screws seem too short.

This is weird. A new set of rings is on the way from Ruger New Hampshire and will be here next week. I am hopeful that will resolve the issue. Thank you for your interest!

 

[mikestenger]

True to their word, and true to their history of amazing customer service, the replacement rings from Ruger arrived today. They matched up and mounted the scope on the rifle without breaking a sweat! Obviously, the other set of rings was the problem.

The faulty rings were #4 blued rings, just like the replacements. I purchased the originals a couple of months ago directly from Ruger.

Go figure!