Scope Mounts & Rings Question. HELP!

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daniyool

Inactive
Although I've been referring to the forum for much of my fire arms-related questions, this is my first actual post on TFL. So first off, a huge thanks to all the pros here for helping out us clueless ones! :D

Now, to my little predicament.. Let me start by saying I'm fairly new to the gun community, so please go easy on me if I make some less-than-genius remarks.

I've recently purchased a Remington 700 SPS Varmint in .308, and a Zeiss Conquest 3-9x40mm 1" scope to go with it. I was able to confidently choose my rifle and scope by researching forums and reviews and visiting numerous local shops, but I haven't been able to find anything solid when it comes to mounts and rings. So what IS the BEST CHOICE when it comes to scope mounts/rings? Is it weaver, picatinny? Is it a 1piece, 2piece, 2piece BASE? Is it a Leupold, Talley, Burris, DNZ?? OR is it none of those?? :confused:

I'm not a hunter, so I'll be solely punching paper at 100 to 500 yards. I realize a part of the selection process simply involves personal preference, but I'm sure some options have got to work better than others... right? If anyone has some expertise in this field, I'd love to hear some thoughts. Thanks everyone in advance!
 
Welcome aboard!
Rings is funny things. Seriously, the reason so many are available is becasue they all work- it's primarliy a matter of giving customers what they want. Over the years I have grown cold to the Weaver bases. They work and do their jobs admirably, but to me they look cheap, Since then, I've started to take note of what enhances the look of the rilfe. I don't think there's a whit of difference between 1-piece and 2-piece, they're both held on by the same 4 (sometimes 3) screws, which I suppose THOSE would be the weak link of any ring/base setup. Your .308 isn't going to destroy or wear out any reputable ring/base.

If your rifle was mine, I would look at the matte black Burris Signature Pos-Align http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=1730/Product/SIGNATURE_RINGS And these for bases http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=10034/avs%7CNumber%20of%20Bases_1=2-Piece/Product/SR_2_PIECE_BASE_SET

But, those are just my opinions and what I use. I've never had any part of them fail- and I like cushioning of the inner-rings of the Signatures. They look clean, professional, and add a touch of "I care about how my gear looks."

EDIT- the rotary rings are part #118-420-401 in the link.

Again, welcome aboard- glad to have ya amongst us.
 
A small not on 2 piece mounts make sure that they are both level when mounting I found a gun with bad 2 piece mounts for sale cheep (Rem 700 match bbl) "because it would not shoot worth a dam." The mounts were 2 different thicknesses I put on a 1 piece mount and well low and behold shoots 1/4 in groups at 100 yds.

Mace
 
I would go with a one piece mount. They stiffen up the action and insure your scope is mount straight and level. Their is a reason the military uses them IMHO.There are so many choices out there. Make sure if you go one pc to go with steel and not aluminum. Just my 2 cents. By the way welcome aboard and nice selection for a setup. I also only punch paper with 223 and 308.
 
A small not on 2 piece mounts make sure that they are both level when mounting I found a gun with bad 2 piece mounts for sale cheep (Rem 700 match bbl) "because it would not shoot worth a dam." The mounts were 2 different thicknesses I put on a 1 piece mount and well low and behold shoots 1/4 in groups at 100 yds.
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2 piece mounts are supposed to be different thicknesses. The rear receiver bridge is lower than the front and needs a thicker base to make the scope level. 1 piece mounts will be thicker at the rear for the same reason. You my have had the front and rear mounts reversed which would have caused major problems.

Most any of the scope mounts will work. It just depends on what you think looks good and how much you are willing to pay. A picatinny rail with good steel rings is probably the true best, but heaviest and most expensive. The old Weavers are the ugliest and cheapest, but will probably work as good as any other.

On your rifle if I didn't want to spend the money for a picatinny rail I'd go with DNZ. Anything that fits in a Weaver style cross slot, such as the Burris mounts are a good choice. I would stay away from anything that used dovetails or windage adjstable mounts. 1 or 2 piece does not seem to matter.
 
They stiffen up the action and insure your scope is mount straight and level.
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Ah, but aren't you still at the mercy of those same 4 rather smallish little screws holding the thing on? Most certainly anything of that size would shear/strip way before they impeded any flex or give of such steel as what actions are made of. Think about it for a sec.
 
I don't think that a 1-piece base will give any more stiffness to the action. I do however, believe that a 1-piece base provides a more stable scope mounting platform. Anytime you can eliminate one piece of potential "wiggle" you are better off.
 
Below are links for the mounting system I use for eleven different bolt action rifles, including three Remington 700s. The system is solid and allows me to remove and replace the scope while cleaning the rifle without loss of zero. The horizontally split Leupold rings allows me to lap the rings to assure precise fit to the scope (lapping vertically split rings is nearly impossible to do).

EGW Picatinny mount for short action 700 $40
Leupold QRW 1" rings $55
 
Ah, but aren't you still at the mercy of those same 4 rather smallish little screws holding the thing on? Most certainly anything of that size would shear/strip way before they impeded any flex or give of such steel as what actions are made of. Think about it for a sec.
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True, but with most 1 piece mounts you only have 3 screws holding the base to the rifle vs 4 screws with 2 piece mounts. Either way I think most scopes will fail before the mounts
 
True, but with most 1 piece mounts you only have 3 screws holding the base to the rifle vs 4 screws with 2 piece mounts.
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It depends on how the receiver is drilled and the brand of the base. For example, older model Rem Model 7's only have 3 screw holes. You must use a 1-piece base on them. New Model 7's have 4 screw holes so you can used either a 1-piece base that has either 3 or 4 holes or you can use a 2-piece system that uses 2 screws each.
 
Ah, but aren't you still at the mercy of those same 4 rather smallish little screws holding the thing on? Most certainly anything of that size would shear/strip way before they impeded any flex or give of such steel as what actions are made of. Think about it for a sec.

Yes this is true,But the amount of force it would take to strip those screws is more than any rifle will ever be able to produce. Those 4 little screws when put in correct and lock tite in will hold more force than you could ever put on them.I would venture to say the mount would split in 2 pieces before those little screws would shear or strip.
 
Then it's a mute point with 2-piece and Burris Signatures- right?

Either way, it's all about what the OP finds asthetically appealing on his rifle.
 
Then it's a mute point with 2-piece and Burris Signatures- right?

Either way, it's all about what the OP finds asthetically appealing on his rifle

Yes true to a point.A one pc is going to give you a better mounting surface and a more rigid ,solid mount. It also allows you to have much more adjustment room on mounting scope.(forward or backward aka --eye relief) Looks wise--2 pc will always look better. There is a reason the military went to one pc mounts. Your guess is as good or better than mine as to why they did.
 
Daniyool:

The main difference between a one piece and a two piece bases is not strength. The two piece base allows more loading room. The one piece base hinders the rifle's loading.

Semper Fi.

Gunnery sergeant
Clifford L. Hughes
USMC
Retired
 
One Piece

You can check my older post here about my set-up. I like it alot and it looks really tacticool! it is unbelievably strong and does add a bit of rigidity to the set-up. check tags, scope, 700, and bushnell
 
The biggest thing is to get steel mounts. I am personally a fan of Warne 2pc bases and Leupold PRW rings. After using Leupold dovetail rings for years and having some of them get sloppy, I feel its easier to use the weaver-style(just get the steel versions). I really don't think that a Remington 700 has any problems with action stiffness. Another consideration is that most 1 pc bases use only 3 screws and 2 pc bases use 4....Food for thought anyway.
 
One piece mount by Iron Brigade Armory is the way to go . There lapped, just drope your scope in and your ready to go .Give them a call,check them out. I have one on my Rem. 700 LTR,I feel it's the best. Good luck and safe shooting.
 
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