Lightest quality one piece mount

[lennyo3034]

I'm trying to reduce weight as much as possible on one of my rifles and I'm now looking at the scope mount. I'm currently using a Geissele and it certainly is not the lightest.

I'm leaning towards nightforce but am wondering if there is anything lighter?

I know the Aero precision is lighter, but I had one and it did not inspire confidence. Looking for higher end mounts. Specifically 30mm and cantilevered for AR use.

 

[bigjake83]

I did my homework on this not long ago, it's Nightforce.

 

[aslrookie]

Have you looked at Badger mounts? I am not sure how they compare to NF mounts, but I believe they are lighter than Geissele and known to be strong. I've had their scope rings and unimounts with great results. Very quality stuff.

 

[smokin.338]

what caliber is it going on ?? Got the AP stuff mounted to 308 stuff and it hasn't budge after hundreds of rounds !

 

[Crews]

Nightforce. Or for a mere 2.2 ounces more I’d pass up the 1/2” nuts for a sleeker, lower profile option: New spuhr

 

[Crews]

...

 

[acudaowner]

you could add 80 lbs of lead weight to your gun and hold it or pick it up hold it and put it down at the end of the month remove the lead weights and presto , your gun will feel lighter almost like air . I would reckon or a gym membership and that would solve the weight problem , or a bucket of bricks could be used the same way , cheap , no gym membership to sigh and all at in the comfort of your own home . If you can hold a cinder block in your hands straight out you can hold a light rifle .
dodge, duck, dip, dive and dodge .

 

[RifleBlog]

you could add 80 lbs of lead weight to your gun and hold it or pick it up hold it and put it down at the end of the month remove the lead weights and presto , your gun will feel lighter almost like air . I would reckon or a gym membership and that would solve the weight problem , or a bucket of bricks could be used the same way , cheap , no gym membership to sigh and all at in the comfort of your own home . If you can hold a cinder block in your hands straight out you can hold a light rifle .
dodge, duck, dip, dive and dodge .

How does this add to the conversation?

Wanting a light weight mount has nothing to do with weight lifting ability.

Maybe he’s going on a multi-day hunt / ruck? If a mount is able to take abuse and be ultra-light, what’s the downside if he can afford nice stuff?

 

[LeadZeke]

Nightforce if you don't need QD, Zrodelta if you do.

 

[aslrookie]

you could add 80 lbs of lead weight to your gun and hold it or pick it up hold it and put it down at the end of the month remove the lead weights and presto , your gun will feel lighter almost like air . I would reckon or a gym membership and that would solve the weight problem , or a bucket of bricks could be used the same way , cheap , no gym membership to sigh and all at in the comfort of your own home . If you can hold a cinder block in your hands straight out you can hold a light rifle .
dodge, duck, dip, dive and dodge .

The only people who talk like this are people who never carry a weapon outside of the shooting range.

 

[lennyo3034]

Thanks, Nightforce it is then. I also have a Steiner mount but it does not appear to be as robust as the Nightforce.

I’ve hunted with the rifle and carried it a fair ways so lighter is always better.

 

[slimJim2000]

I have an older Badge Ordnance one piece mount and no complains. I am sure there are lighter and cheaper mounts that work I just never had them.

 

[screaminyz]

They should be released soon but the new ADM full Titanium cantilever mounts look very nice. They are QD and should weigh 4 to 5 ounces. You can preorder them for a sale price on OpticsPlanet right now for $228.
What kind of scope are you looking to mount on your rifle?
I also meant to mention the Scalarworks Leap scope mount is awesome and very light 5.5 ounces but costs a pretty penny at $400

 

[RifleBlog]

The Nightforce is lighter than the Scalarworks and has the added benefit of not causing some scopes to fail.

 

[screaminyz]

Rifleblog,
Where did you find the weights of the different unimounts? I can’t find any sites that list the weight of these. Which model are you referring to and what does it weigh?

 

[sam4886]

Most of the manufacturers will list the weights on their sites.

I'm interested in this question as well. I'm a bit note picky though. I hate having those big nuts hanging off one side, obviously QD is out too.... Anyone have a good compromise of weight/sleekness? The aero is about as good as I could find.

 

[N-C]

you could add 80 lbs of lead weight to your gun and hold it or pick it up hold it and put it down at the end of the month remove the lead weights and presto , your gun will feel lighter almost like air . I would reckon or a gym membership and that would solve the weight problem , or a bucket of bricks could be used the same way , cheap , no gym membership to sigh and all at in the comfort of your own home . If you can hold a cinder block in your hands straight out you can hold a light rifle .
dodge, duck, dip, dive and dodge .

 

[Novak77]

I have never used, or even seen one in person, but the Scalaworks Leap is pretty light. It's also pretty expensive though lol.

Scalarworks Leap Mount for Scopes

The Scalarworks Leap Mount is the lightest, strongest, and easiest to use quick-detach Scope mount in existence.

scalarworks.com

 

[The King]

Scalarworks was pretty good - but doesn’t kick any other companies ass IMHO. Not $400 worth

 

[N-C]

American Defense Manufacturing Recon Titanium Mount

Available July 2019! The titanium Recon mount is 44% lighter than the standard Recon mount. The titanium cross bolt provides 2X stronger thread pull strength than the standard mount at 1,800 lbs. Titanium also reduces thermal movement throughout extreme temperature changes by roughly 60%. Less zero shift makes titanium an excellent choice for optics and lasers.

https://www.americandefensemanufacturing.com/view/product/1454/

 

[MontanaMan]

I like AD's mounts & that weight reduction brings them down to around 4.5 oz & the price really isn't bad at all compared to other top end mounts................thinkin' I will try a set.

MM

 

[LeadZeke]

I've always heard that sideways-closing mounts were a no-no for precision, is that not the case?

 

[JWHITE]

Man I like ADM stuff but that titanium thing is hideous.

 

[Dev L]

I've always heard that sideways-closing mounts were a no-no for precision, is that not the case?

That is the hive knowledge, though I have Larues with semi autos that shoot 0.6 MOA and dont seem to be having issues... and everything is technically wrong with Larue from vertically split rings, to levers, to minimal bracing, to using 6061 aluminum instead of 7075 or 2000 series aluminums. They are 6.9 or 7.0 oz though in the lightest forms, 7.5 oz in the heavier versions. I do wonder if the same rifles would shoot .1 MOA tighter groups sometimes with a better mount, but I somehow doubt it.

 

[Fig]

Lots of bullshit in this thread.

"Heavy" or "Light" is an opinion, not an actual value. Ever heard of a "Heavy Weapons Platoon"? I think they hump their shit off the range... Ever heard of an M240? They're about 25lbs dry, and folks hump them all over creation. I don't consider any bolt rifles very heavy at all. I can tell you that I probably would not notice a couple of ounces either way.

If you buy vertically split rings there's a good chance it won't affect your turret scope, but there is a chance it may render it useless. It just depends, which is why "The Hive" just steers clear and spends their money on what they know will work and won't cause problems.

 

[RifleBlog]

I've always heard that sideways-closing mounts were a no-no for precision, is that not the case?

I have older non-titanium ADM mounts that are fine with LPVOs and lighter scopes on 223 rifles. If you strap up a heavier scope on a higher caliber rifle, mine will absolutely shift.

Lots of bullshit in this thread.

"Heavy" or "Light" is an opinion, not an actual value. Ever heard of a "Heavy Weapons Platoon"? I think they hump their shit off the range... Ever heard of an M240? They're about 25lbs dry, and folks hump them all over creation. I don't consider any bolt rifles very heavy at all. I can tell you that I probably would not notice a couple of ounces either way

Posts like this kill me.


Just because the military does something a certain way doesn’t make it the best.

What does nearly every single military solicitation for new belt-fed weapons have in common?

Everyone wants it to be lighter.

OP is not restricted by a bureaucratic purchasing process or budget constraints, he can buy the best without having to kiss the rings of the brass.

There is literally no downside to saving weight outside of it usually costing more, provided that it functions as well as its heavier counterpart.

 

[Fig]

Sorry you died.
It doesn't have to be military, but it's no less ridiculous than saying people who carry heavier guns don't know better because they only shoot on a square range. At least mine is an actual analogy. I walk through switch-grass hunting pheasants all day carrying an A5 with 5 shells in it @ probably about 14lbs. Just feels normal to me. I think it also has to do with your body type/size. Large people have a lot less problem carrying heavy guns. They just don't seem as heavy to us as they would to a little guy.

Sure, it's a cost benefit analysis most of the time. What's 2 oz worth to you? Would anyone notice the difference? Is a Hog Saddle worth $100 more than a Pig Saddle because of a pound?

How is it any different than any other sport? A halo bike costs $10,000-$18,000 for about a 25% reduction in weight from a $2,500 (professional quality) bicycle.

I just think it's funny that anyone would really believe that a couple of ounces on a rifle is actually going to make any difference at all. I get that for a very few top competitors two pounds on a bicycle may make a difference. For 99.999% of people they'd be better served if that 2lbs came off their belly for free rather than off the bike.

Spend your money whatever way makes you happy, but to me talking ounces doesn't move the meter at all. Going to an ultra-light scope or a pencil barrel may actually make a difference in the way it feels to you, but I don't think the rings will even be noticeable heaviest to lightest.

 

[LeadZeke]

FIG you seem to be missing the point entirely. Ounces make pounds. Pounds make pain. Go through every piece of gear, every rifle part and accessory and optimize for weight, and you can easily drop a huge amount of weight and not spend too much. This is especially true on AR platform rifles. Going from a 10lbs rifle to a 9.8lbs rifle doesn't make a difference. Going from a 10lbs rifle to a 6.3lbs rifle absolutely does. And so on. This thread is merely part of the process.

Thanks @RifleBlog for that clarification, I'd always avoided them and will continue to do so for heavier optics.

 

[N-C]

Interesting ! I have 5 ADM ~~~~~~ Mount and 1 Larue ~~~~~~ Mount

 

[TonyTheTiger]

I walk through switch-grass hunting pheasants all day carrying an A5 with 5 shells in it @ probably about 14lbs. Just feels normal to me.

Say what now? How do you get a sub 7lb shotgun up to 14lbs when you put maybe 10oz of ammo in it?

 

[Fig]

You’re crazy. My Citori weighs about seven pounds. Im kinda guessing, but I’m sure my A5 (it’s a long barreled, “light”, modified, specifically for pheasants) weighs more than double that. It is a heavy sob with a huge receiver. Just about every year I get asked how/why I carry such a heavy shotgun. It may not hit 14, but it probably comes close.

 

[TonyTheTiger]

I don't know, all the A5's I've held felt normal weight to me so I googled it quick and the manufacturers specs put all the models I looked at well under 7lbs..

 

[lawofsavage]

The only people who talk like this are people who never carry a weapon outside of the shooting range.

Yup, doesn't matter how strong you are, as long as your'e in reasonable shape, if you're doing anything physically exerting for hours at a time, the lighter your load the sharper and more alert you will be. Actually, the meatheads don't seem to do that well in the endurance type stuff and even women can compete in target shooting with heavy guns in the olympic style shooting sports and do very well. Obviously, you can't be some obese slob, but there are plenty of reasons for wanting lightweight gear and we shouldn't even have to counter dumbass responses like what you responded to


ETA: nothing against choosing to carry more weight if that's your style and it doesn't slow down other people, was responding to people that constantly chime in with just work out more and get stronger and the weight won't be an issue,

 

[Fig]

Browning Auto 5? A-5? The “Humpback”? Not possible.

 

[Fig]

Whatever. I’m sure the rings make all the difference.

I hope you stay sharp and alert and your rifle rests lightly in your hands.

 

[ipreferpie]

I’m looking for something similar too. I’ve been considering the Aero Ultralite which comes in at 3.27oz. But I’m not certain if the quality will hold up against losing zero for my 6.5 CM AR10 for PRS. If not, perhaps the Spuhr hunting series or Scalarworks may fit the bill at 5.5oz.

 

[TonyTheTiger]

Browning Auto 5? A-5? The “Humpback”? Not possible.

Are you talking about the original or a new production model? I googled the old ones quick and they were around 9lbs or so.

 

[Fig]

I didn’t even know they were making them again.

 

[MosesTheTank]

OP, my vote is for NF. Lightweight or not they are my go-to rings/mounts.

The Sacalarworks sure looks interesting, and I know a few guys who rave about theirs, but unless they run a sale that puts it below the NF price point I won't likely ever give it a 2nd thought.

I also look to shed weight where I can, and not on just the gun. As for our he-man residents, they are on another level of gravity defying athleticism.

 

[Mk32784]

I run the NF single piece mounts, and love them as well. Never had an issue with them.

 

[lennyo3034]

I’ve got it in a spare geissele mount I had lying around. If I find a good deal on a NF, I’ll switch but it’s not a huge deal right now. It’s part of a number of parts I’m switching out on the rifle which should total near 2 lbs lighter.

 

[Back Spin]

I’m looking for something similar too. I’ve been considering the Aero Ultralite

I would not use an Aero Ultralight, especially for a large scope. There are reviews and forum posts out there where the mount experienced zero shift after taking a bump while holding an LPVO. Unless something's changed, the torque spec for the base screws is only 15 inch pounds. Most quality mounts like NightForce and Seekins are in the 50-68 inch pound range.

 

[TACC]

Good info. I have been using ADM and Larue, Bobro, and have not had any problems. Weight change though has not been a factor, will gave to look into Nf.

 

[Mk32784]

I would not use an Aero Ultralight, especially for a large scope. There are reviews and forum posts out there where the mount experienced zero shift after taking a bump while holding an LPVO. Unless something's changed, the torque spec for the base screws is only 15 inch pounds. Most quality mounts like NightForce and Seekins are in the 50-68 inch pound range.

I have owned two different aero ultra-light mounts, they are nice and light. But torquing it they feel fragile, and with my 1-4 I noticed a lot of zero shift. Would not own ever again.