These rings for Weaver bases are machined and coated with durable but non-uniform thickness paint. Because they are split down the middle, they are symmetrical and align the ring with the axes centered over the base. While these rings are a bit heavy, they get the job done admirably. Due to paint non-uniformity, the ring surfaces are not uniformly round. On two-piece bases or a bent one-piece base the rings can still be mis-aligned. Lapping is recommended and will take a few hundred strokes because the rings are steel.

These bases are unique in that the ring is integral to the base. Due to this construction, the rings are centered on the receiver if the receiver tapped holes are centered. The manufacturing process appears to start with an extrusion, from which the base is machined. The rings are left extruded and therefore are not uniformly round. Expect to shim or bed these bases to remove ring mis-alignment, and then follow with ring lapping.

These rings provide either permanent (PRW) or quick detach (QRW) rings for Weaver bases. These machined steel rings are sturdy and attractive. The cap consists of a steel band that clamps the scope tube to a steel base using four machine screws. The cap wraps around 2/3 of the circumference of the scope tube and must be expanded somehow to fit over the scope tube without scratching it. This design feature makes the rings difficult to install without proper tools. When using RingTrue™ tape, the cap grips the tube better than the saddle does, which can cause the reticle to rotate when tightening the ring screws.

Redfield 4-hole aluminum rings are similar in design to the Leupold PRW/QRW rings, except they are made from aluminum and are available only for 1” scope tubes. At $10/pair they offer one of the best values around.

The cap on Leupold PRW/QRTW and Redfield 4-hole aluminum rings can be expanded by inserting four 16d finish nails into the screw holes from the bottom, and pulling the nails together with the thumb and fingers just enough for the ring to clear the scope tube. Expanding the ring too much will cause it to yield, which means it won’t spring back to shape, making it difficult to install the screws. The heads of the nails must be ground to a cone shape so that they don’t touch the scope tube during this process. Wrapping a portion of the scope tube with clear packaging tape will also help protect it.

This extruded aluminum ring clamps the scope tube using four screws per ring.While the Weaver 4-hole Skeletonized ring is 0.62” long, it has only 0.50” length of clamping surface on the cap. The use of RingTrue™tape compensates for the low surface area of this ring, and will provide a strong grip on the scope tube.

These rings come in standard and Quick Detach versions. They use two screws per ring, but are made of machined steel so the allowed torque is higher. Use of RingTrue™ tape will insure that these rings adequately grip the scope tube. The standard Zee rings have a unique flexure that clamps the rail. They are installed by first sliding the ring onto the Weaver base and then installing the cross bolt, which uses a slotted head. The Zee Quick Detach version has the more conventional removable rail clamp and a large lever, that can be reset to horizontal once tightened.

These rings use two screws per ring, but are made of machined steel so the allowed torque is higher. Use of RingTrue™ tape will insure that these rings adequately grip the scope tube. They are available in only one size (high) for 30 mm scope tubes. The Lever-Lok model uses a large lever instead of a Torx screw to tighten the base clamp.

These rings come in two varieties.In both designs the cap consists of a stamped steel strap, while the base is made of extruded aluminum. They also use slotted head screws that are more prone to damage than Allen or torx screws. They use of knurled nuts to attach the ring to the base is a weakness in the design. They require a wide screwdriver to attach them to the base without damaging the nut. In reality, the required torque is too high for these nuts to be loosened by hand. We would prefer a hex nut that can be easily tightened with a nut driver or wrench. They are no more or less detachable than any other Weaver base ring that does not have a lever.

The original Quick-Detach rings introduced the now popular Weaver base. The stamped steel strap hooks to the base on one side and clamps the scope tube to the aluminum mount using two slotted screws on the other side. While quite strong, these mounts come in nearly last for appearance. These rings have a weak point in the base design (where the strap hooks onto the base) that allows the base to flex when clamped around the tube. This distortion can impart stress to the scope tube, which we like to avoid. We prefer the Sure Grip design.

The newer Sure Grip Detachable rings have a stamped strap that clamps the scope tube using four slotted screws, with two screws on both sides. This design has less distortion and offers great strength and light weight at a low price. These rings should be lapped for a stress-free scope mount. The small surface area of the base makes them easy to lap. Unfortunately, these rings are only available for 1” scope tubes.

The ring diameter in these extruded aluminum rings for Weaver bases is oversized by about 0.020”. Each ring uses four 3 mm Allen head screws, which require an uncommon driver bit not found in any torque wrench kit except the ones we sell and rent. They require a wide screwdriver to attach them to the base without damaging the nut. In reality, the required torque is too high for these nuts to be loosened by hand. We would prefer a hex nut that can be easily tightened with a nut driver or wrench. They are no more or less detachable than any other Weaver base ring that does not have a lever. When lapped and used with RingTrue™ tape they are marginally adequate. Their main advantage is low cost.

These rings are OEM versions of the Warne steel rings. They all have identical construction.

Windage-adjustable rotary dovetail bases are very traditional, lightweight and attractive. One-piece bases usually have only one mounting screw in the rear location, which compromises strength. Offsetting this weakness, both rings can be horizontally boresighted to almost any rifle bore. The rings secure the scope tube using two screws per ring, which is adequate because the rings made of machined steel. Use of RingTrue™ tape will insure that these rings adequately grip the scope tube.

Two-piece bases attach with two screws each and therefore offer a stronger attachment to the receiver. Two-piece bases may require shimming or bedding to minimize any vertical mis-alignment between the rings. When lapped, rotary dovetail bases offer a strong and stress-free scope mount.

Double dovetail rings and bases allow the rings to be aligned to each other, but not necessarily to the bore. While the bases are more slender, the lack of windage adjustment limits the benefits of this design.

Millett rotary dovetail rings are made from cast steel and have corrugated ring surfaces that are designed to be used with thick liner tape. They are inferior to either the Leupold or Redfield equivalents for reasons discussed below (see section on Millett Angle-Loc rings).

This ingenious ring design uses precision molded polymer inserts that have a spherical outer surface. The machined steel rings have a corresponding spherical mating surface that allows the inserts to rotate up-down and left-right. The polymer inserts should not be lapped and will not scratch the scope tube. The 1” rings use two screws per ring to hold the scope tube, while the 30 mm rings use four screws.

Offset inserts are available that allow correction of elevation and windage boresight alignment errors. Only “zero” offset inserts are provided with 1” rings. We recommend purchasing the Pos-Align Offset Inserts Installation Kit for 1” rings, which includes 0.005”, 0.010” and 0.020” offset inserts. Two sets of “zero” and 0.010” offset inserts are provided with 30 mm rings.

When used with the proper offset inserts, Burris Signature rings enable fine tuning of the boresight alignment of the scope to the rifle bore and can reduce the horizontal and vertical boresight error to < 4 MOA. The offset inserts are best adjusted by checking boresight alignment using a boresight collimator with a scope that has an optically centered reticle.

>Weaver makes two styles of windage adjustable rings for Weaver bases. Both styles are available for 1” scope tube size only. Because the recoil lug fits tightly in the Weaver slot, both styles of Weaver windage adjustable rings rotate very little. Therefore Weaver rails allow very little windage adjustment before the rings become mis-aligned and stress is applied to the scope tube. On Picatinny rails, the slot is wider and these rings can rotate more. Under recoil, however, the uneven contact of the rotated recoil lug will apply torque to the scope tube. After the correct boresight alignment is established, these rings should be lapped to properly align the rings to each other.

The Grand Slam rings use two screws per ring, but are made of machined steel so the allowed torque is higher. Use of RingTrue™ tape will insure that these rings adequately grip the scope tube.

The Sure Grip rings have a steel strap that clamps the scope tube to an extruded aluminum saddle. Sure Grip rings are wider and use four screws (see the discussion about Weaver detachable rings above). Note that the small surface area of the Sure Grip base reduces lapping time and allows correction of large angular mis-alignment.

These extruded aluminum rings for Weaver bases have oversized ring diameters. They are intended to be used with attached fabric liners that do not cover the entire mating surface. The thick liner materials are intended to minimize stress due to the imprecise extruded mating surfaces. However, these rings can pinch the scope tube of lightweight scopes. We recommend not using any design that uses fabric liners.

Other rings that we recommend avoiding include: Barska, BSA, NcStar, Hawke (extruded aluminum with fabric liners); B-Square Sport Utility (extruded aluminum, uneven clamp pressure).

Angle-Loc rings for Weaver bases are made of cast steel. The rings have a corrugated mating surface and are supplied with a plastic tape that is intended to protect the scope tube. The corrugated surface reduces the contact area of the rings and therefore applies more stress to the scope tube than a smooth surface does. Because the recoil lug fits tightly in the Weaver slot, Millet Angle-Loc rings do not rotate very much. Therefore Weaver rails allow very little windage adjustment before the rings become mis-aligned and stress is applied to the scope tube. On Picatinny rails, the slot is wider and Millet Angle-Loc rings can rotate more. Under recoil, however, the uneven contact of the rotated recoil lug will apply torque to the scope tube. We do not recommend using these rings unless you intend to lap most of the corrugated pattern away, which increases the ring diameter. We prefer the Weaver adjustable rings.

These inexpensive extruded aluminum rings for Weaver bases use only two screws per ring to hold the scope and therefore are suitable only for lightweight scopes on light recoiling rifles. Either vertically or horizontally split styles are available. We prefer Millett aluminum rings because they use four screws per ring to hold the scope.

Rings that are similar in function to the Leupold Rifleman include Simmons aluminum and tasco centerfire rings. We don’t recommend them either.

These slender and elegant rings are favored by many custom gun makers. Windage-adjustable Conetrol and S&K rings are attractive and lightweight mounting systems that use the minimum amount of ring material. They differ from all other mounts in that 1) both rings rotate and are windage-adjustable, and 2) the ring clamp mechanism is integrated in the base. Consequently, the rings must be completely removed and disassembled to install the rifle scope. The rings are so slender that lapping would distort the edge and ruin their appearance, so lapping cannot be used to correct misalignment. Consequently, the alignment tolerances are about half the tolerances used for the other rings. It is more likely that these bases will require shimming for proper alignment. We recommend not using these rings because they are so difficult to install and cannot be lapped.