Need help with Leupold mounts and rings
 

Can someone point me in the right direction on what type of mount and rings to use. I have a Leupold VXIII 3.5-10X40mm which will sit on a model 700. Is there any advantage using the one piece base over the two piece? What about the dovetail mount and rings over the standard type? Any help would be most appreciated.

Reddog132

RE: Need help with Leupold mounts and rings
 

You don't want dovetails mounts. Use traditional mounts. Go to www.leupold.com and go to the section for mounts or rings. It will then allow you select the model rifle you have and the model scope you have and it will TELL you exactly what rings and mounts to use. Also, remember that the less moving pieces you less chances you have or something to go wrong. The only tradeoff you make for one piece mounts is that they force you to mount your scope higher.

RE: Need help with Leupold mounts and rings
 

For my hunting rifles, I have gotten away from STD types (front dovetail, rear windage adjust). Anymore, I use dual dovetails for any new rifle I get. Nobody needs that much windage adjust on a hunting rifle.

Also, its easier to mount. I use a wheeler kit with alignment tools. And also lap the rings in 80%. With dual dovetail and one piece base, this is much easier process. But with windage adjust STD rings and bases, the alignment tools are pretty much a waste. Cause you can get the tips touching but its all relative to the placement of the windage ring. You can see this when you start lapping.

Now for target rifles, I want that scope to be aligned with max adjustment for windage, so I use the STD rings.

RE: Need help with Leupold mounts and rings
 

Use Warne rings and bases. They are much stronger and more consistant and look ten times better than Leupold rings and bases.

I see too many Leupold rings and bases that do not fit properly. Dovetail rings that when installed rock back and forth on the base cause they do not get tight, dovetail rings that are too large to fit inside the dovetail cut out in the base, screws that are too long and must be shaved down so not to make contact with the bolt, inconsistancies with the thickness of the bases thus requiring shimming.

The only rings I hate worse than Leupold are Millett.

RE: Need help with Leupold mounts and rings
 

One piece bases are the most secure. I use either weaver or leupold bases and rings. The most readily available and least expensive is probably the weaver bases and rings.

RE: Need help with Leupold mounts and rings
 

Just wondering how do you figure that a one piece base is more secure than a two piece base?

The one piece only has three screws holding it to the receiver yet the two piece has four screws attaching them to the receiver. Not to mention that a one piece weighs more which puts more sheer force on the three screws than does the two piece bases.

Another little annoyance is that a one piece base covers up half of the ejection/ loading port and makes loading just a little more dificult for folks with big hands.

RE: Need help with Leupold mounts and rings
 

I have a nearly brand new 700 BDL in 30-06 and I was going through the same dilema as you a few months ago. I bought the Leupold 2 piece Dual Dovetail low mounts and they are awesome! I'd highly recommend them. They mount VERY securely, came highly recommended, and despite what someone said, look good. My choice should I do it again - Leupold Dual Dovetails!

RE: Need help with Leupold mounts and rings
 

Maybe a tad exaggerated but I believe your partly right. I have seen a few sets of Leupold rings lately that don't have me impressed. One set was out of round and I have had to take back. And the last set dovetail turned very easy by hand. And one had the wrong screws in them. It does suck having to take these back. I have had about a dozen sets of Leupold rings. So 3 failures out of 12, maybe ain't that bad, but shouldn't be.

Problem with other sets are thier availability. Leupolds may have thier issues but its convienent, and they generally look nice. When I first read your comment, I thought that is not right at all. Then started counting up my problems, and started rethinking.

RE: Need help with Leupold mounts and rings
 

Yeah, it's not like it happens all of the time but off and on one will see these things. Yet one person that mounts a scope once or twice a year probably won't have any problems cause the odds are in their favor.

However, at the store we mount 10 - 30 scopes a day and I get to see a lot of the quality control problems with different manufacturers of various items, as others here do as well, and lately Leupold has had far more than its share of quality problems concerning their scope mountings.

RE: Need help with Leupold mounts and rings
 

BB, perhaps the one piece base may not be more solid or secure than a two piece but it is certainly not less. I have both one and two piece leupold and weaver bases. It is my opinion that the one piece base in most cases is more solid due to the fact that one large solid piece of metal is definitely stronger than two small ones. While I don't have the experience and training you do, I've been shooting long enough to know what I like and what I don't.

RE: Need help with Leupold mounts and rings
 

I wasn't trying to imply you were right or wrong just asking why you thought so and giving my thoughts about it.

RE: Need help with Leupold mounts and rings
 

Thanks for the replies everyone. A buddy told me to go with the one piece mount because he felt it was more solid. After reading what bigbulls advised about the one piece I'm thinking of going with a 2 piece instead.

TomFromTheShade, I did go the the leupold website and it listed several options for my set up. Not sure now if I should go with the STD mount or the dual dovetail. Maybe I should start a poll.

RE: Need help with Leupold mounts and rings
 

Well I give ya one thing. You made me think about it and actually count up my failures and think of all the work I do spending at least 3 hours mounting a scope by lapping and then blueing the inside, etc. Think I am going to give Talley a try.

RE: Need help with Leupold mounts and rings
 

Ok, gunshop man, I just was pricing out some talley's. Maybe have to make those special occassions. Ok, checking out the warn, which are talley copies, what do ya think? is the quality comparible? Would I still want to lap the warns? Or talleys? I do alot of trading, until I get my setup just the way I want it, so I hate ring marks.

RE: Need help with Leupold mounts and rings
 

BC......Talley...Talley...Talley.......

I wouldn't even think of comparing the Warnes to the Talleys...the workmanship on Talleys rings are as near perfect as I could imagine.

Talley rings....Savage 10ml..Conquest 3-9x40

RE: Need help with Leupold mounts and rings
 

Warnes are no Talleys but the Talleys also cost a whole lot more than the Warnes. They are similar but I wouldn't call them a "copy" either. Warnes run about $30 for a set of 1" rings but Talleys run about $70 for a set of 1" rings. The bases cost about the same.

To get absolute perfect scope mounting just about all rings will need to be lapped. Even Talleys. Not necessarily because they are bad rings but there are tollerances in the manufacturing for the rifle, bases, and rings. Some fit perfect and some need work and some need more work than others.

We offer ring lapping if a customer wants to pay for it but very few actually do. I will say that the Warnes almost never leave ring marks on a scope and nearly always line up using a scope alignment tool. I can't say that for the Leupolds.

I will also agree that Talleys are as near perfect as rings can get but to be perfectly honest I can't justify the cost of them either. IMHO Warnes are about the best rings and bases for the price. Talleys are better but not enough so to pay $70 for them.

RE: Need help with Leupold mounts and rings
 

Well, I will look the warns over. I can't justify the 70 dollar either. I have never been a weaver base fan. But maybe I can change. I believe i can get solid mounts with leupold with some serious work. I remove about 80% material when lapping, and then cold blue. And after going thru and making sure the dovetails fit extreamely tight and windage is set right, I think its a decently solid mount.

Also looking at conetrols. But rather pricey too.

RE: Need help with Leupold mounts and rings
 

I use both leupold one andtwo piece bases on my 700s and both place the scope at the same height.

I am actually amazed at the large number of people that load bolt action rifles with hinged floorplates from the top.I have been loading through the floorplate for over 25 years and have never had a feeding problem.

RE: Need help with Leupold mounts and rings
 

No you shouldn't have a feeding problem if you load from the bottom, the bullets should sit there the same from top or bottom, but there are a bunch of rifles out there that do not have hinged floop plates.

RE: Need help with Leupold mounts and rings
 

I’ll be honest Stubble, I’ve never heard or considered loading from the bottom when having a floorplate. When I had my Remington 7 mm R M, it was always from the top. I’m going to have to try it when I’m hunting with my uncles and try it with his rifle.:eek:

RE: Need help with Leupold mounts and rings
 

You won't regret it if you get the Leupold Dual Dovetail 2 piece mounts. Like I said, I just put them on my Rem 700 BDL and they are nice mounts! I paid $40 for the rings and low base (2 piece).

RE: Need help with Leupold mounts and rings
 

That's what I'm going to do then. Thanks. I'll let you know how it turns out. Rifle and scope will be here tomorrow.

RE: Need help with Leupold mounts and rings
 

My new rifle with the Dual Dovetail mounts and rings. Thanks everyone for the input.

http://www.huntingnet.com/forum/tm.aspx?m=1242005

RE: Need help with Leupold mounts and rings
 

Well, how do you like the Leupold DD rings? That's a bad*ss setup you've got!

RE: Need help with Leupold mounts and rings
 

I happy I went with my decision to get the DD rings. I think they look great and feel solid. Thanks for the recomendation coolbrze0.

RE: Need help with Leupold mounts and rings
 

Anytime. I just put them on my 30-06 and was extremely pleased w/ them.