Double whammy

[dogman]

I was doing some scope shuffling yesterday, and while removing my Steiner P4xi from the Scalarworks mount, the mount kinda crumbled like a cookie. This is the second (and last) time a Scalarworks mount broke at the hinges on me. The front hinge is about to go, as well. This was not a hard-use set up and I never over-torque. Contacting Scalarworks tomorrow.

The first failure I had was on a brand new, just out of the box mount. The hinges failed as I was initially zeroing my LMT.

The other scope and mount I was doing swaptronics on was a Kahles K16i in a Badger C1 mount. I planned to put the Steiner in the Badger mount and sell off the Kahles and Scalarworks (well, just the Kahles now) to fund some recently purchased glass. As I'm removing the Kahles, I observe the "1" on the throwlever is not aligned with the dot on the eye bell. As soon as I grab the eye bell, it is loose. I turn it to tighten it (gently, not cranked) and here is how it aligns:

Almost 180 degrees out of whack. Look at the gap when I have the dot aligned with the 1:

So now I need to contact Kahles/Swaro tomorrow, as well.

 

[simonp]

Ouch that bites, be curious how well or not Khales handles the repair, love my Khales glass and havent had to contact their warranty service yet but have seem some "concerning" posts about folks contacting them.

 

[dogman]

Yeah, we’ll see. I already did online submissions.

Scalarworks has already replied to RMA the mount in. It is the older hinge design.

 

[LRRPF52]

I’ve been using:

Badger rings and mounts for 29 years
ARMS risers and rings for 22 years
LaRue mounts for about 18 years
ADM mounts for 15 years
NF Unimount for 10 years

I’ve also seen untold samples of the above in hard-use and in multi-day DM or LR courses since 1995.

No issues other than people maybe not torquing something down. Been looking at Scalarworks as something else to try. That isn’t inspiring. I’ve seen the lightweight Aero AR mounts fail as well with that hook ring locking method over the top.

I am careful with how much torque I apply, and I use the Wheeler FAT Wrench. Cross bolts aren’t what concern me for torque value as much as fasteners. I take it easy on fastener values, preferably looking at what the scope or optic manufacturer specifies, not the ring maker.

I’ve seen conflicting values of 25-30inch-lbs for rings, when the scope maker says 18inch-lbs, so of course I go with the scope.

 

[dogman]

I've migrated to Badger C1 mounts for all my carbines. I like the system and the J-arm mount for offset optics. I have a couple of ARC M-Brace mounts on bolt rifles, as well as Spuhr, NF, ADM, Bobro.

This Scalarworks was a legacy mount for me. Their customer service has been great previously, but never again.

 

[LRRPF52]

Forgot about Bobro. Those are great mounts. Love their locking mechanism.

Badger C1 look great, other than the cross bolt heads that stick out. I like their modular socket system for add-ons and the design appears to be built like a tank (the Badger standard), just wish they had a more flush cross-bolt design. I’ve been really close to pulling the trigger on them. I bought a Leupold AR 34mm mount for my .260 gasser recently instead.

 

[Trigger Monkey]

I’ve been using:

Badger rings and mounts for 29 years
ARMS risers and rings for 22 years
LaRue mounts for about 18 years
ADM mounts for 15 years
NF Unimount for 10 years

I’ve also seen untold samples of the above in hard-use and in multi-day DM or LR courses since 1995.

No issues other than people maybe not torquing something down. Been looking at Scalarworks as something else to try. That isn’t inspiring. I’ve seen the lightweight Aero AR mounts fail as well with that hook ring locking method over the top.

I am careful with how much torque I apply, and I use the Wheeler FAT Wrench. Cross bolts aren’t what concern me for torque value as much as fasteners. I take it easy on fastener values, preferably looking at what the scope or optic manufacturer specifies, not the ring maker.

I’ve seen conflicting values of 25-30ft-lbs for rings, when the scope maker says 18ft-lbs, so of course I go with the scope.

Inch pounds my man, inch pounds.

I'm pickin' up what you're laying down though, I've used Badger, NF, LaRue, and ADM mounts and they've nary given me any issues when I followed the instructions and used common sense during mounting.

If I had the funds I'd love to pick up a couple Reptilia mounts, more streamlined than the Badger but with good modularity.

 

[simonp]

I have two spuhr riding carbines all the rest at this point are Badger C1, reall liking the badger

 

[1911hombre]

Scalarworks had a bad bunch of stuff that they blamed on wrong vendor processes for metal finishing that embrittled the hinges. The newer stuff seems good to go but we'll see. They said it was "cuz covid".

 

[LRRPF52]

Inch pounds my man, inch pounds.

I'm pickin' up what you're laying down though, I've used Badger, NF, LaRue, and ADM mounts and they've nary given me any issues when I followed the instructions and used common sense during mounting.

If I had the funds I'd love to pick up a couple Reptilia mounts, more streamlined than the Badger but with good modularity.

Thanks for the correction. Of course I meant inch-pounds, but then typed ft-lbs instead.

My FAT Wrench is only in inch-pounds. I don’t even drink either.

 

[dogman]

Forgot about Bobro. Those are great mounts. Love their locking mechanism.

Badger C1 look great, other than the cross bolt heads that stick out. I like their modular socket system for add-ons and the design appears to be built like a tank (the Badger standard), just wish they had a more flush cross-bolt design. I’ve been really close to pulling the trigger on them. I bought a Leupold AR 34mm mount for my .260 gasser recently instead.

Do you dislike the cross bolts because they stick out too far for your liking (snag stuff) or because they interfere with your bolt release technique (slap the side of the receiver vs. pressing with thumb)?

I don't mind the cross bolts sticking out a bit. I've never had an interference issue. I like that my Badger C1's are cranked down for dear life with those beefy bolts and 1/2 nuts.

 

[LRRPF52]

Do you dislike the cross bolts because they stick out too far for your liking (snag stuff) or because they interfere with your bolt release technique (slap the side of the receiver vs. pressing with thumb)?

I don't mind the cross bolts sticking out a bit. I've never had an interference issue. I like that my Badger C1's are cranked down for dear life with those beefy bolts and 1/2 nuts.

I don’t like additional snag hazards and knuckle busters. I don’t slap the bolt catch, but use my thumb instead. Maybe the picture makes it look worse than it actually is. It would be great if the left side bolts were flush with the rail clamps. Everything else is excellent with it, namely the lightening cuts, modular slots, ring design, double recoil lugs, coatings, and options for height, ring sizes, goose necks, and colors.

 

[1911hombre]

In real life.

 

[dogman]

Like the above post, no issues snagging or interfering. The mount is 1.5” height with a Steiner P4xi, which is a pretty compact lpvo. The Steiner was previously in the Scalarworks mount.

 

[st1650]

The irony is that the 50$ Chinese scalarworx clone doesn’t suffer from that hinge issue.

 

[Ape_Factory]

The irony is that the 50$ Chinese scalarworx clone doesn’t suffer from that hinge issue.

It doesn't. I have one but lacks in other areas. I also have the real deal and my first one, the old hinge design, did the same. The new one has held up exponentially longer on my 308 gas gun and no issues whatsoever. So the new version is good to go. I really wish they'd change the texture on the click drive wheels as they're downright painful on the digits when tightening them. Switching to a simple knurling would be much preferred.

I'd also check out the Primary Arms PLX mounts. Made in the U.S.A. and very, very lightweight, about even with the Scalarworks. Well machined with some of the best cross bolts/nuts I've seen. And they cost a bit less than most of the other big names.

 

[st1650]

It doesn't. I have one but lacks in other areas. I also have the real deal and my first one, the old hinge design, did the same. The new one has held up exponentially longer on my 308 gas gun and no issues whatsoever. So the new version is good to go. I really wish they'd change the texture on the click drive wheels as they're downright painful on the digits when tightening them. Switching to a simple knurling would be much preferred.

I'd also check out the Primary Arms PLX mounts. Made in the U.S.A. and very, very lightweight, about even with the Scalarworks. Well machined with some of the best cross bolts/nuts I've seen. And they cost a bit less than most of the other big names.

Looks good.
I like the big torx bolts and the possibility to put an RMR plate.
I’d probably get one if they made them 1.70 or 1.64 height.

 

[Ape_Factory]

It's not just the big...not sure what metallurgy they're using but it's fire, chef. Definitely high quality stuff that won't strip, deform or otherwise bugger up when installing/removing over the life of the mount. The machining on just the screws and bolts is pretty sublime for what they are. Some engineer/machinist put some quality work into them. And that's just the fasteners. I'd like to see a QD version.

 

[dogman]

Scalarworks mount is on the way back with a manufacturer-provided UPS RMA label.

Kahles is going out today on my dime. I'm curious about how the Kahles repair will play out. I am not the original owner and I bought it either here or on arfcom about 2 years ago. The date code looks like 2020 manufacture so it is certainly not old.

I'll update when anything major happens, especially on the Kahles. Based on previous experience with Scalarworks, they will simply send me a new mount.

 

[whatsupdoc]

The design of that Scalarworks mount seems to leave a lot to be desired as far as strength is concerned,
that hinge looks very weak and I am not surprised that it failed.

 

[dogman]

Scalarworks just shipped out a new mount. The experience is similar to the last time I had a failed mount; they were right on top of it.

My Kahles scope was received at the US office in Rhode Island and a case number assigned. We'll see if it has to go back to Austria for repair. Supposedly, they will send email updates on progress.

 

[dogman]

Just got my K16i back from Swarovski/Kahles. I shipped it on 9 APR and received it back 27 JUN, so 11 weeks and change door to door. That puts the time estimate right in the window of 10-12 weeks.

Along with my reported issue, they went through the whole thing and it seems like I pretty much have a new scope other than the housing, so fantastic customer service from Swaro/Kahles.

 

[simonp]

Awesome news, glad to hear. I have two Kahles, hoping never to need to send them off but good to know what to expect if I do.