I've got a Steyr .376 Prohunter. I have Dual Dovetail mounts on it now. It uses the same mounts as a Browning A-bolt. I've never had an A-bolt so I was unaware that you have to rotate the rear mount 180 degrees so the ring is behind (towards the butt) the mounting screws to fit the Steyr. Hell, it looked right and works great. Who knew!

BUT...All those bad apples in the african hunting forum got me convinced that QR mounts are the way to go, so I ordered a set of QR mounts from SWFA to replace them. They came in the brown truck today. And that's when Ignorance and Bliss parted company. (See above paragraph)

The trouble is when you rotate the QR mount, the qr lever is on the right side of the action and the lever shaft is towards the muzzle. The directions say the lever shaft should be towards the butt. The front mount will work correctly with the lever on the left and lever shaft to the rear like it's supposed to be, or reversed to the right side.

My question is.....

If I mount these with the levers to the right side and the lever shafts towards the muzzle, will the recoil forces cause the levers to loosen up with every shot??????

By the way, bolt clearance won't be an issue with the levers on the right side of the action

Elmo

Recoil isn't going to affect that. Pull the levers outward after they are tightened and you can rotate the lever to any direction you want.

Will

Could you be talking about QRW rings instead of QR rings

Elmo

I doubt if the levers would loosen easily.

The ring studs are designed so that the solid side is facing forward, absorbing the recoil from the base. If you reverse them, the hollow side of the stud will be facing forward and absorbing the recoil from the lever. This doesn't sound like a good idea.

Oops! I don't have reading comprehension apparently!

So to save myself.... I don't like those little QR levers and have had a few break off! That did it for me and switched to the QRW's.

I'm not liking the smell of this.....

Elmo

Elmo,

I've used both the QR's and the QRW's. I don't think the lever/reversed side thing you described would be a problem. I shot some decent groups while loading testing 375's with a QR equipped rig that when I hadn't tightened down one ring during he entire shooting session! So having one reversed won't even be an issue.

But, check and make sure the height/profile of the QR base doesn't obscure your rear sight. On one of my rifles the QR's are a bit high and I went to the lower profile QRW base.

The smaller levers of the QR has never been a problem for me. I broke one once, but that is because I dropped the dumb thing on a concrete floor (my bad). It was a simple fix with a replacement lever from Leupold.

To break one off in the field would take some doing. I suppose there are guys out there that could magilla one enough to break it but then they are the type that could break a ball bearing.

The QRW's aren't the sleekest looking thing but the lever is indeed a bit larger and you can pull it out and "park" it so the levers are both running east/west with one another.

If the QR doesn't block your view of the rear sight, stick with it and be happy.

Elmo,

I have Al Talbot's mounts and he even has them on US military sniper rifles...They are quick release mounts and none can compare with his..
They are expensive but for piece of mind you will not be disappointed...

Mike

Well, I don't know. But it is a good question.

I have QR mounts on several guns where the levers are both on the left side and recoil does seem to tighten them, until finally I have to use a pair of pliers to break them loose. I don't know if having the levers on the right side would change anything or not.

Maybe try calling or emailing Leupold and asking the tech guys what will happen.

If you go ahead and try them, let us know how they hold up.

I just talked to a Leup tech rep. They said NOT to install the bases with the lever forward toward the muzzle end. The recoil forces would act on the lever shaft which will mess 'em up. The QR mounts are designed to tighten under recoil when properly installed.

Elmo

quote:

Originally posted by elmo:



If I mount these with the levers to the right side and the lever shafts towards the muzzle, will the recoil forces cause the levers to loosen up with every shot?

I don't really understand your question because I don't understand why you think you need or want to mount these things bass-ackwards.

I have these Leupold QR mounts on four Remington rifles -- three 700s and one 721 -- in calibers .270 Winchester, 30-06, .300 Weatherby, and .375 H&H. I like them a lot, and recommend them highly. I think they look good. Moreover, they allow you to remove the scope without changing the aiming point in order to do such things as clean the rifle, replace one scope with another, etc.

Lloyd

The mounts are designed for the BRN A-bolt. You need to rotate the rear mount 180 degrees to fit the Steyr due to where the holes are tapped into the receiver. I'll have to send them back, which is a shame because I like the design and they look good too.

Regards
Elmo

quote:

Originally posted by elmo:
Lloyd

The mounts are designed for the BRN A-bolt. You need to rotate the rear mount 180 degrees to fit the Steyr due to where the holes are tapped into the receiver. I'll have to send them back, which is a shame because I like the design and they look good too.

Regards
Elmo

It seems to me that there are at least three things you can do:

(1) Call Leupold and see whether they make QR bases specifically to fit your gun and its mounting holes. If they do not, then:

(2) See whether you could get a blank QR base -- i.e. one without screw holes drilled in it -- and then have the holes custom drilled to fit your gun's holes, or

(3) have new holes drilled and tapped in your gun to fit the holes in the QR base with the base installed as it should be (i.e. not rotated 180 degrees).

Lloyd

I'm think I'm gonna go with ...

(4) Send 'em back and get Talley's which are theoretically designed for the Steyr.

Thanks anyway for your input

Elmo