Rifle Scopes AI AW Choose the right mount

[uvson]

Hello everybody

I'll pass an order for an AW AI.
But I hesitate between the traditional picatinny base (from AI) and I put my SB PMII 5-25 with classic rings
Or I choose the AI complet mount which is directly on the AI action.

Advantage and disadvantage?

If the owner could share theirs backgrounds and pics?

What about the light switch on the scope? Is it a problem with the AI complet mount?

Many thanks

Julien

 

[19Scout77]

Re: AI AW Choose the right mount

Use the AI mount or something similar as the AI dovetail/pic rail has no cant. Mounts do not interfere with SB illumination

Big fan of the dovetail over the pic.

 

[Timo Turl]

Re: AI AW Choose the right mount

AI one piece is super

 

[m1match]

Re: AI AW Choose the right mount

I'd second the recommendation of the AI mount or the Spuhr mount. I bought my AW used and it came with the zero cant picatinny rail, which is bonded and screwed to the receiver so it won't ever come loose, but if I were ordering a new AW, I'd probably go with the AI dovetail and an AI one piece mount. I ended up putting my S&B 4-16x42 in a Spuhr mount and it works great with no interference with the S&B illumination dial.

 

[Mo_Zam_Beek]

Re: AI AW Choose the right mount

This got covered a few weeks ago in the 'bolt action' section. Long story short - all AI actions start out as dovetails. Dovetails are bombproof. Pic rails are epoxy bonded and screwed on to and over the dove tail. The odds of it coming loose are orders of magnitude on the low side. All AE actions are pic rails. Some claim you have more fore and aft play with a pic rail.

I like dovetails.

Sphur is beautiful, but on a practical note if your just mounting an optic and don't need the other features / advantages offered by the Sphur it is needlessly expensive.


Good luck

 

[uvson]

Re: AI AW Choose the right mount

Thanks for these first answers.

All AI AW actions are the same.
We only choose picatinny or not

It is a good thing to know

 

[ChrisF]

Re: AI AW Choose the right mount


HI Bud ,

Are you getting a AW or the magnum AWSM/AWM rifle ?

The benefit of the pit is easier posn mounting , for scope placement for eye relief , it puts the scope 1/4 inche higher as well , and is mainly needed when using forward NV gear .

If you where using 2 AI rifles and intend swapping optics back and forth , & using NV , then i would say the Pit rail is handier .

In the end both systems by AI work with their mounts , If using a 5-25x56mm PMII , l would be looking at the 45moa cant mount , if the 3-12 or 4-16x then the 28 moa cant .

Of more importance than the dovetail or pitcanny rail , is the folding stock & butt spike .

Later Chris

 

[uvson]

Re: AI AW Choose the right mount

I've choosen the folding stock and butt spike!
I'm getting a AW in 7.08R in 1/8.5

I don't use NV scope, no problem

Chris,

why to choose the 45moa cant mount with the PMII 5-25. She have enough clic!?

 

[DT1]

Re: AI AW Choose the right mount

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Julien</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I've choosen the folding stock and butt spike!
I'm getting a AW in 7.08R in 1/8.5

I don't use NV scope, no problem

Chris,

why to choose the 45moa cant mount with the PMII 5-25. She have enough clic!?</div></div>


For mounting the 5-25 PMII, you'll want the 45MOA AI mount on the pic rail. Otherwise, you won't be able to take full advantage of the elevation.

As stated above, the 3-12x and 4-14x are fine with the 28moa base. I've got all 3 scopes on different AIAW rifles with these respecive mounts and they work perfectly, making full use of the available elevation adjustment on each.

I wouldn't worry one bit about the pic rail not being as robust as the dovetail.

 

[Spuhr]

Re: AI AW Choose the right mount

The SB 5-25 Mil can take the advandtage of a 45 moa mount, the SB 5-25 MOA can't do it as it not have enogh elevation.
On a 338 I would have choosen the 45 moa to be able to adjust it out as far as possible, but on a .308 I would have chosen less tilt as there is drawbacks on short ranges with 45 moa tilt.

As a comment to the pricing of our mounts there is a few points that I would like to point out, that is interesting for those not using all the extras.

1. the 45 degree split of the rings makes the vindage knob visiable to the shooter from the shooting position.

2. The level is pretty good feature when you have time.
1 degree canted gun on a 338 on 1000 meters is nearly 8" off target. And 1 degree is not much!

3. Out levelling system to get the scope rotation right is a pretty slick solution saving lots of time.

Håkan

 

[Redhook]

Re: AI AW Choose the right mount

I have a 338 awsm and opted for the dovetial rail. My mount is the AI 28moa and I'm running a USO 3.8x22-44mm scope. The pic rail seems redundant and results in unnecessary bore over height. I still have enough elevation to get out to 1400 yards which is good enough for me.

As far as adjustment for eye relief, the dove tail has two primary positions fore and aft. You can then adjust the index pin on the mount to a second position giving you a total of four mount positions. Plus you still have room to slide the scope in the rings. You have plenty of adjustment there.

A level is a great tool. USO makes levels that clamp to the dovetail rail.

 

[Deisel]

Re: AI AW Choose the right mount

Redhook, FYI to the best of my knowledge USO no longer makes levels that clamp to the AI dovetail rail. I have two of them and was talking to Jeff at USO about getting them upgraded to the new detent mechanism, like their levels for pic rails now use. When we last talked he said no upgrade was available and that USO was undecided about making the AI dovetail levels any longer.

 

[Redhook]

Re: AI AW Choose the right mount

deisel, thanks for the info. That kind of sucks. I received the email about the new detent models but didn't think about upgrading mine. I was just going to buy a new one. Due to family issues I haven't been involved with my firearms for about a year and a half and I'm just getting back into it.

 

[ChrisF]

Re: AI AW Choose the right mount


The 34mm , 45 moa cant base has been designed to get max use of the adjustment available on the 5-25x56mm PMII and be high enough for the 56mm front lens as well .

this is for the AWSM , usually has a heavier profile barrel over the std AW barrel

 

[misterp36]

Re: AI AW Choose the right mount

everyone seems to over look the pic rail.

Its bonded, pin and bolted to the action - its not going anywhere!

would give you way more flexibility when choosing a mount!

 

[Spuhr]

Re: AI AW Choose the right mount

Yes the picrail sits likely better on an AIAW than on any other rifle.

BUT, why sandwishing and add unnecesarry parts?
Why not decid for one mount and go for that?
I don't get the point about flexibility.

A sniper rifle is not about flexibility, its about always hit at the desired spot.
Regardless of temperature, weather, climate, or whatever.
And I don't see what flexibility does to enhance that?
Same as QD mounts, it does nothing to improve the durability.

And when buying the fantastic shooting machine that an AIAW are, for the pretty high money it costs.
It seems at least to me a smarter idea to buy the scope you want, and let it stay there, and get the mount you need for the rifle and let it stay there, instead of adding flexibility and possibility to loads of mounts.
you don't need loads of mounts on that gun, you need one!

Håkan

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: misterp36</div><div class="ubbcode-body">everyone seems to over look the pic rail.

Its bonded, pin and bolted to the action - its not going anywhere!

would give you way more flexibility when choosing a mount! </div></div>

 

[Redhook]

Re: AI AW Choose the right mount

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: misterp36</div><div class="ubbcode-body">everyone seems to over look the pic rail.

Its bonded, pin and bolted to the action - its not going anywhere!

would give you way more flexibility when choosing a mount! </div></div>

It isn't an issue of the rail coming loose. For me, it's the fact that the rail has a zero cant. You still have to mount the scope in a mount that is cant adjusted. You can not use a set of low rise rings. The Pic rail just adds unnecessary bore over height.

If the pic rail had built in cant, I would have went that route.

 

[lvmike]

Re: AI AW Choose the right mount

Just something I'm going to throw out there but I went pic on all 3 of my AI rifles so that the scopes could be mounted and interchange without issue from the AE to AWs. I also stopped buying the 45moa mounts for my 5-25s and opted for milling 28moa mounts. 28 minutes of cant still ended up around 20-21 mils of elevation and the mount could be used on a rifle with 20moa of can't built into it's rail.

My experience mounting a s&b 5-25 with rings to my AE was it had about 13 mils of elevation, which was good for about 1300 with 155s. Really, even that is enough.

The sight height is slightly higher on the pic rail but I measured the dovetail vs the pic and it looks like the dovetail is made to be purposely taller to accomidate large objective sizes. The end result is that my dovetail AW with 45moa mount and s&b 5-25 had a sight height of 1.9 and my pic rail AW with premier 5-25 in a 28moa mount measured 2". Both front butler creek caps clear the barrel with around .25" of space. It's not worth nit picking.

Strength of the rail has been covered already-- it far surpases any other bolted on rail on the market.

The only reason I went dovetail (and had it converted later) was to save a few bucks. Would have been cheaper down the road to have gone pic from the start though.