Help with Scope mount options please

[danmayland]

Hey guy's!
I'm new to the forum but have been lingering for the past few months getting anxious for my first ever AR build and its going to be a Grendel!

I have extensive experience shooting and hunting/ building bolt guns but none with AR's.

My question: What type of scope mounting system should I consider on my new Grendel build? Why?

I'll be using a Leupold Mark 4 or VX-3 in a 4.5-14x50mm. The gun will be a 22" flat top. I want to maximize the scope's adjustments for 600-800 yard shots. I don't want or need quick disconnect options. Once it's mounted it's staying mounted.

I should also mention that I'm 6'6 with long arms and will be using an extended stock and grip to suit my shooting needs so proper eye relief is important.

I'm considering the Leupold Mark 2 or mounts but I'd like to keep the scope as low as possible.

Would it be best to just mount with standard picatinny rings or go with a raised system?

Thanks for the advise and input!

[VASCAR2]

Seeing your in Montana I'd look real hard at a 20 MOA mount. I'm using a RRA one piece cantilever mount with a Leupold 3-9 X 40 Mark AR mil dot scope. My scope runs out of adjustment around 800 yards with my 16" barrel at my 350' ASL elevation. Your VX3 will probably make 800 yards at your elevation but maybe not much more.

I'm using an Aadmount 20 MOA one piece mount on my 20" 6.5 Grendel and it has enough adjustment in my Vortex scope past the distance the 6.5 Grendel goes subsonic. The Aadmount is built like a tank but will last many generations. Other good one piece mounts are sold by Larue, ADM, Aero Precision, Bobro, Night Force and other scope manufactures like Leupold or Vortex.

Whether you use standard rings or a one piece mount really amounts to how your going to use your 6.5 Grendel and how much weight your willing to accept in the mount plus how much $ in your budget.

[Lightning8]

Nikon has a nice M-223XR mount that has 20 MOA built in. On most of my builds, I use AERO Precision. Big question is weight - if weight is an issue, I definitely recommend that AERO.

[Klem]

Hi, and welcome.

The upper receiver is 7" long, your scope is 12.5" long and the scope's eye relief is 4.4". That and your height/length of pull puts the back of the scope properly maybe an inch forward of the back of the receiver.

My advice is to forgo standard rings and look at cantilever mounts. Reason being, the length of the scope you are talking about puts the forward section of the tube over the handguard. Handguards are not considered solid enough for scope mounting which is why manufacturers produce cantilever mounts for the AR15. They clamp on the receiver and extend forward over the handguard with a spine.

If you are wanting to shoot 800yds then the drop from an 18" barrel will be about 29MOA. Your Leupold has an adjustment range of 64MOA. Half up is 32MOA minus a couple just in case, 30MOA. You need 29 and you have 30MOA adjustment which will be close but that means you can get away with a parallel (0 MOA cant) cantilever mount. At longer ranges you will have to use the graduations on the reticle and aim above the target. This calibre can go further so limiting yourself to 800yds by the scope mount does not make sense. It would be better to get at least a 10MOA cant for when that opportunity comes along to stretch out past 800yds. The standard AR scope axis sits about 1.5" above the top of the handguard so having a 10-20MOA cant is unlikely to tilt the objective bell of a 50mm into hitting the handguard. My point is there's no sense in limiting yourself with a parallel bore axis/sight axis mount (0 MOA cant) for the same price as a canted mount.

Everyone has their favourites and they include all the brands in VASCAR's post. There is one brand not mentioned which arguably is as good or even better than most of them, SPUHR. Not discussed much on this forum because not many people use them (including me). The price will make you choke and perhaps also because they're made in Sweden so national pride in manufacturing may be an issue. $450 on Brownells [choking sound effects!]

http://spuhrwebshop.com/en/cantilever/sp-3616.html

[am4966]

Hey guy's!
I'm new to the forum but have been lingering for the past few months getting anxious for my first ever AR build and its going to be a Grendel!

I have extensive experience shooting and hunting/ building bolt guns but none with AR's.

My question: What type of scope mounting system should I consider on my new Grendel build? Why?

I'll be using a Leupold Mark 4 or VX-3 in a 4.5-14x50mm. The gun will be a 22" flat top. I want to maximize the scope's adjustments for 600-800 yard shots. I don't want or need quick disconnect options. Once it's mounted it's staying mounted.

I should also mention that I'm 6'6 with long arms and will be using an extended stock and grip to suit my shooting needs so proper eye relief is important.

I'm considering the Leupold Mark 2 or mounts but I'd like to keep the scope as low as possible.

Would it be best to just mount with standard picatinny rings or go with a raised system?

Thanks for the advise and input!

I'm 6'6" too and I'd have no probably going with anyone that Vascar mentioned and I have used LaRue before. So it depends on you and what your wallet says. Lol I do agree with Klem once you're shooting 800 yards your gonna want to go farther so get a 20moa cantilever. I'm going to be in a market for b my Grendel 12.5" soon and I'm going worth weight so it'll be Aero Precision, but if it was for a long-range platform. I'd have to really look hard at Bobro, Nightforce or Aadmount. I'd really love a spur but they need to come down in price, by 200.00

[danmayland]

Thanks guys for all the input!!! It has been very useful. I agree with Klem that there's no "sense in limiting yourself with a parallel bore axis/sight axis mount (0 MOA cant) for the same price as a canted mount."

Weight and budget are my biggest issues. I get screaming deals on all Leupold products so that would by my first choice if at all a choice because of the information provided above. That being said I DO NOT want anything that is going to turn my gun into an expensive paper weight. I sold my heavy barrel varmiter because it wasn't fun to carry around. This gun isn't going to be the lightest gun in the field but it doesn't have to be the heaviest either.

So based on that information it sounds like maybe AERO is the way to go....???

My budjet for the scope mount is $200 max. I can get the Leupold Mark 2 for $50.
The less I spend on the mount the more I can dump into the scope!!!

[danmayland]

Does Aero make a 10 or 20mm cantilever one piece mount?

[danmayland]

It appears that Aero doesn't make a 10 or 20 MOA one piece. About the most reasonable one I could find was the ADDAMOUNT @$279 Unfortunately that would prevent me from getting a Mark 4 scope :-(

Anyone else have some suggestions?

The Nikon is not an option as it only come in 1" rings

[danmayland]

I should also mention that I'm very picky about top mounted systems. I won't buy a side mounted system period.

[NugginFutz]

Dunno, but American Defense (ADM) makes the AD-RECON-20 with 20moa for less than $200 MSRP. Most places offer it for under $180 (Amazon has it for $162). I have one on my 22" bbl, and it is quite solid. It is available in 1", 30mm, 34mm, 35mm and 40mm.

[danmayland]

Would another option to be to get a Flat Top Riser 20 MOA Rail and mount up standard 30mm rings? It could be moved forward on the gun's rail to achieve the cantilever effect...???

[danmayland]

The ADM seems to have a good following and good reviews. I must admit I'm quite gun shy about the QD aspect and side mounts. I've not had good experience with those in my career. I prefer things that have no chances of moving. Side mounts are a PITA to lappe. They do however, appear to made well!

[NugginFutz]

The ADM seems to have a good following and good reviews. I must admit I'm quite gun shy about the QD aspect and side mounts. I've not had good experience with those in my career. I prefer things that have no chances of moving. Side mounts are a PITA to lappe. They do however, appear to made well!

I had similar misgivings before I tried this mount. Here's a review I'd posted about these QDs, a year or so back.

http://www.65grendel.com/forum/showthread.php?7167-American-Defense-Recon-QD-mount-w-20-MOA-Elevation

[Klem]

The Nightforce Ultralight Unimount 20moa would suit your preference. Top mounting, light-weight, and not QR. At $250 it's more than your budget but if your scope's only $50 I would be getting these and spending what you save on a holiday.

[danmayland]

The Nightforce Ultralight Unimount 20moa would suit your preference. Top mounting, light-weight, and not QR. At $250 it's more than your budget but if your scope's only $50 I would be getting these and spending what you save on a holiday.

LOL....The scope is not $50. The Leupold Mark 2 cantilever mount is!!