r/canadaguns • u/Any-Rip-9727 • Jun 03 '26
Gun and gear reviews Assuming this isnt normal
Vortex Crossfire 3x9x40, medium hunter rings, ruger american .308, torqued to 15 inch-lb
8
u/IcySkyDream Jun 03 '26
That might be insufficient torque, causing the scope to shift under recoil.
18-20 inch-lbs.
10
u/do_u_like_stuff Jun 03 '26
Are you using the correct diameter of rings?
6
u/Any-Rip-9727 Jun 03 '26
The rings and scope came with the rifle as a combo from ruger so I am assuming its correct
5
u/buji8829 IBl Precision Jun 03 '26
Not great, it for sure slid, but warranty it with Vortex and get some new rings and you should be good to go.
Honestly, its probably on with new rings if the tube isnt crazy damaged. Hard to tell but it only looks like the coating rubbed off.
3
u/Any-Rip-9727 Jun 03 '26
Under torqued?
2
u/buji8829 IBl Precision Jun 03 '26
Very possible, but if it was one of the package rifles they use very questionable rings. What brand of rings were they?
If they were torqued to 15 inch pounds that should be fine, doesn’t mean they didn’t loosen off from recoil though.
2
u/Any-Rip-9727 Jun 03 '26
Vortex hunter rings
2
u/buji8829 IBl Precision Jun 03 '26
Id say swap those rings, looking at them they look like the typical overseas extruded rings. Not 100% confident in that design or their quality. Did it happen after the first shot or was it something you noticed after a few shots?
2
u/Any-Rip-9727 Jun 03 '26
Didnt notice it until I wanted to use these rings on something else, after maybe 150 shots multiple trip
2
u/LumberjackCDN Gold'n Loan Outfitters & Pawn Jun 04 '26
These rings are being phased out for the sport rings. Id switch em out. Odds are if it came put together in a combo they werent torqued right.
2
u/Any-Rip-9727 Jun 04 '26
I have vortex hunter rings on a 10/22 should i replace those aswell or will they be fine?
2
u/LumberjackCDN Gold'n Loan Outfitters & Pawn Jun 04 '26
Theyre fine for a 22. Im honestly surprised they werent fine on a 308
0
u/excellentiger Jun 03 '26
Vortex hunter rings are for rimfire, aren't they? I wouldn't trust any ring with less than 4 ring cap screws per ring.
2
u/Hot_Cheesecake_905 Jun 04 '26
Vortex hunter rings are for rimfire, aren't they?
Just the lowest end model, for "general hunting setups".
I like their Sport Rings a lot better for a budget ring setup.
2
1
u/v-infernalis Jun 03 '26
Yes under-torqued. The scope is sliding everytime you pull the trigger
The scuffed ring is clean and unfirom all the way around, so the rings are the correct size.
You need to hit about 20-inch-lbs for the rings to correctly grip the scope tube. Use a torque setting screwdriver, like something from wheelers
2
u/Any-Rip-9727 Jun 03 '26
Thanks, the rifle kept it zero so im hoping this is just a cosmetic issue
2
u/v-infernalis Jun 03 '26
to confirm scope is still functioning correctly, do a "tall target test" lots of videos on youtube
but yes, it's NOT likely the scope is damaged - looks like it slid all the way back and just stayed there, absorbing the shock form the shots
EDIT: tall target* test, not ladder
3
u/hafetysazard Jun 04 '26 edited Jun 04 '26
If you’re ever worried about the scope shifting in the rings do this: Take a small amount of pure rosin, which is basically dried pine resin—the stuff many types of athletes use for grip, and musicians for their bows. Then take some 99% isopropyl alcohol and slowly add it in tiny amounts to the rosin until the rosin dissolves into a thin slurry. Use a small paint brush to put a thin a film of it on the inside of your scope rings; wipe any excess around the edges with a cleaning patch wetted with alcohol, and make sure not to get any in the screw holes, or anywhere else. If it does, clean them out. Then let it dry. Remount your scope after that, using the proper torque settings. The rosin adds a ton more grip, and isn’t messy. If you want to remove it after just wipe it off with some isopropyl alcohol.
I found a tiny bag of powdered rosin on amazon; it was in a little cloth bag meant for darts players. Could probably find rosin locally at a sporting goods store, music store, or even a store that sells ballet slippers (since ballet dancers use it for grip too). You need an incredibly small amount for this job.
Always double check if your scope rings are clean and dry before beginning to assemble.
Then make sure to know if your scope rings require a wet torque, or a dry torque. A wet torque (like when using loctite) will apply more clamping force than a dry torque, so you could risk over-torquing, or under-torquing, your scope rings if you do the wrong one. Over-torquing will fuck up your scope worse than getting some ring rash under-torquing, so please avoid the temptation to crank a little extra on the screws. Please for the love of god, tighten them very gradually in a criss-cross pattern. Start a very low torque setting, and work your way up until they’re at the proper torque spec.
Scopes and screws typically have different torque specs, so make sure to torque to whichever is the lowest. For example, if your scope says use 18in-lbs max, but your rings say 25in-lbs max, use 18in-lbs.
I recently had a little slippage with a Zeiss using Warne QD rings on a .458 Win Mag, and noticed the ring screws were dancing loose because of the recoil. So, I would take my torque wrench with me to the range, and tighten down any screws after every five shots until everything, “settled in.” Warne says don’t use locitite with their scope rings for obvious reason it would drip into everything, but when I called their customer service, their guy recommended to add a little to the back of the screw hole after everything was tightened properly and settled in—plus give it time to set. The loctite would wick into the end of thr threads just a tiny amount, and not get into anything. So, if your rings require a dry torque, that might be a last resort option if they keep loosening up on you.
Also, if you have a QD scope mount, or rings, that have little thumb levers to tighten it down, make sure they’re facing straight to the front, or back, as the momentum of recoil will over-tighten/loosen them in no time if they’re pointed up, or down.
edit: Also, lapping scope rings used to be a very common thing. People pretty much ignore it these days, because well-made one-piece scope mounts are more popular, plus it is assumed if you buy good rings/mounts these days, they’re going to be pretty close to perfect. That’s not always the case, especially with two-piece rings/bases; so that’s an option to help diagnose scope ring issues.
2
u/thehuntinggearguy 3gun, Mapleseed, YouTuber, SlamFire Radio, Revolver-hater Jun 03 '26
How many rounds have you fired like this?
1
u/iatekane Jun 03 '26
Yeah probably just not torqued enough, do 18lbs instead.
But, another thing is how confident are you that your torque wrench is correct?
2
u/hafetysazard Jun 04 '26
When I bought a Wheeler FAT wrench, it came with a little calibration card telling me how off it was. I hope most come with something similar.
2
-1
12
u/DrinkLuckyGetLucky All guns are beater guns Jun 03 '26
Cheap rings plus only 15 in-lbs of torque sounds like your problem. The lowest I will torque rings to is 18 in-lbs and I’m usually around 20 in-lbs.