Rifle Scopes QD mount or standard?

[Riggs]

I'm about to pull the trigger on a Vortex Razor Gen 3 1-10x, which I plan to put in a Spurh mount that will split time between a few different platforms. My questions are:

What type of return to zero can I expect with a QD mount vs standard?

What are the odds of losing zero with a QD system?

If you had to pick a mount to swap between platforms, what would you choose?

 

[Billl223]

I'm about to pull the trigger on a Vortex Razor Gen 3 1-10x, which I plan to put in a Spurh mount that will split time between a few different platforms. My questions are:

What type of return to zero can I expect with a QD mount vs standard?

What are the odds of losing zero with a QD system?

If you had to pick a mount to swap between platforms, what would you choose?

There's lots of reasons this might not work. Are all platforms shooting the same round and velocity? Is the rail you're mounting to the same exact height over the centerline of the bore? Is the rail exactly parallel to the bore on each platform?

 

[skipjack]

^^^ this. I have never had two guns that shot the exact same. You will most definitely have to rezero each time no matter what. The only time I would worry about repeatability is changing two optics on the same rifle.

 

[Glassaholic]

^^^ This. RTZ on same rifle is usually pretty good for most systems. The next question is do you really "need" a QD system, get a Borka tool for the Spuhr and you can probably swap that mount to another rifle in under a minute. I usually consider QD if it is going on a system where I will be taking it on and off a lot or just want the piece of mind of being able to do so without tools.

 

[Riggs]

I should clarify, I understand I'll have different zeroes, what I'm looking for is repeatability, as in when I move from one rifle to another, I already know what the adjustment will be, and can have confidence in that adjustment.

 

[Glassaholic]

I should clarify, I understand I'll have different zeroes, what I'm looking for is repeatability, as in when I move from one rifle to another, I already know what the adjustment will be, and can have confidence in that adjustment.

Good to know. Since this is a 1-10x is it safe to assume this is going on AR platform rifles that may require a cantilever mount? I ask because some mounts I might recommend are not cantilever. Also, I'm assuming you do not need a mount with a cant and 0 cant will be just fine?

 

[Rob01]

Get a standard mount and torque it on. No reason for NASCAR pit crew speed changing scopes. Would rather know it's held properly to the rifle.

 

[Glassaholic]

Get a standard mount and torque it on. No reason for NASCAR pit crew speed changing scopes. Would rather know it's held properly to the rifle.

I've had ERA-TAC QD mounts for a number of years now, have never had an issue with feeling it wasn't held properly to the rifle, even ARC's M10 QD-L has always been solid but if I'm concerned I'll torque it on rather than thumb tighten.

 

[Rob01]

I've had ERA-TAC QD mounts for a number of years now, have never had an issue with feeling it wasn't held properly to the rifle, even ARC's M10 QD-L has always been solid but if I'm concerned I'll torque it on rather than thumb tighten.

Happy for you. QD is a no go for me on any rifle.

 

[koshkin]

Generally, given similar overall quality of the mount, conventional clamp held with screws and tightened with a torque wrench seems to come back to zero better than QD mounts with levers.

The most consistent mount in this regard I have seen to date is the Aadmount. The way his clamp geometry works is slightly different than most. However, most good quality mounts will come back to zero fairly well.

ILya

 

[Glassaholic]

Happy for you. QD is a no go for me on any rifle.

Thanks, happy for you too.

 

[Glassaholic]

Generally, given similar overall quality of the mount, conventional clamp held with screws and tightened with a torque wrench seems to come back to zero better than QD mounts with levers.

The most consistent mount in this regard I have seen to date is the Aadmount. The way his clamp geometry works is slightly different than most. However, most good quality mounts will come back to zero fairly well.

ILya

Aadland is about to have a Group Buy for Hide Members - https://www.snipershide.com/shooting/threads/aadland-group-buy.6985977/

Never tried his mounts but love his caps...

 

[CBDR]

Happy for you. QD is a no go for me on any rifle.

Took me way to long to figure this out. I wanted perfection and it was not going to happen moving things around. Shifting back and forth, put the day optic on. Take it off put the thermal on. Take it off and repeat. Put it on and leave it on. My journey with this lasted 3 years. Leave her on.

 

[mongoosesnipe]

i would not expect a qd to hold zero between 2 rifles, there is typically going to be enough variance that you will probably need to adjust the qd for each rifle you would probably have better luck with a standard mount and torque wrench for repeatability

 

[Steel head]

I’ve played the scopes swap game.

I’d rather herd kittens.
it blows.
get a nice mount or rings.

 

[Gatorshark]

Been there and done it. It just doesn't end well. As said. If your asking for opinions and experience, you'll try it but won't like it.

 

[Glassaholic]

Took me way to long to figure this out. I wanted perfection and it was not going to happen moving things around. Shifting back and forth, put the day optic on. Take it off put the thermal on. Take it off and repeat. Put it on and leave it on. My journey with this lasted 3 years. Leave her on.

While I generally agree that using a standard torque'd mount is going to be the best situation, I am curious, how far your POI shifted between removal and re-attachment? Having used ERA-TAC QD i've noticed minimal to no shift when removing and re-attaching - this being on the same rifle. When I had my large frame AR's I noticed similar when using the ARC M10 QD-L. Maybe other QD systems pose more problems I do not know, maybe I've gotten lucky I do not know. I do agree that leaving your scope on permanently is the ideal situation, but I also don't think a quality QD solution is the worst thing in the world.

 

[CBDR]

My QD mount is a GDI with a 624i optic. Attaching / re attaching to a Surgeon SA bolt gun.
Variation was less than 2 inches at 100m. I found that much shift of POI unexceptionable.
GDI Mount is bank vault door solid, as long as I leave it alone.
My learning curve continues to improve.
The hide is a fountain of knowledge. Sorting through the BS is another story.

 

[Glassaholic]

My QD mount is a GDI with a 624i optic. Attaching / re attaching to a Surgeon SA bolt gun.
Variation was less than 2 inches at 100m. I found that much shift of POI unexceptionable.
GDI Mount is bank vault door solid, as long as I leave it alone.
My learning curve continues to improve.
The hide is a fountain of knowledge. Sorting through the BS is another story.

Thank you CB, I would find 2 inches at 100m unacceptable as well! Yikes. My variation with the ERA-TAC is less than I can perceive, meaning better than I can shoot, so maybe around 1/4" at 100 yards. But now it's got me thinking to do a more calculated test - maybe shoot a 10 shot group with the scope solidly mounted, then shoot another 10 shot group but for each shot I will remove and re-attach the scope, and see how the group differs overall.

 

[hlee]

QD mounts are fast off, but not necessarily fast on. With the relatively loose tolerances for picatinny rails, it can be much more convenient to mount a scope with bolts/screws and a torque wrench. QD is better called tool-less. Don’t think of it as either quick or particularly convenient.

Ive got 2 scopes in QD (tool-less) mounts. I use them strictly for new guns that don’t have permanent scopes yet. It’s about to be one tool-less mount as soon as the replacement shows up...

 

[CBDR]

QD mounts are fast off, but not necessarily fast on. With the relatively loose tolerances for picatinny rails, it can be much more convenient to mount a scope with bolts/screws and a torque wrench. QD is better called tool-less. Don’t think of it as either quick or particularly convenient.

Ive got 2 scopes in QD (tool-less) mounts. I use them strictly for new guns that don’t have permanent scopes yet. It’s about to be one tool-less mount as soon as the replacement shows up...

Another thing I like about this site. People share their experiences and opinions. We all have different applications. One mans goal of accomplishing a challenging shot may be a chip shot for those ELR guys. I do admire that group of guys who make it look easy. To me shooting in the prone position off the top of my jeep in the swamp after the sun goes down is the best.

 

[SRPowah]

I have used QD mounts in the past and never really used their QD feature. Tested them (ARC, ERA-TAC, LaRue, Bobro), but never "used" them. I still use a QD mount on my AR, but my other optics now sit in standard mounts that get retorqued and zero verified.

 

[BulletScientist]

I'm about to pull the trigger on a Vortex Razor Gen 3 1-10x, which I plan to put in a Spurh mount that will split time between a few different platforms. My questions are:

What type of return to zero can I expect with a QD mount vs standard?

What are the odds of losing zero with a QD system?

If you had to pick a mount to swap between platforms, what would you choose?

It's pretty easy to grab a wrench to remove a non-QD mount. It's so quick, it's almost like QD!
That said, I've never heard of a QD mount losing zero, or nor returning to zero.