With this ring . . .
Chris Redlich remains faithful to Warne
You don’t have to be top of the science class to understand recoil generates a force which requires strong resistance to absorb such action. Understanding this should play a role in deciding the right rings for your rifle and, more importantly, the right ones for your chosen calibre. There are several excellent brands of scope rings out there and many do the job equally well, with one I’ve used reliably for years now made by Warne.
Horses for courses as the saying goes so I bought some Warne ‘Vapor’ medium aluminium rings to help tame my wife Sue-Ann’s ‘Shetland pony’ of a rifle in (7mm 08 Rem) and Warne ‘Maxima’ medium steel rings to break in my ‘brumby’ in 6.5 Creedmoor. Ok so I hear you exclaim: “What – a 6.5 ‘Needmoor’ kicks like a wild horse?” I realise there may be perhaps a slight contradiction in this instance but, for the purpose of review, both Warne rings are compatible with a Picatinny rail or Weaver-style mounts as fitted to my test rifles.
I know the 6.5 Creedmoor has very little kick but let’s imagine for a moment I’m testing them on the more powerful 6.5 PRC (Precision Rifle Cartridge). All joking aside though, both sets of rings are designed to easily handle the energy of medium and heavy-recoiling calibres.
Years ago I bought Warne Maxima QD rings in both 30mm and one-inch diameter for my .284 rifle. Since then they’ve endured tumbles and been knocked by rocks and while my Swarovski scopes have borne the brunt of the most serious impact (with scars to prove it), accuracy has remained true. The 284 Win cartridge is no lion but no pussycat either and shot after shot the mounts have remained solid.
Vapor and Maxima rings are vastly different by composite and just as different by appearance. CNC-machined from high grade sintered steel, the Maxima are Warne’s premier mounts and by far their biggest seller. They include two Torx-head screws for each base clamp and four ring-cap screws (two either side). The user manual gives the torque for them all and they’re to be tightened in accordance with the supplied pattern in the mounting instructions.
These rings are ergonomically profiled and precision machined to exact tolerances. While finished to a standard which provides rock-solid clamping strength, they won’t crush or pinch your favourite scope tube, providing you align and tighten correctly. Every Maxima ring I’ve owned has tightened true to the bases and never left a mark on my scopes. They’re available in low, medium and high configuration to match varying profiles.
Ring diameters are available to suit 1” and 30mm tubes, with the latter edging out the former due to the rising popularity of 30mm scopes. As per standard across the Maxima range, the steel surface is protected by a Ceracote-style matt black finish which wears well and pairs nicely with most scopes of similar colour.
Taking on a more cylindrical shape with a bold ‘W’ emblazoned on the base, the Vapor rings are noticeably different in appearance to the Maxima and, while dimensionally similar to their steel cousin, are machined from 6061 aluminium alloy. This not only reduces weight for the potential mountain hunter where every gram counts, but also because it’s the cheaper of the two metals which has helped lower the price. In fact the Vapors at 41g for medium profile weigh less than half the Maxima by comparable size.
Measuring a tad over 3mm (⅛”) wider than the Maxima, the band width of the rings has plenty of surface area to grip the scope tube and remain solid during repetitive recoil of numerous shots. Vapor rings use large diameter singular Torx-head screws to fasten both the base and rings. The size of these screws is necessary for sufficient thread grip in the aluminium components and, after tightening to the correct torque, I’d complete confidence in their design.
Unlike the Maximas which incorporate a steel recoil key for mating against the Picatinny rail, the Vapor’s steel base cross bolt doubles up to achieve the same purpose. Vapor rings are also available to suit scope tube diameters of 1” and 30mm in low, medium and high configuration. Once again a matt black coating protects all metallic surfaces but, more importantly, without it we’d have an deer-alerting reflective finish.
At the range and afield
Both these rings have had their fair share of chances to prove themselves out bush and on paper, and so far neither have let me down. Although being used to support a variety of scopes, most shots have been shared across the two rifles mentioned earlier, helping take all manner of targets including wild dogs, numerous pigs and deer in the mountains.
I’ve heard horror stories where hunters or target shooters have fallen foul due to loose scope rings or bases, though I can’t recall ever experiencing this. The Vapor’s large cap screws and Maxima’s four smaller ones reinforced trust that, when fastened to the correct torque, they’re never going to fail. More recently I used Warne Maxima rings for testing on other review rifles including .30-cal chamberings and in all cases, accuracy at short and long range remained sound.
Proudly made in the US instils the confidence I’ve come to expect from Warne and, depending on your budget, both Maxima steel or Vapor aluminium scope rings will do the job. Check your local retailer for pricing and availability. More at www.tsaoutdoors.com.au