Hello and welcome to another episode of Optics Trade Debates video. We continue on our path of going through and explaining all the product categories that are currently available on our webpage. Today’s focus is on one of the subcategories of mounts, namely on bases and rails.
Under the bases and rails, the customers can find all the mounting parts that go directly on the rifle. It is on this platform that the user can then mount rings or any other scope mounts.
Now, we have different types of bases, depending on the mount types. There are numerous manufacturers, available on the market like NightForce, Recknagel, Contessa, Leupold, MAK, Talley, EAW, Rusan, and ERA-TAC, just to name a few.
Many customers may wonder whether a base made by Dentler, for example, would even fit on a rail that was manufactured by a different brand like Leupold STD. It depends on the type of the base really.
With Picatinny rails (which are also bases), for instance, you’ll be able to mount any mount, no matter the manufacturer. That’s because the Picatinny standard is well-established across the globe.
One-piece Weaver rails are no different. The manufacturer of the rail does not have to match the one that made the ring, as long as both fit the same standard (Picatinny or Weaver). The same goes for two-piece Weaver plates.
However, this is not the case with really specific bases. Take a Dentler base, for example. The upper, mount part has to be made by the same company or the two won’t fit. The same is true for Leupold STD bases that only work with Leupold STD rings.
Now, let’s move on to pivot mounts. Pivot or swing mounts are a special kind of repeatable mounts that are especially popular in Europe and mainly produced by European manufacturers. Most notable among them are German companies like EAW (Ernst Apel Wurzburg), Recknagel, Henneberger, and MAK.
Some of these parts are cross-brand compatible, while others aren’t. Rusan and EAW for example, use the same standard. The same is true for Recknagel and MAK but do make sure to check twice before making a purchase.
There are many subcategories that fall under bases and rails. The first one would be the bases used for pivot mounts, rear and front. Here we can already name a few different standards employed: Ernst Apel, Leupold STD and the Recknagel standard.
The next subcategory is dedicated to Leupold quick-release mounts. Weaver base plates, too have their separate subcategory since many manufacturers (INNOmount, Rusan, and Warne) have adopted this two-piece solution.
One-piece Weaver and Picatinny rails obviously require individual categories. Let’s not forget to mention the 16.5 mm Dovetail bases. The example shown in the video was made by Ernst Apel but Talley and MAK produce very similar ones, the latter being labelled and sold as MAKuick bases.
The 12-millimetre Contessa base has a separate category, though there are other manufacturers that produce dovetail bases of this length. These are meant to be used with single-piece mounts.
As we mentioned before, there is also a plethora of manufacturer-specific bases and rails available on the current market.
Since this is a very broad category of products, it’s difficult to be more detailed in this category description. For now, this should cover it. We’d like to thank you for your attention and if you have any questions left, feel free to leave them in the comment section below. Please like and share this video. For more content, subscribe to our YouTube channel and we’ll see you next time.
Products mentioned:
Mounts
Bases and rails
