bewsher500
Well-Known Member
I am sticking this in here as I was not sure where else to put it. Had a couple of PM's about these so I thought it may be of interest to others with either the Sako Quad or any other 9-11mm dovetail equipped receiver on their rifle who was struggling to find a solution to getting decent "solid" quick release mounts or just want to use two scopes.
I have a Sako Quad with the four calibres and after trying to use the scope settings and alternating between barrels and clikcing back to set zero points for each calibre, found it very difficult.
Burris make a scope with coloured collars on the adjusters but the scope is of dubious quality and does not give me what I want.
I want one lower power scope for the 22lr zeroed at 50yds for use inside 100yds and one higher power scope for the .17M2 and .17HMR zeroed at 100yds (there is almost an exact drop of 12" at 100yds between the two so using the same scope is very easy)
the problem is that most QR scope mounts with a decent design for "return to zero" (or as close as you will get) fitting are made for centre fire barrels with bolt on mounting plates for the receiver of your particular rifle and the mounts themselves are for the Weaver sized dovetail on these screw on bases.
I found some well designed 9-11mm to weaver adaptors (most of them are terrible!) but they were aluminium rather than steel, didnt solve the return to zero quick release problem and when I tried to order them had been discontinued!!
Then I stumpled across some Leupold QR parts made for gunsmiths looking for a bespoke solution.
They are blanks made up to take the Leupold QR rings but require fitting to the rifle in question.
http://www.leupold.com/hunting-and-shooting/products/mounting-systems-and-accessories/mounting-systems/qr-gunmaker-bases/
I did not want the receiver of my rifle drilled and tapped as this in my opinion is wrong and a bit of an agricultural solution given the rifle has a dovetailed and chequered top already. And would not help anyway as most bolt on scope plates are shaped to fit a particular rifle receiver and it would still require these blanks to be machined to match.
As a result of several weeks research, design, trial and error, test fitting and ballache.......I have had some custom mounts made that work a treat.
The dovetail cut into the base matches the industry standard 60 degree 9-11mm dovetail on the rifle receiver perfectly and slide onto the exisiting dovetail on the rifle. held in place with a 6mm vertical grubscrew with oiled plastic tip to avoid any marking of the receiver.
There is zero lateral movement as the dovetail is a resistance fit and without the recoil of a 375H&H there can be zero movement along the line of the barrel as the grub screw pulls the mount up into the receiver dovetail.
no fiddly screws to line up.
no multiple clamp points
no sticky out lever to catch on anything
They are very solid and short of destroying the dovetail on the receiver are not likely to move anywhere. (even if they did the only direction they could move in along the line of sight reducing or extending eye relief)
You can but the Leupold scope rings in low, medium and high format in 1" and 30mm diameter to take care of any possible scope objective size and variation.
those shown are the lowest format leaving plenty of room for a 40mm+ objective as shown. (You could probably squeeze a 50mm on with these but would definitely have to remove the scope to change barrell....which I would be doing anyway so it is a moot point!)
They fit into the bases with a slight resistance as the holes and posts are matched in size. no lateral movement when i place
The cam levers tighten on the posts of the rings in the bore of the base ensuring as close to return to zero as will ever get.
I already know that barrel swapping on the Quad has (little or) no impact on zero.
I still need to get the pictures of the zero tests uploaded but thought I would post up some pics of the mounts for anyone who had been looking for a multi scope or quick release solution to the rimfire or air-rifle problem.
They have not be reblued where they were machined yet but as I have not had time you will have to excuse this!
If anyone is interested in more details these feel free to ask
Now I have succeeded with the first and most difficult ones they can be made up to any requirements with little or no alteration (basically the length of the block and any anomoly in the upward clearance above the dovetail is the only aspect that needs to be tailored).
scope base underside showing bore for rings and grubscrew base (plastic tipped)
end on showing dovetail
Stock receiver showing 9-11mm rimfire/air rifle dovetail
fitted base showing minimal clearance between receiver top and inside of base.
bases in place
scope mounted on low rise rings and locked in place with cam levers
barrel clearance
6.5-20x40 and 3-9x40IR scopes off the rifle, easily packed in tubes as the ring posts are inside the Objective diameter
I have a Sako Quad with the four calibres and after trying to use the scope settings and alternating between barrels and clikcing back to set zero points for each calibre, found it very difficult.
Burris make a scope with coloured collars on the adjusters but the scope is of dubious quality and does not give me what I want.
I want one lower power scope for the 22lr zeroed at 50yds for use inside 100yds and one higher power scope for the .17M2 and .17HMR zeroed at 100yds (there is almost an exact drop of 12" at 100yds between the two so using the same scope is very easy)
the problem is that most QR scope mounts with a decent design for "return to zero" (or as close as you will get) fitting are made for centre fire barrels with bolt on mounting plates for the receiver of your particular rifle and the mounts themselves are for the Weaver sized dovetail on these screw on bases.
I found some well designed 9-11mm to weaver adaptors (most of them are terrible!) but they were aluminium rather than steel, didnt solve the return to zero quick release problem and when I tried to order them had been discontinued!!
Then I stumpled across some Leupold QR parts made for gunsmiths looking for a bespoke solution.
They are blanks made up to take the Leupold QR rings but require fitting to the rifle in question.
http://www.leupold.com/hunting-and-shooting/products/mounting-systems-and-accessories/mounting-systems/qr-gunmaker-bases/
I did not want the receiver of my rifle drilled and tapped as this in my opinion is wrong and a bit of an agricultural solution given the rifle has a dovetailed and chequered top already. And would not help anyway as most bolt on scope plates are shaped to fit a particular rifle receiver and it would still require these blanks to be machined to match.
As a result of several weeks research, design, trial and error, test fitting and ballache.......I have had some custom mounts made that work a treat.
The dovetail cut into the base matches the industry standard 60 degree 9-11mm dovetail on the rifle receiver perfectly and slide onto the exisiting dovetail on the rifle. held in place with a 6mm vertical grubscrew with oiled plastic tip to avoid any marking of the receiver.
There is zero lateral movement as the dovetail is a resistance fit and without the recoil of a 375H&H there can be zero movement along the line of the barrel as the grub screw pulls the mount up into the receiver dovetail.
no fiddly screws to line up.
no multiple clamp points
no sticky out lever to catch on anything
They are very solid and short of destroying the dovetail on the receiver are not likely to move anywhere. (even if they did the only direction they could move in along the line of sight reducing or extending eye relief)
You can but the Leupold scope rings in low, medium and high format in 1" and 30mm diameter to take care of any possible scope objective size and variation.
those shown are the lowest format leaving plenty of room for a 40mm+ objective as shown. (You could probably squeeze a 50mm on with these but would definitely have to remove the scope to change barrell....which I would be doing anyway so it is a moot point!)
They fit into the bases with a slight resistance as the holes and posts are matched in size. no lateral movement when i place
The cam levers tighten on the posts of the rings in the bore of the base ensuring as close to return to zero as will ever get.
I already know that barrel swapping on the Quad has (little or) no impact on zero.
I still need to get the pictures of the zero tests uploaded but thought I would post up some pics of the mounts for anyone who had been looking for a multi scope or quick release solution to the rimfire or air-rifle problem.
They have not be reblued where they were machined yet but as I have not had time you will have to excuse this!
If anyone is interested in more details these feel free to ask
Now I have succeeded with the first and most difficult ones they can be made up to any requirements with little or no alteration (basically the length of the block and any anomoly in the upward clearance above the dovetail is the only aspect that needs to be tailored).
scope base underside showing bore for rings and grubscrew base (plastic tipped)
end on showing dovetail
Stock receiver showing 9-11mm rimfire/air rifle dovetail
fitted base showing minimal clearance between receiver top and inside of base.
bases in place
scope mounted on low rise rings and locked in place with cam levers
barrel clearance
6.5-20x40 and 3-9x40IR scopes off the rifle, easily packed in tubes as the ring posts are inside the Objective diameter
