I'll bite. What is the manufacturers recommended torque spec?

 

I use the Leupold rings but I always torque them to spec.
Was he talking about the screws that hold it to the rifle or the ring screws? I bet whoever told you that has damaged something before torquing it to specs.

 

This is from the Warne website:
"What is the recommended torque for Warne rings & mounts?
Please follow the scope or firearm manufacturers’ torque recommendations for tightening your mounts. Warne lists a max torque that we rate for our mounts however certain scope & firearm manufacturers’ recommend a lower torque value and the manufacturers’ torque value should always be used."

FWIW: I just mounted the same scope on my 457 Varmint using Leupold rimfire rings. The rings instructions state to torque the base bolts to 35 in-lb and the ring bolts to 28 in-lb. (The Leupold scope instructions state to follow the rings/base instructions).

 

[...] Leupold rimfire rings. The rings instructions state to torque the base bolts to 35 in-lb and the ring bolts to 28 in-lb. (The Leupold scope instructions state to follow the rings/base instructions).

Those numbers are crazy. For more than 10 years I've been torquing not only all my rimfires but my centerfires as well; Bases 14 in-lbs, Ring / cap screws 10 in-lbs (both "wet"). That includes semi-auto centerfires; never had any issues at all.

 

My default is 20 inch pounds on the bases and 15 inch pounds on the rings. a .22LR rifle does not recoil enough to use a high torque. I do like to loctite the base screws.

 

 

Most manufactures give a max torque. So that's if the scope can handle it etc. Depends on materials used for scope, rings and base. Steel vs. Aluminum. Large screws vs. small.
For small screws 15 max for both. I like quick release bases. Hand tighten.

 

For Base to Ring I set about 20 i-p or so; for Rings to scope for rimfire no more than 15 i-p. Vortex Pro ring set is marked 16 i-p, FWIW and BURRIS XTR Signature rings with Inserts (soft plastic) are 20 for ring and 45 for base, But that is for all uses . . . for rimfire I used the 20 i-p base / 15 i-p ring on my CZ 457 V-MTR on an Athlon Argos BTR 30mm. I feel the inserts will hold just fine even at 15.