Darktimber: I've always used the standard rings and bases.
I've never used MK4 aluminum rings or bases.
I find these photos of Encore's to be amazing. I've never seen or heard of such damage. I've always know Leupold to be the highest quality. It sure would seem to me that something had to be assembled/mounted incorrectly, but I don't know how to mount them incorrectly. I suppose someone could leave them loose and not tighten the threads or not turn the dovetail in to a correct 90 degrees, but, well that's just plain the wrong way to do it. What moved to create such friction and wear? It had to be either the ring or the base, or both. What makes a dovetail ring move if it's attached properly to both scope and base? The only thing I can think of would be improper fit. I've never seen improper fit on any I've owned. All have been very tight and I've always used a 1 inch dowel (broomhandle) to turn them; they're way to snug to turn by hand. I suppose if a base was mounted loosely it could move. With the wear shown, wouldn't the zero change as the wear progresses? With a loose base, how you the rifle/scope ever hold a zero from one day to the next. Yet the damage in the photos is irrefutable. Did the post on the front ring bend under the force of recoil? How many shots would that take? Can you explain what happened? I'm missing something. (Please don't say 2 screws or a bunch of marbles).