I never understood why scope rings use hex bolts for ring fastening.  It never fails for me, either the bolt or my hex wrench or both round out and prevent me from tightening or loosening.  How can I prevent this from happening?  And once it has, how do I get the damn bolts off?  Would a high quality hex wrench set take care of it?  Maybe I just need metric hex wrenches?????  BTW, my current ring screw ups are the IOR quick detach rings.  Looks like my wrenches screwed me this time.  Please help!!!

Personally, I am a fan of the use of hex bolts in my other hobby and has extended to my shooting hobby.  IME, hex bolts provide a much more positive attachment than traditional bolts and related fasteners.

A good set of hex keys, T Handles or hex socket (3/8" drive) will cure most, if not all, of the tightening and removal of hex bolts.  All of my scope attachments are via metric hex bolts.

racer934

Hex because they dont strip easily.

Leupold TORX fasteners work best for me.  

Torque specs on rings are what, 13 inch-pounds?  And rings to base 65 inch-pounds?

If you're stripping hex fasteners you may be over-tightening.

Because a lot of shooters think you have to tighten the nuts until the oil seeps out of the threads.  Same reason they think they need steel instead of aluminum.  I never understood clamping screws so tight that the upper is deformed but I've seen it.

I use ArmaLite's mounts.  You just tighten their screws a enough to sort of feel the plastic washer sort of seize a bit and they NEVER move.  The ArmaLite mounts have a machined shoulder that fits in a slot on the receiver so the screws don't need to be so tight that the mount can't move back and forth.

AHHHH...I found my problem.  SAE wrenches on metric bolts...DOH!

I wasnt overtightening at all...that was my problem. *sigh*