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Posted: 11/22/2016 8:42:11 PM EDT
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:




The rings on the riser:




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




Rings sanded, mounted, and masking tape applied:




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.




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.





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




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




Put the scope in place and let dry:




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




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




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).




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




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:




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:


Link Posted: 11/23/2016 1:22:45 AM EDT
[#1]
Noice.
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