Are you considering buying a rifle mount for your scope? Having the right quality scope is crucial to have an accurate and precise rifle while shooting. This guide is going to go over the types of rifle scope mounts and help you decide which one you would need!
Let’s take a look!
Types of Rifle Scope Mounts
There are a bunch of different mounts that you can use for your rifle. They are manufactured all across the world from here in the U.S., to Europe, and even China. They vary in height and quality, so let’s take a look at the different types.
Single Piece Mount
This is a traditional type of rifle mount for your scope. They have a single base with two scope rings mounted to it. These are the most rigid and tough type of rifle scope mount and very popular for mounting a scope on your rifle.
They are typically used for long-range shooting and powerful rifles since they work exceptionally with high recoil guns. These also work well with semi-automatic rifles because they allow you to move your scope forward — which makes the scope sit farther away from your eye.
One-piece scope mounts are less popular for bolt action guns though. The reason being is because the mount will sit above the action of the rifle — which can make it more difficult to load and unload your bolt action rifle.
Two-Piece Rings
Another great quality scope mounts are the two-piece rings. Unlike the single piece mounts, these are perfect for your bolt action rifles.
They can easily be moved around and changed out with other guns. The downfall here is that they need to be properly aligned every time. They are a bit lighter than the single-piece scope mounts but offer high quality.
Picatinny
Another popular and time test type of rifle scope mount and rings are the Picatinny. These have been used all the way back since 1913 in the U.S. Army.
They offer a wider and deeper slot for your rifle. Their bases are generally spaced perfectly down the whole rail to fit all standard scopes. Which is great if you are versatile and like to try different options out for your rifle.
The Picatinny rails will also allow you to be able to move your scope through its different slots. The Picatinny scope mount is a good quality overall style for your rifle.
Leupold
Your Leupold bases are a non-standard weaver style mount. This scope base can come in two different styles – a single piece or two pieces. Unfortunately, though, this type of mounting system is not easy to detach and use on another rifle.
Although they are a quality piece of equipment, in order to remove your scope, you will have to separate the top half of the system.
Weaver
One of the most commonly used types of rifle mounts, the Weaver scope mounts are tough and reliable. This system uses a base with slots cut into it that are usually 7/8th. The recoil lugs are about 180. wide. which is what is used with weaver style bases. The basic difference between the weaver and Picatinny slot dimension is that the Picatinny has a slightly wider, and slightly deeper slot.
Hence the downfall here is that not all systems and bases use these exact dimensions. So it’s not always compatible with all equipment. However, its extremely easy to attach weaver rings and secure your scope to the rifle.
Now that we’ve gone over some popular mounting systems, let’s talk about a few other things to consider when choosing your rifles scope mount.
Height
When you’re looking to add a scope to your rifle, you also need to look that the different heights. Generally, it comes in four basic sizes — low, medium, high, and extra high.
For long-range shooting, you typically want the rings of your scope to be as low as possible to the gun. This will make it easier to sight in! Not only that, but it can make adjustments quicker and easier – and can make it more comfortable for you.
However, for short-range situational awareness, you may want your head in a more upright position.
When you’re looking at the height of your rings and scope, you can’t always choose the lowest system. For example, for larger long-ranch scopes, they tend to have objective lenses that are going to require a high or an extra high ring. This is because of their size, so it just depends on the scope you are using.
So as you look through the mounts and rings you want to use for your rifle, you need to take into consideration your scope. This can help you settle upon which scope mount is best for your rifle.
Determining Your Scope Height
Although the heights are labeled as low, medium, high, and extra-high — these are arbitrary terms. Every manufacture uses these basic terms differently, so you will need to find the exact size yourself in order to know they will work for sure.
Here is a simple formula: mount height + ring height – (bell diameter / 2) – cover wrap = height
or you can use this simple tool to calculate the right size for your scope and mounts.
Wrapping Up With Scope Mounts
Choosing the right types of rifle scope mounts doesn’t have to be difficult. Find out the exact type of scope you are going to use, from there you can calculate the right size of mount and rings you will need for the best fit. After that, you can choose from the different types of mounts we discussed — it’s as simple as that!
If you enjoyed this article and would like to learn more about rifles and scopes, head over to our blog to see more just like it!
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