If you look underneath the mechanism you will see that there is a bar that controls the rings. I has to flow freely. I had to use chicago screws with spacers so you didn't have to screw it down tight. If you mechanism is bent...just dump it. I made the same mistake.
Just play with the mechanism as you install the screws. tighten it down a little bit at a time and try the rings. once you reached the point when they start to get hard to open stop and turn it back a few turns. Now create a leather spacer to take up any space left.
Good luck.
A friend of mine used the chrome swivel two piece belt clip he said he bought from Springfield. Something like police and fire used to use back in the day, but smaller. That way the pouch could rotate a bit without sticking the owner in the side. Kinda flexible.
Check out your local guild or Tandy Leather store to learn more. Reading the posts here in the forum will definately give you some great information. Don't be afraid to post any questions on here to get some help. Good luck and welcome to the forum!
Go to YouTube and check out Ian Atkinson. If the weight is not listed in the description, give him a holler. He is in the UK. He is a nice fella. If you cannot find him, check out my FB page and I should have his under my 'likes' page. Good luck