Integral scope bases like the Ruger m77 and cz550 have always appealed to me. They have four fewer screws that may loosen, shear or strip. Is there a downside to these set-ups I haven't thought of?

citori3

Bases for Rem 700 or Model 70 that are glued and screwed on stay put but with the added advantage of a wide range of scope mounts.

If mounts are not to be detachable, I would regard the ideal mount as one where the base and lower ring are one piece like what D'Arcy Echols and others make or will make. my second choice would be the Dual Dovetail mouns and in both cases with the bases glued and scewed.

On the other hand fora nice custom rifle that might have detachable mounts, I think the CZ style of mounting makes for a nicer looking gun when the mounts are removed.

Mike

The main disadvantage of this type of base is the fixed spacing and the small number of choices for rings. They are, by definition, the strongest "bases" due to being a part of the receiver.

After such gun has been around for awhile, like the Sako dovetail, a lot of manufacturers start making rings for it, making your choices much broader and more adaptable. Offhand, I can think of these manufacturers which make rings for the Sako: Leupold, Redfield, Millett, Weaver, Tasco, Warne, Conetrol, and of course Sako.

You are certainly correct if all is square to the world, the intragal bases are the way to go and it is a fine system...The other option is to use hand fitted bases and glass or solder them on..both work.

I hunt in rain country, so my rifles need scopes and iron sights. My Leupolds don't leak but when raindrops cover the lenses I can't see through them. The Scout rifle is one way to get aperture sights and a scope but with my eyes, 2.5x isn't enough to see partly obscured targets past about 175m.

The only way I know to get a peep sight and a scope in return-to-zero mounts is to add an old folding Redfield peep to a Weaver base. (This won't work with integral bases because they are too small to add anything.) But here's a snag: with the scope off, my only sight could fold. I am about to try the Ashley scope base for Remingtons that has a standing peep built in to it. I want my gunsmith to mill the bottom flat and screw it to my CZ's bridge, then add a base to the receiver ring at the right height. Then I'll have return-to-zero bases and a standing peep sight.

The easy answer is an open rear sight on the barrel, but I grew up on the peep. I used it in the Army, I like it and I'm too old to change now. Okie John.

I like them too, if they are done properly. I have a ruger 480 SRH, and the frame casting was not completely filled out, so the front scope ring cants downward and to the side when tightened. In fact, with one scope, I run out of windage adjustment before I can zero it on paper. Ruger will replace the gun, but it shoots so well, I don't want to get rid of it.

In fareness, the companies that d/t their actions sometimes send out gun with crooked and misaligned screw holes.

I don't see a downside to the integral "bases", in the Ruger M77, they provide an excellent gun, and when you factor in the value of "bases" and rings, you get a heck of a deal.