It's been a long time since I looked into scope mounts so figured this might be a good place to ask. Looking for a good QD scope mount for an LPVO going on a 16" AR. It's not a budget build AR and the LPVO is higher end with 30mm tube. The setup won't get hard use. I previously went with a QD ADM (American Defense Mfg) mount for my only other LPVO, but that's not on an AR and needed a completely different setup. Recommendations, or other information needed to provide some? Thanks in advance.

I have ADM and MWI QD mounts.
I like the MWI better, don't need three hands to assemble the rings.
https://midwestindustriesinc.c...30mm-qd-scope-mount/

For regular cross bolted ones I really like Nightforce.
I'll be swapping mounts on another and am going with Badger Ordnance, another cross bolted one.

Yeah, I got past the need for quick-detach scope mounts. QD functionality adds weight to the mount. How heavy is your scope? It adds up, yes it does.

You may very well have need for a QD mount, but most people don't and when I realized I didn't need this functionality, I started using non-QD mounts which are lighter, and it makes a difference.

And how much do you trust that these mounts will return to zero when you re-mount them? I have little faith in this, no matter what claims are made by the manufacturer, so when I mount a scope and zero it, it stays on the rifle. After all, if you have no confidence in your zero, are you going to pick up that rifle when it really counts?

Just food for thought.

I initially got a QD mount to swap the scope between rifles.
I quickly found out that while they are QD, they are not Quick On and had to be adjusted between rifles.
In that regard a cross bolt is faster off and on, finger tight, half a turn and done.
Plus they are lighter.

The only rifle I have with a scope and iron sights is my .308 and I have the MWI on that one.
Never used the irons after I got the scope zeroed though.
.308 is kinda expensive to be checking zero after it's been off and if it is off then the zero stops would need to be reset as well so I just leave it alone.
I would rather spend $30 sending rounds to where I know they are going than chasing the zero again.

I wanted a QD mount and ended up falling far down the rabbit hole.
Ended up with:
Weaver Thumbnut Mount. On Amazon for 46 bucks.
Pretty solid and so far has been great.

I have ADM and Larue QD mounts and a Warne X-skel non qd mount.

I really only need the QD on a rifle that I swap between a LPVO and a thermal for coyote hunting.

So if you aren't planning on swapping the scope around. Get a Warne X-Skel. They are rock solid, less expensive, and lighter.

If you are going to swap scopes, I actually prefer the Larue to the ADM but the difference is academic. I've never had trouble with either.

Yes, those are the mounts on my two (currently) scoped ARs- the Warne XSKEL. Lighweight- about 6.5 ounces.

Superb customer service, too.

Good point on the weight and how much the QD would be used. The optic is just over 1 lb on its own.

I like the two Aero Precision mounts I have both with similar scopes. They are not QD with a lever, but a basic Torx drive wrench will get them off pretty easily and quickly, and they are nice and light at less than 3.5 ounces. I’m not sure how they’d hold up in constant use against the bad guys in Afghanistan, but I’m confident with them for my purposes.

https://www.aeroprecisionusa.c...mount-anodized-black

I haven’t done a return to zero test with the setup, but I would expect that remounting the base to the same spot using a compact Fix It Stick wrench and 15 inch-pound torque limiter would do the job as well as anything else.



There must be a gazillion other options as well, though.

quote:

Originally posted by sigfreund:
I like the two Aero Precision mounts I have both with similar scopes. They are not QD with a lever, but a basic Torx drive wrench will get them off pretty easily and quickly, and they are nice and light at less than 3.5 ounces. I’m not sure how they’d hold up in constant use against the bad guys in Afghanistan, but I’m confident with them for my purposes.

https://www.aeroprecisionusa.c...mount-anodized-black

I haven’t done a return to zero test with the setup, but I would expect that remounting the base to the same spot using a compact Fix It Stick wrench and 15 inch-pound torque limiter would do the job as well as anything else.



There must be a gazillion other options as well, though.

I have seen two instances where the ultralight Aero mounts broke at the hinge pin on the top, but they were getting used hard in 3 gun matches by shooters who are notoriously hard on their gear.

Yeah, there's light, and then there's too light. I've heard the same stories. I wouldn't trust that Aero Precision mount.

Good to be aware of. Thanks.

Nightforce A496 mount. Simple, easy, exceptionally reliable. They’re all I use for my scope mounts.

quote:

Originally posted by ah3:
It's been a long time since I looked into scope mounts so figured this might be a good place to ask. Looking for a good QD scope mount for an LPVO going on a 16" AR. It's not a budget build AR and the LPVO is higher end with 30mm tube. The setup won't get hard use. I previously went with a QD ADM (American Defense Mfg) mount for my only other LPVO, but that's not on an AR and needed a completely different setup. Recommendations, or other information needed to provide some? Thanks in advance.

I also bought one of those Aero mounts. What I was told by a friend familiar with it is that those that broke were the “SPR” type on Sigfruend’s rifle, with the more extreme offset. He said he hadn’t seen any reports of that with the “Extended” version, which has much less offset. I bought one of those. Regardless, it is so light I don’t have a ton of confidence in it should the rifle get dropped or bumped hard.

I do use QD, as I switch between a variable power scope and Eotech on the same rifle. With the ADM mount I have, on my rifle, it absolutely returns to zero, and has been proven out to 500 meters. I have used ADM and Larue mounts; QD and VFZ, in the Larues. In the QD context, if you opt to go that way, I think something like the ADM is preferred, as it doesn't rub against the receiver during removal and/or install. One thing I have noticed, depending on the manufacturing tolerances and/or design choices, is varying degrees of cant, inherent to the mount; as in one side of the mount will buck-up slightly, relative to the top of the receiver. Depends on tolerances of the receiver rail too, of course, but I have seen it across multiple receivers. When mounted, under scrutiny, one can see an ever-so-slight unevenness in the clearance between the bottom of the mount and the top surface of the receiver. Does it matter? Nah. Just one of those things. If you're one of those people who is bothered by your iron sights not being pretty-well centered, when zeroed, it may irk you.

Has anyone tried Warnes XSKEL QD? I'm between grabbing the standard warne mount but the QD isn't terribly much more so I'm considering it. That or maybe just putting a dot on top if I can find a RDS mount for the top of the rings.

I have issues, as in I am used to shooting with my nose on the charging handle,
so scopes on an AR are odd to me,

I did adapt a NM gun, as in went from an A2 carry handle to a flat top, and then ditched the common sled mount, cause it is not suitable to my normal position,

and went with 2 Warne rings, holding a scope forward enough that I can still keep my nose on the charging handle,


odd, yes,

high speed, definitely not

but works well for Service Rifle/ High Power,


YMMV etc

Kinetic Development and LaRue are my two choices now.
I had one Aero Precision but sold that gun and it did not get beat on so it worked fine for the time I had it.

I got away from QD amounts a few years back. All my optics mounts are NF A496 mounts. I keep a small cutoff bow wrench in my kit incase the scope fails.

When I built my semi-precision AR a few years ago I went with a QD mount (Bobro), not to be able to swap optics, but to make storage easier. The rifle takes up a lot more space in the safe with the scope mounted than without. In practice, I found that removing and replacing the scope CAN SOMETIMES result in a very slight change in POI, enough that I couldn't completely rely on being able to get a hit on a dinky target without a windage or elevation adjustment. So I wound up just leaving the scope mounted and living with the storage issue (it helps, I found, to put the rifle into the safe muzzle down). If I had it do do over again I'd go with a fixed mount.

That said, for a "less precise" build, i.e., one where you're not worried about first-round hits on dinky targets, a (good) QD mount would probably work fine.