Choosing a low price point AR scope base/ring set for pic rail.

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Tallbald

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Assembling an AR from a kit soon I hope, with a 1 inch tube scope planned. I see so many forward-shifted offset (cantilevered?) combination base and ring sets and don't know the advantage to this style is over a plain, upright set of rings like every other scope I've ever had used. Won't the plain rings like Weaver, etc work fine too on the usual pic rail the flat top PSA kit I want has?
I don't mind thumbscrews instead of quick lever releases. And I don't feel a need for top-notch steel--anodized aluminum would be fine as long as it's a solid setup.
I need some education on this please.
Thanks as always. Don.
 
What you choose has to be high enough or forward enough to access charge handle on a flat top ar. If you’re scope is low there will not be enough room for your hand. I’m new to the ar 15 and I found this out when I tried medium height rings. Some of the more experienced ar folks should be along to help more. Good luck
 
I had not thought of that. I wonder about shifting the scope forward a bit(?) to allow reaching the charge handle, or spreading fingers far apart to span the rear of the scope(?). I need to study some photos I think. Thanks. Don.
 
If you have a spare scope laying around, hold it above your AR, and see how far forward you have to hold it for eye relief. 9/10 times, it will be so far forward that the front ring would be forward of the receiver. Conventional wisdom is that you don't want to split the mounting between the upper and a handguard, so the cantilever mounts allow the entire mounting to be done on the upper. That said, there are plenty of pics of people mounting scopes with extra-high rings on the upper, and having sufficient eye relief.
 
Basically to repeat badkarmamib, you generally need more height and forward extension to get a scope in the proper position on an AR-15 versus a conventionally stocked bolt action/lever action rifle. I used to put my nose to the charging handle when shooting my AR-15 match rifle. Which would indicate you need to forward-set a standard rifle scope 3-4" to get proper eye relief. Plus they need to be a lot higher; I've witnessed people struggling with standard low/medium/high rings when trying to mount a scope on an AR-15. You can get the scope and rings to fit, but it's going to be too low to be usable.

If it were me, I'd get a Burris PEPR mount and call it good. They aren't the fanciest, lightest or cheapest, but they seem to work pretty well for the most part.
 
You have to use very tall mounts on an AR15 in order to be able to actually see through the scope because the receiver is very low relative to the stock when compared to normal rifles. Also its best to have the scope mounted to the receiver only as there is potential for movement between the handguard and receiver. I like the Nikon M-223 mount. I've used several of them as well as their Chinese knockoffs and they have all worked well and looked great.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B076Q5WSQ6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.ebay.com/itm/NIKON-1in-...h=item3d3af0fd01:g:QF8AAOSwsXFZFeng:rk:1:pf:0

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Nikon-M-22...?epid=691377682&hash=item3fb09b5880:rk:5:pf:0

this is a real nikon

BC483484-AFC6-4060-B5-E9-1-F904-C8-B2-FEA.jpg

this is a chinese one I have used several times

935D874D-97A2-401F-A07C-FAD2C09C2DD9.jpg
 
Good info above in why a cantilever still mount is best. They make rings in this some but I prefer one piece. QD style will add expense so if you can do without I would.

I wouldn't buy bottom of the barrel Chinese stuff on Amazon or eBay, but you can spend well under $100 and get something decent.

Primary Arms makes a good one that is studysturd will do the job well for around $50 I believe. It is a little heavy compared to higher cost ones but there is always a trade off

I really like the aero Precision ones for the best value. They are very lightweight and places like Schuyler arms or granite ridge outfitters often have them on sale

Burris PEPR get good feedback. Utg has a new Accusync mount ito that had gotten good reviews. Wouldn't normally recommend utg, but I trust the people who said they were decent.

If you want to get something really nice you might be able to catch a sale on American defense mounts somewhere. They are my go to for my heavy use guns
 
Primary Arms makes a good one that is studysturd will do the job well for around $50 I believe. It is a little heavy compared to higher cost ones but there is always a trade off

I really like the aero Precision ones for the best value. They are very lightweight and places like Schuyler arms or granite ridge outfitters often have them on sale

Burris PEPR get good feedback. Utg has a new Accusync mount ito that had gotten good reviews. Wouldn't normally recommend utg, but I trust the people who said they were decent.

All good suggestions here. Only thing I'd add to the list is the Rock River Arms Hi Rise mount. On the heavier side, but solid as they come.

https://www.rockriverarms.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=category.display&category_ID=1742
 
Utg has a new Accusync mount ito that had gotten good reviews. Wouldn't normally recommend utg, but I trust the people who said they were decent.
I originally bought some UTG stuff for the same reason, and so far ive been pretty impressed. The hard components have been straight and functioned properly, A little on the heavy side, but otherwise pretty good.

In my experience, if the the major issue with chinese optics mounts is the soft materials they are made from, notably the screws. Ive had very little trouble with using them on ARs to this point, as long as they are properly installed, not over torqued, and not removed often.
Ive never had one that was off enough to make mounting or sighting an issue, but I would never use one on a truly precision build.
 
It’s .3 oz lighter than the Burris PEPR mount and less than half the price. Geissele makes a nice lightweight mount for around 11x the price, but for a solid, inexpensive, quality mount that yes, is heavy, the SWFA would be my choice. My $100 RRA mount weighs 10.5 oz by comparison though it was “free” when I purchased a complete rifle.
 
I have the same setup as Armored Farmer and have nothing but good experiences with it. For the money it would be hard to get a better setup.

-Jeff
 
As usual my sensei, hero and life coach Skylerbone nailed it. The SALT mount is essentially a Burris PEPR with the added versatility of being able to use the same mount for 30mm and 1” tube scopes. I’ve mounted a few for people and like them. For $30.00 it’s a no-brainer.

If you purchase a super short scope like Armoured farmer then I’d use the two piece Nikon AR mounts he is using. I’ve never seen a one piece mount that would work with his scope.
 
As usual my sensei, hero and life coach Skylerbone nailed it.

If anything I’d defer to you long before you should defer to me. My life very often resembles a monkey, a football, and a can of vaseoline. :rofl:

As for the OP, I’m ordering a SSALT mount tonight just to have since throwing together ARs is a thing for me now and surely I’ll be needing at least 1 more with a scope.
 
The blem 1x6 ACSS from Primary Arms, with a $60ish Aero mount has a very high bang for the buck factor while being sub $300
 

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I’m putting my money where my mouth is on this one as promised. Also spotted 15% off Burris so I snagged a set of Signature 1” rings with inserts because I’ll always have a use for them at some point, and 2 bikini covers because what man can resist a bikini sale (10% off) all with free shipping (over $49, code SHIP49).

Sale is good till Friday and the 10% off is sitewide if you opt for a different mount at SWFA.com (I’m not affiliated, just a regular guy who shops online a lot).


Snapshot from my phone.
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That’s what I have and really like mine. It held up great after getting dragged in the mud, wet, scratched and banged on trees, fences and crawling through corrugated steel culverts during a 10K Run n Gun Biathlon last month. That price is a steal, too. I think I paid almost double from SWFA’s own store here in Texas.
 
Threw on what I had close at hand, a Nikon 2-7 x 32. The SSALT mount appears well made, tank strong, and definitely worth the money spent. I suppose I’ll have to get the wife a real “tactical” scope now and build her a lightweight rifle for the Vortex RDS I removed.


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Here are a few setups I have used or still use. They are all fairly budget friendly and work well for me.

This is the DNZ mount, with 1" diameter low power variable Leupold.
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Burris PEPR 1" with a Vortex 3-9x40 scope.
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Primary Arms 5X prism sight with illuminated ACSS reticle. This has it's own mount. I REALLY like this. My favorite. Under $300.
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Primary Arms 1-6x24 with illuminated ACSS reticle. (under $300), Mounted in an AR-Stoner mount from Midway USA, $69, sometimes lower on sale. This is really nice too, but it's still fairly new to me.
XLQ8qQm.jpg
 
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