To those with experience,
which are the benefits if any of mounting a single base (a Picatinny rail or the like) on a Rem 700 SA ?
Will it stiffen the action ? are there downsides in mounting a single base versus regular two bases ?

The gun is a VLS in 6mm Remington intended for paper punching and long range varminting.

Regards

quote:

Originally posted by GBF:
To those with experience,
which are the benefits if any of mounting a single base (a Picatinny rail or the like) on a Rem 700 SA ?
Will it stiffen the action ? are there downsides in mounting a single base versus regular two bases ?

The gun is a VLS in 6mm Remington intended for paper punching and long range varminting.

Regards

In my experience a once piece base does add a small amount of stiffness at the expense of a bit more weight and a bit more difficult loading of rounds depending on the style used.

A Picatinny style gives you more freedom in placing the rings/scope if that is important to you.

All my 700’s are clip slotted and all have lugged one piece bases so they add quite a bit more stiffness than non-lugged bases.

I consider two-piece bases as generally more desireable than one-piece bases for the following reasons:

* The two-piece is usually held on by four screws, whereas the one-piece typically uses only three, making the attachment to the gun theoretically one-third stronger. (A one-piece has no effect on the "stiffness" of the action.)

* A one-piece base tends to restrict access to the loading port slightly.

* A two piece is usually lighter in weight, though this may not be a factor in your particular application.

The multi-slot Pictinny rails appear to provide a lot of latitude in scope placement, but offset two piece bases, many of which have two slots per base, also provide a great deal of latitude.

That said, there's nothing really wrong with the one-piece, it's just that the two-piece has some advantages.

The vast majority of one piece bases (and all of the Picatinny bases) for 700’s, except for the windage adjustable styles, have four mounting screws not three.

The loading port issue can be a legitimate one if you need fast reloads for some reasone.

The Picatinny styles are really only useful if you are swapping scopes with a great deal of difference in mounting locations. They were designed for the military to mount a large variety of types and sizes of sighting systems on a single weapon. Most guys will never use more than one or two sets of the slots at most.

The “stiffness†feature (if there truly is one) is largely a non-issue for all practical purposes since 700’s achieve their reputation for accuracy and ruggedness from the front receiver ring/barrel/chamber design not from the “stiffness†of the center of the receiver.

One other possible plus to a one piece base is that it theoretically would provide a slightly more ridged platform for the scope since any flex or stress would be transferred to the entire base rather one or the other of a two base system that could tweak the scope tube. That might be of some concern on a big kicker but certainbly wouldn’t come much into play with your 6mm.

Bottom line, pick the style you like because any difference will be so small you’ll probably never notice it.

Thanks guys for the inputs

Well stated, Rick.

I like P rails for all the things Rick mentioned.

Many folks make a decent rail, but I like Badger Ord. best.

quote:

Originally posted by cheaptrick:
Well stated, Rick.

I like P rails for all the things Rick mentioned.

Many folks make a decent rail, but I like Badger Ord. best.

Badger bases and rings are about the best out there for heavy duty service. I also have a Unertl one piece, lugged base with integral rings that I love.