I guess we have all seen the Swarovski adds regarding their new rail mounting system for their scopes. I think that in theory this system has a lot going for it. Has anyone used this system or another rail mounting system they can recommend? Would this system allow a scope to be detachable for iron sight use? What does the Forum think?

I don't know what the ad campaign for rail mounted scopes is presenting but rail mounted scopes from Swaro, Zeiss, Schmit & Bender and a lot of others have been around in Europe for a long time. The scopes cost more (from 100 to 200 Euro more) with the rail. My impression is that they are pointless on a bolt action and are designed mainly for double guns or Kiplaufs.

sales gimick

I have not used the new Swarovski rail system - only their old "traditional" one. However in their new rail mounts, both Swaro and S&B essentially copied the ideas from the Zeiss internal rail system (which I have used on a number of scopes - 3 at present), and which I believe is quite simply the best mount system available. In my experience, the Zeiss internal rail system is better than a ring based system in at least the following aspects: no issues with compressing the scope tube, no issues with alignment of rings, no issues with aligning the reticle, no issues with moving the scope either on the same gun, or from gun to gun (no ringmarks), more leeway to position the scope when mounting because you don't have to worry about the reticle adjustment "towers".

Don't get me wrong, ring mounts can work really well - they have done so for years and will continue to do so. I have many more scopes mounted with rings than with rails, largely because scopes made for the US market don't come with rails, and these scopes can be had at lower prices than the Euro scopes. Sad, but there it is

I have to say, I have not used the Zeiss internal rail mount on anything larger than a .375 H&H, but up to that level, the mount has certainly held up well.

I have used scopes with rail mounts on both bolt action rifles and breaktop guns (Drilling, O&U rifle/shot combination, single shot breaktop rifle). Rail mounts are certainly not limited for use on combination or breaktop guns.

The Swaro and S&B versions of the internal rail mounts have been "improved" with additional mechanisms to prevent scope slippage. The Zeiss system relies on friction to hold the scope (just like a ring based system does), both the Swaro and the S&B systems add "teeth" to the equation.

Rail mount systems are not very common in the US, where rings traditionally have dominated the market. Thus, possibly, some of the more informed comments from people who have never used these systems. Our very own Aleko from Heritage Arms (SLC, UT) started using Zeiss rail mounts of late. He was just thrilled with them. Give him a call, and talk to somebody who has actually used these mounts.
- mike

I've used rail mount scopes (Zeiss) for years, and for all the reasons Mike mentioned above will continue to do so.
So does a lot of friends and family. None of them have ever had a single compaint with rail mounts. The same can not be said for scopes with ring mounts, where I know of several instances of scope tube compression and scope misalignment. The scope tube itself is also stronger with the rail, and I would like to see someone argue why that would be a bad thing!

Nothing beats a rail mount for class and durability.

mho,

mho,
My last reply didn't get printed. I wanted to ask you, are there quick release systems for these mounts that allow real quick release and return to zero? Also, is it possible to mount the scope as low as with the ring system? The ring system usually allows a choice of ring/scope height but I don't know of the possiblities with the rail system.

Zeiss Jena railmount on a Brno:

fla3006,
Looks nice. But you could probably mount the scope an inch furthur forward with a ring system. This may or not be a problem in a heavy recoiler, depending on the shooter and the scope's eye relief.

I like the Swarovski/Blaser system. I think it is one of the best systems for mounting a scope.

Except!

It's not a good system to mount a scope low.

And it's not cheap!

Wink,

Quick release mounts are available from EAW, Recknagel (ERA), and several others. Blaser even makes a mount for rails for their special system. With all the above, return to zero isn't a problem IMO.

quote:

Originally posted by Wink:
mho,
are there quick release systems for these mounts that allow real quick release and return to zero?

Absolutely, as it was mentioned above, EAW, Blaser etc make some of the best QD mounts in the world - really a European tradition, as opposed to an American.

quote:

Also, is it possible to mount the scope as low as with the ring system? The ring system usually allows a choice of ring/scope height but I don't know of the possiblities with the rail system.

I would say, typically US mounts can be had lower than corresponding Euro mounts. Very often, European mounts come in exactly 1 height (perhaps 2, but that will be it). Whereas US mounts sometimes come in as many as 5 heights. A lot of Euro scopes have larger objective lenses than their US counterparts, thus super-low rings are not as important.

US mounts are typically also quite a bit cheaper than European mounts. Heck, for the price of a clawmount in Europe, you can buy a brand new rifle in the States.
- mike

I don't know about all the differant european mounts, but I have a Recknagel cataloge that shows various differant hights for most of their mounts. I would guess that EAW has the same options to some degree.

Erik here is a mauser rifle with a rail mount



Cheers,

André

Wow André, what a beautiful rifle you have!