Interesting results setting up Warne rings and bases

[therichardpowell]

I feel like I have to be missing something here.

I setup scopes for people here and there. So a guy brings me a Remington 700, a set of Warne bases and rings, and a Leupold VX-R, I believe it is.

I started by removing the bases and cleaning everything. I put them back on and torqued them to 25 in/lbs. I then installed the rings on the bases and, per instructions, tightened the bottom two screws to 25 in/lbs. The rings were tight on the bases and everything looked peachy. Then I slid in my pointed dowels to check alignment. (This is where it started going downhill)

The alignment wasn't exactly breathtaking, but I figured I could lap most of it out. I thought I'd try torquing the upper screws to see if it would bring it in anymore. It didn't. But what it did do was make the rings loose on the bases! Well that's interesting. So I'm thinking somehow my dowels are causing it. I mic'd them and the scope tube.

Dowels= 29.99 mm and 30.00 mm
Scope tube= 29.97 mm

Negligible
Now my wheels are turning. I slid my lapping bar in and torqued it down. Obviously the misalignment of the rings locked everything down tight, but only because of the bind it was putting on my bar. I mounted the scope in the front ring and torqued it to specs. The ring is tight on the base and the scope.

So, to me, I'm thinking if I torque that ring down to spec on a perfect 30mm bar, and it loosens on the base, then how tight can it really be holding the base with the scope in there? I have advised him to get something else as I just don't see these working out...