Ruger Super Blackhawk Hunter scope ring height question

[cee_Kamp]

My SBH Hunter revolver had a Leupold fixed four power handgun scope mounted in the supplied medium height rings.
I am switching that 4x fixed power scope to a Leupold 2.5 x 8 variable handgun scope. Eyepiece & objective diameters are bigger, medium rings are not tall enough.
Leupold HAD a nice chart on their website for selecting rings, but now that chart doesn't include handgun scopes as Leupold no longer produces handgun scopes.
Do I need High or Extra High Ruger rings?
I don't want to remove the front and rear factory revolver sights when mounting the 2.5 x 8 scope.
Anybody know for certain which rings I need to buy?

 

[s4s4u]

This chart may help. The Ruger rings increase by 10mm per step, regarding scope objective size. A high ring will allow 10mm more objective than a medium ring, an x-high ring will allow 20mm larger bell than medium.

Ruger Ring Chart

 

[G2]

Here is your Ruger Scope Ring Specifications.

#3 = .325 /LOW
#4 = .435 /MEDIUM
#5 = .565 /HIGH
#6 = .680 /X-HIGH

 

[thinckley]

I am running the Burris 2-7x32 on my Hunters in the medium rings (on 4 of them, the Single-Six in .22 came with the #5 rings).

I did have to "bottom out" the rear sight on 2 of them, but no other issues.

 

[cee_Kamp]

The Burris scopes above appear to have an objective diameter the same as the tube, or with very little "bell" on the objective end.

The Leupold 4 x fixed scope fit nicely on the Ruger SBH Hunter revolver with the as supplied medium rings. (#4)

IMG_20250326_123642561_HDR by cee_Kamp 32ACP, on Flickr

The Leupold 2.5 x 8 variable has a significantly larger diameter objective and eyepiece than the 4 x fixed model, and the variable is also longer.

PXL_20251005_182409312 by cee_Kamp 32ACP, on Flickr

I can't stand the 4 x fixed scope and bought it only because the store did not have the 2 x fixed model in stock. That was a big mistake.
It's almost impossible with the 4 x model to get lined up behind the scope eye box in field conditions.
(the bright circle of light you see in the scope eyepiece when lined up properly behind the scope)
It's good at the range with the revolver on sandbags, but field conditions especially without a rest unsupported, it's terrible.

The variable 2.5 x 8 dialed down to 2.5 power is easy to shoot unsupported, and is much brighter in low light conditions.
It's also easy to get behind the eye box, it's huge compared to the fixed 4 x model.

So I took measurements of the objective and eyepiece diameters on both scopes, and then calculated the radius of both ends of both scopes.
The radius CHANGE (measured/calculated) on the objective end is 0.1425"
The radius CHANGE (measured/calculated) on the eyepiece end is 0.160"

So that means the vertical rectangular column in the scope rings needs to be taller by a minimum of 0.160" to give me the clearance to the top of the revolver with the variable scope, that the 4 x scope had when it was installed.

With the numbers Member G2 provided, switching from a #4 medium ring up to a #5 tall ring raises up the scope by 0.130"
That is not equal to or greater than the measured/calculated 0.1425" objective and 0.160" eyepiece numbers needed for revolver clearance with the variable mounted compared to the 4 x fixed previously mounted.

So my only choice is the #6 extra tall rings which will raise the scope up by 0.245 compared to the stock medium #4 rings.

I will keep the front of the objective back behind the muzzle, and probably behind the front sight so the scope lens doesn't get powder fouling on it.
The variable being longer, will extend further to the rear over the hammer.

That variable Leupold previously was mounted on a S & W Performance Center .500 Magnum.
Due to a scope mount failure on that .500 revolver, the 2.5 x 8 variable was forcefully ejected from the top of the .500 and was launched rearward
gently brushing through my hair, and tumbled end for end across a blacktop surface at a covered range facility.

Both the objective and eyepiece ends of that scope have ever so slight "D" shapes from impacting the ground and tumbling across the blacktop.
I purchased new ordnance steel milled scope rings for the .500 and installed the somewhat cosmetically damaged variable scope back on top.
A range trip showed that the scope still worked perfectly, sighted in nicely, and the forceful scope ejection and tumbling across the blacktop
had not done any internal damage to the scope. It certainly is cosmetically flawed!

I was fortunate not to get smacked in the face when the scope was launched.

 

[cee_Kamp]

Over the past 40 years, when I needed to buy a shooting accessory, I would generally do some rudimentary price comparison shopping.
In this case, a pair of Ruger extra high stainless scope rings.
I checked on the Brownell's website and they listed them, and had them in stock.
There was a new "button" which checked if they "could" ship them to my location.

Yeah, I get it. New York State is screwed up. No standard capacity magazines, and a long list of other cool stuff this screwed up state doesn't allow.
But scope rings? The little web browser "circle" churned for about a minute, and a box appeared, "Sorry, we can't ship these (scope rings) to your location".

I closed Brownell's website and ordered them directly from Ruger.
I guess I am done doing business with Brownell's.

 

[cee_Kamp]

My Extra High #6 scope rings arrived from Ruger today and I have the Leupold 2.5 x 8 variable scope mounted temporarily.
Basically, it's just slapped up on top for checking clearances.
Nothing is tightened yet.
Everything is cleaned and deburred, and I am waiting for a bottle of Loctite 222 from Amazon. (purple, low strength for small screws)

I made a BIG mistake when I mounted the fixed 4 X Leupold scope many years ago.
I was out of Loctite 222 and substituted medium strength blue Loctite 242.

When I tried to remove the scope ring caps attachment screws when doing this scope swap, six of the eight Torx heads stripped out. (T-10 bit)
I took the scope off the revolver with the rings attached and stuck it in my Bridgeport milling machine and milled off the heads of the six screws.
That got the scope rings off of the 4 X scope without doing any scope damage, but those OEM #4 medium rings, the top clamps, are now junk.
I gave the lower half of the rings some propane torch heat, and successfully removed the threaded remaining portions of the six screws.
But I wasn't going to attempt propane torch heat with the scope still clamped in the scope rings.

If you strip out the scope ring top caps screw heads and don't have a Bridgeport milling machine, tooling, and the skills to use the equipment, you will likely end up with an very expensive visit to a qualified gunsmith/machinist.

I'm also going to source some replacement T-10 and T-15 Torx bits, removing several scopes did a number on several Torx bits.

So if you are wanting a Leupold Vari-X 2.5 - 8 variable scope on top of a Ruger Super Blackhawk Hunter revolver, and not bottom out your rear sight for clearance, you will need to use #6 Extra High Ruger rings. (typically used on a rifle with a massive 62 mm objective lens scope)
The Ruger Super Blackhawk Hunter has a few items that stick up and get in the way. (front and rear sights)

I want to retain the iron sights, and have them sighted in ready to use.
A large screwdriver at deer camp, or a coin and a pair of vise grips will get a damaged/defective scope off the revolver, and the iron sights are sighted in and ready to go. Anyway, that's my plan.

I take rosin from string instrument bow usage (cello) and take that "puck" of rosin, and using a knife, scrape off a little pile of powdered rosin into
a coffee can plastic lid. Then I add a tiny amount of denatured alcohol into the coffee can lid, and dissolve the powdered rosin until it's an orange liquid.
I "paint" (Q-tip) the inside of the scope rings (the one inch diameter bore surfaces in this case) with the rosin liquid, it's similar in viscosity to varnish.
After the rosin liquid dries, you install the scope, assemble the rings, and tighten all the screws (with PROPER GRADE Loctite) to correct torque.
When finished, you take several Q-tips soaked in denatured alcohol and "dab" it where the rings wrap around the scope tube.
Through capillary action, the denatured alcohol soaks in under the scope rings and re-dissolves the dried rosin liquid.
Then let it sit for a day for re-drying before sighting in/shooting.
I've never had a scope move in the rings under recoil using this method.

It's a shame it all has to come apart again for brake cleaner degreasing, Loctite, and the rosin treatment.

PXL_20251011_003555366 by cee_Kamp 32ACP, on Flickr

PXL_20251011_003505348 by cee_Kamp 32ACP, on Flickr

PXL_20251011_003430662 by cee_Kamp 32ACP, on Flickr

PXL_20251011_003403630 by cee_Kamp 32ACP, on Flickr

 

[cee_Kamp]

I got it sighted in today. Once again behind the variable 2.5 x 8 Leupold scope, I remembered why I like it so much.
When I finished, I had 20 rounds on a 50 yard target slightly smaller than a clay pigeon.
This 20 round group was using two different boxes/brands of 240 grain factory ammo, and my 200 grain Hornady XTP with a max charge of Hodgdon CFE pistol powder. This reload is near the bottom of .44 Magnum power and at the very top of .44 Special power.

With the 50 yard dead on zero, all three loads cleanly "clanged" the 9" x 9" diamond shaped steel target set out at 100 yards without holdover above the top of the steel. Good enough for woods deer hunting!

 

[contender]

Excellent!!

Glad you got it figured out,, AND reset everything. Ready for the woods now!

And the info on how you mounted the scope is quite good too!

 

[GYJ44]

Blue 242 isn't a problem for gun screws. People use it all the time, myself included. Sure it wasn't red?

Personally prefer a fixed 2x or at most a 1-4x for revolvers.

 

[s4s4u]

Personally prefer a fixed 2x or at most a 1-4x for revolvers.

Agreed. I went to a fixed 1x scope (not a red dot) on my 45 Colt because magnification only enhances my observation of my shake

 

[cee_Kamp]

Yes, I am 100 % sure it wasn't any form of red high strength Loctite.
I've used blue 242 Loctite on scope rings before.
But I will never use it again on small screws.

I believe the product literature specifically mentions 1/4" diameter screws as a minimum size
with Loctite 242. So the ring top screws are several sizes smaller than the recommended.

Ruger rings use a T-10 Torx bit screw head on the rings top screws.
That's a pretty small Torx bit. It was a sickening feeling stripping out the screw heads
In my case it was a mistake, in doing so it caused a lot of additional work.
Purple low strength Loctite will keep scope ring screws from loosening up, and is significantly easier for disassembly.

Yeah, it's a crying shame Leupold doesn't catalog extended eye relief handgun scopes any more. I've owned & used the 2 x fixed power version before.
I tried to buy one when I bought the 4 x version, and the store I was shopping in was out of stock on the 2 x. As soon as I had the 4 x scope mounted, I realized I had goofed up.

I decided to take the 2.5 x 8 variable off another revolver I was trading and keep the variable to put on top of the Super Blackhawk Hunter.

I've never tried/used a Burris handgun scope before, but do have first hand experience with Tasco, Nikon, and three different types of Leupold extended eye relief handgun scopes.
My favorite of all mentioned above is the Leupold 2.5 x 8 variable.

 

[GYJ44]

Most people use blue 242 because it's available everywhere and it works fine. I've never had an issue with it breaking free. Usually 222 purple has to be special ordered.

Burris handgun scopes are excellent. They still offer a 2x but I buy used scopes off Ebay all the time. When I find a good deal on one, I get it. I've got a used Leupold en route right now. I just found the big variables like the Burris 2-7x to be more than I can use on a revolver. The parallax tends to be terrible at top magnification anywhere under 100yds.

 

[cee_Kamp]

You are correct, the HUGE bottle of Loctite 222 was a special order.
I found the genuine Loctite 222 product on Amazon. With Prime shipping.
I had it in two days.
Did I mention the bottle is HUGE? Not the tiny little plastic tube.
I have enough Loctite 222 for scope installations and lasting at least twice my lifespan.
Also, the HUGE bottle was about $12, about the same money as two of the tiny tubes.