Lightweight scope mounting options

[BoilerUp]

I have a Swaro Z3 3-10x42 on the way thanks to a good sale price at B&H. Primary purpose will be for a lightweight 6.8 build for deer hunting but will first go on my lightweight 5.56 build. The performance of the Swaro scope while only weighing 12.6 oz was a big selling factor for me, so I want to keep the weight down on the mounting hardware, too. I got the BRH reticle with the intent to learn hold overs out to 400 while realistically expecting any hunting shot to be taken under 200 yards (east side if Cascades in WA).

I think I'll go with a lightweight Aero Precision mount since that will give me the cantilever I'll probably need, is available for 1" scopes like the Swaro, will allow me to easily move the scope between rifles, and only weighs 3 oz. My only concern is the height as I think the AP mount might put the scope a little higher than I really want and need on a 42mm objective.

I love Bobro but don't want to pay the weight penalty since I don't really need the QD functionality for this build.

Any votes for the AP mount or recommendations to the contrary?

[Ride4frnt]

Aero. Have 2, love them. Solid, light mounts. Not big and bulky. If you don't need QD they are sweet.

[SINNER]

The 1" tube certainly limits your choices. I used this mount on a few AR's with 1" scopes. I would not even consider a non QD mount if I had any intentions of moving the optic around.



http://www.americandefensemanufacturing.com/view/product/8/

[UWone77]

I think the biggest problem you're going to have is finding an Aero Mount in stock. If you find one, let me know, I need one or two myself.

[SINNER]

They do not even make the SPR in 1". I doubt the extended will provide enough eye relief for the Swarovski optic. They are kind of long in the eye relief. Well beyond 3" in the ones I've owned.

[UWone77]

They do not even make the SPR in 1". I doubt the extended will provide enough eye relief for the Swarovski optic. They are kind of long in the eye relief. Well beyond 3" in the ones I've owned.

Good point, I didn't even notice the 1" portion. I suppose depending on the eye relief you could try the extended.

If you plan to move this between a few uppers, I'd consider the QD, as it's kind of pain to move optics. BUT... honestly, how often do you plan on doing this?

[alamo5000]

When I got my aero mount I called them directly and they had some but the site wasn't updated. It still read out of stock. Mine shipped out the next day. No wait at all.

[Former11B]

If you find something by Bobro you like that's out of stock, my friend did the same and contacted them directly. They made the mount he wanted JUST FOR HIM, a one-off just for him...and he spoke directly to the owner. Great company

[Deadwing]

I've got my Primary Arms 1-6x mounted in the 30mm version of this (ADM Scout-X): http://www.midwayusa.com/product/2626445089/american-defense-scout-x-quick-release-extra-extended-scope-mount-picatinny-style-ar-15-flat-top-matte?cm_vc=ProductFinding

It's fairly light for a QD scope mount. It locks up nice and tight on the upper despite having only one QD lever, but that saves some weight too. Midway has the 1" version in stock as of this posting, and have a coupon good for $10 off thats good through 3/21.

[Deadwing]

If you find something by Bobro you like that's out of stock, my friend did the same and contacted them directly. They made the mount he wanted JUST FOR HIM, a one-off just for him...and he spoke directly to the owner. Great company

Wow, that's amazing customer service! I'll have to keep that in mind.

[voodoo_man]

Bobro FTW. I got this one, SWFA branded with the screws on the top. http://swfa.com/SWFA-Exclusive-C11572.aspx

http://i.imgur.com/GGB7vM9.jpg

[BoilerUp]

Just ordered the AP 1" Extended mount from JBO. I didn't realize how scarce these had become so I jumped on it and ordered one as soon as I saw they had it in stock. I believe the extended mount will provide the eye relief I need. I have a Bobro extended mount for my PST 1-4 and that works well and I believe the Swaro has about 1/2 inch less eye relief. If not, I'll probably get the AP SPR mount in 30mm and use reducers. I'll post pics when everything has arrived and been put together.

Thank you all for your input. BTW, I totally love my Bobro and highly recommend them for a QD option. For this go around, however, I wanted to save weight and the AP mounts are silly light. The ADM mount looks interesting, though, as it appears to mount the scope a little lower, which I like.

[BoilerUp]

Kudos to Joe Bob. I ordered the mount on Saturday and received it today. I'm impressed with the AP mount. I believe the 1" extended mount will provide enough relief, but I should find out tomorrow as that is when my Swaro is scheduled to arrive.

http://www.smugmug.com/photos/i-vdrzHtb/0/M/i-vdrzHtb-M.jpg

[BoilerUp]

and mounted...

http://www.smugmug.com/photos/i-zrjLw6z/2/XL/i-zrjLw6z-XL.jpg

http://www.smugmug.com/photos/i-9jPzGzK/0/XL/i-9jPzGzK-XL.jpg

I'm very impressed with the AP mount.

Eye relief seems very good for me, although it wouldn't be if you wanted to shoot NTCH. For that, you'd need the extra inch of eye releif that the SPR mount gives (which isn't available in 1") and you might need to slide the scope all the way forward within the mount.

Swarovski also has a neat ballistics calculator on their website (plus iOS and Android apps) that provides holdover data for the reticle for various loads (http://ballisticprograms.swarovskioptik.com/#/setup/setup/en ).

http://www.smugmug.com/photos/i-TvxZz4v/0/L/i-TvxZz4v-L.jpg

[SINNER]

Shew that thing is high. Is a good cheek weld even possible?

[BoilerUp]

Shew that thing is high. Is a good cheek weld even possible?

That's 1.5" above the rail (at the center), which is standard height for AR iron sights and therefor absolute co-witness. So, yes, cheek weld is good and no different than what you'd expect with irons or most other optics out there. Personally, I feel like I could probably run a bit lower on ARs in general, but that's probably not nearly as true as I think it is. The LaRue LT807 runs 1.375" high but I think those are really intended for those wanting a QD mount on their bolt guns (and it might work on the SCAR...not sure).

I think it looks a little higher than it really is because 1) the mount is pretty clean and slender and 2) the scope is only a 42mm objective on a 1" tube

So, talking through that in response to your question makes me realize the height is a non-issue and I need to not worry about it.