Oh I don't consider the Warne rings cheap at all. I didn't intend for it to sound that way. I was really pointing to the various Amazon "brands". I was really just comparing the established name brands to the off brands.
I'm 100% sure that the rail being screwed the bench doesn't help, but I was really trying to see how rings survived an impact. Lots of talk on here about the scopes, but no one ever really mentions testing rings. I don't see how dropping a rifle on any appreciable thickness of dirt surface is going to crack a ring, but if it fell any distance and hit rocks or trees at a weird angle, it could. Same with having the rifle strapped to your pack or your back, and you lose your footing and fall back on it hard on a hard surface.
Maybe I should have made the title something about off brand rings instead of cheap. Weaver Quad-locks are cheap, but they really held up. Really, the only problem I have with the Quad-locks is that the thin straps will dent/mark a tube with any decent amount of torque. They sure seem to grab and hold though. Their spec on the straps is 15 in lbs, which isn't much. I don't think a scope would slide in those rings even at 15 in lbs, but I wonder if it would twist in the rings if it landed on a turret. I also wonder about that with the Weaver rings with the steel strap and screws on only one side.
