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Today I went to mount a nice optic on one of my rifles and realized I needed different bases.
I had already replaced the Leupold Dove Tail style in favor of Picatinny aka wide weaver style bases. I had selected 2 piece bases because I liked how clean they look. Unfortunately my new scope has a shorter tube than my bases & rings will support. I should have went with a 1 piece base.
I'm not sure why I didn't learn this wisdom earlier, probably because older long range scopes tend to have longer tubes. The Nightforce Benchrest scope I was mounting has a shorter tube than the Burris Black Diamond that I was replacing and was not quite fitting in my extra wide signature rings on my Savage Long Action by about 1mm. The combination of shorter tube, near fixed ring options with 2 piece bases, and longer action conspired to be too far apart for my new scope.
Here's the key learning I walked away with.
1 piece rails have much more flexibility for mounting position and ring placement than 2 piece bases. I should have reviewed the scope dimension specification and worked this out ahead of time.
I already knew that Picatinny and Weaver style are more flexible than dovetail style as far as ring placement but before today I felt that you could go with either 1 or 2 piece bases. Lesson learned and even with 2 day shipping I'm not shooting this weekend.
I have been converting to wide rings (3 screws x2 per cap) especially the signature XTR series which provide better holding capability along with increased MOA flexibility/range and the benefit of no ring marks due to no metal to metal contact. My Savage 300Win Mag was the first Long Action rifle I converted. The short action rifles had enough flexibility to get by with two piece bases.
Here are a few notable differences for choosing 1 or 2 pieces based on my experience including today:
1) 1 piece picatinny bases have more slots which increases mounting option flexibility
2) 1 piece picatinny bases with increased MOA elevation are readily available, typically 20 MOA
3) 2 piece picatinny bases may have alignment issues if the holes are not true
4) 2 piece picatinny bases don't cover the port like 1 piece bases do.
What experiences do you want to share here?
I had already replaced the Leupold Dove Tail style in favor of Picatinny aka wide weaver style bases. I had selected 2 piece bases because I liked how clean they look. Unfortunately my new scope has a shorter tube than my bases & rings will support. I should have went with a 1 piece base.
I'm not sure why I didn't learn this wisdom earlier, probably because older long range scopes tend to have longer tubes. The Nightforce Benchrest scope I was mounting has a shorter tube than the Burris Black Diamond that I was replacing and was not quite fitting in my extra wide signature rings on my Savage Long Action by about 1mm. The combination of shorter tube, near fixed ring options with 2 piece bases, and longer action conspired to be too far apart for my new scope.
Here's the key learning I walked away with.
1 piece rails have much more flexibility for mounting position and ring placement than 2 piece bases. I should have reviewed the scope dimension specification and worked this out ahead of time.
I already knew that Picatinny and Weaver style are more flexible than dovetail style as far as ring placement but before today I felt that you could go with either 1 or 2 piece bases. Lesson learned and even with 2 day shipping I'm not shooting this weekend.
I have been converting to wide rings (3 screws x2 per cap) especially the signature XTR series which provide better holding capability along with increased MOA flexibility/range and the benefit of no ring marks due to no metal to metal contact. My Savage 300Win Mag was the first Long Action rifle I converted. The short action rifles had enough flexibility to get by with two piece bases.
Here are a few notable differences for choosing 1 or 2 pieces based on my experience including today:
1) 1 piece picatinny bases have more slots which increases mounting option flexibility
2) 1 piece picatinny bases with increased MOA elevation are readily available, typically 20 MOA
3) 2 piece picatinny bases may have alignment issues if the holes are not true
4) 2 piece picatinny bases don't cover the port like 1 piece bases do.
What experiences do you want to share here?