High End Vs Budget Scope Mounts

[rabbitslayer]

With you all the way mate, especially the bit in brackets. The only thing I have done in addition to using SM's is invest in a torque driver but I do not follow the mount maufacturers figures, I deduce my own.

Can you recommend a small torque driver? I've always tightened by 'feel' and I'm always worried about overdoing it. I only ever use the small end of the Allen key as the lever when tightening, never use my screwdriver as it's too easy to apply too much oomph.

[where's it gone]

Once you used Sportsmatch, ther's no need to buy other makes.

[BAD DAZ]

Have you ever seen a nice scope ruined by crimp marks on the tube, I've seen plenty, that's why you pay the extra, all mounts will hold your scope on the gun, but cheap ones are not properly aligned and will cause crimp marks on your expensive scope, if you can't afford new decent mounts, someone will sell you some second hand, I like to use sportsmatch on my guns and they are all second hand, atb Daz

[rabbitslayer]

Have you ever seen a nice scope ruined by crimp marks on the tube, I've seen plenty, that's why you pay the extra, all mounts will hold your scope on the gun, but cheap ones are not properly aligned and will cause crimp marks on your expensive scope, if you can't afford new decent mounts, someone will sell you some second hand, I like to use sportsmatch on my guns and they are all second hand, atb Daz

Thanks Daz, but I would say that you can crimp a scope with any mount regardless of cost / brand. If you over tighten the top clamp / strap you'll crimp the tube (the ring halves are not supposed to touch).

[I. J.]

I cannot understand some mount manufacturers who lined their mounts, I suppose so you dont crush the scope tube,thus reducing the inside diameter of the mount thus making in easier to crush the scope tube.

ATB
Ian
[Ive got more Apels than Granny Smith. ]

[Portzy]

Can you recommend a small torque driver? I've always tightened by 'feel' and I'm always worried about overdoing it. I only ever use the small end of the Allen key as the lever when tightening, never use my screwdriver as it's too easy to apply too much oomph.

The one I use is this;

https://www.screwfix.com/p/wiha-vde-...1-pieces/2581k

The only problem is that you get more bits than you need, I later came across the same driver/setter but with less bits and not as expensive because of having less bits.

I also got this;

https://www.screwfix.com/p/wiha-soft...3-x-75mm/2678k

And this;

https://www.screwfix.com/p/wiha-soft...4-x-75mm/8624k

I needed these because the Wiha is a VDE instrument and the drive is not quite 1/4" for safety reasons.

Over the top? maybe so, but I like prescision and repeatability.

I settled on 1.6nm for the clamp bolts, and 1.0nm for the scope caps. This was equating to a tad under what I used with normal hex keys using the "tight with the short end plus 1/4 turn with the long end" method.