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Posted: 6/28/2026 11:09:07 AM EDT
| I haven't bought a mount in a while. I'm looking to stay around $150. Light weight is a priority. I don't want QD. Height will be 1.5". It will need to be a forward cantilever. Any suggestions based on what you've personally used? |
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Griffin makes one here. I have their LW version, but there are definitely other lighter brands. Attached File |
If life was easy nobody would quit.
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Sig alpha msr mount is great. I ran one for about 3 years and never had an issue. Very durable and the screws it came with were not cheap and didn’t have to worry about them stripping. I did torque everything to spec. It never shifted zero and the finish held up. They come in black and coyote brown. You can find them for $80. I switched mine out for a Geissele vortex mount. Did I need to? Absolutely not. The mount still worked fine and I’m not gentle with my gear. It gets heavily used. I just always wanted a Geissele mount. And honestly, the Geissele mount doesn’t do anything functionally better than the sig alpha. If you need a mount in 30mm I highly recommend you give em a hard look. |
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Sig alpha msr mount is great. I ran one for about 3 years and never had an issue. Very durable and the screws it came with were not cheap and didn’t have to worry about them stripping. I did torque everything to spec. It never shifted zero and the finish held up. They come in black and coyote brown. You can find them for $80. I switched mine out for a Geissele vortex mount. Did I need to? Absolutely not. The mount still worked fine and I’m not gentle with my gear. It gets heavily used. I just always wanted a Geissele mount. And honestly, the Geissele mount doesn’t do anything functionally better than the sig alpha. If you need a mount in 30mm I highly recommend you give em a hard look. |
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Originally Posted By bluedog82: Warne is a solid option in that price range. Aren't Warne mounts kinda low? I think i remember them being 1.43 back when I was looking at their x skel mounts. . |
I am not an operator nor am I very smart.
Keep that in mind when reading my comments:-)
Keep that in mind when reading my comments:-)
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I like the Warne mounts. https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1592158542?pid=645252 |
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This is a sleeper if you don't need quick detach. It's strong, never an issue with a semi .308. https://www.eurooptic.com/leupold-mark-ar-30mm-matte-177094 |
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Originally Posted By Brahmzy: Scalarworks is top-tier stuff. If you can find them in stock! Got their new one. It didn’t sit level relative to the upper, and the recoil lug didn’t make any contact with the pic slot either, so the round cross bolts were your *actual* lug. Probably fine, but I prefer more contact of a flat surface versus a round one. Tried on various uppers including KAC and Geissele. Not much point of their leveling system if the mount sits crooked on the upper. Thanks to Larue, I know to check this on every mount I buy, as I had issues with their stuff doing this as well. To date, I have never had an issue with Geissele, Badger C1 or Unity mounts sitting level relative to the upper. Sent it back. |
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Originally Posted By Marksman14: Got their new one. It didn’t sit level relative to the upper, and the recoil lug didn’t make any contact with the pic slot either, so the round cross bolts were your *actual* lug. Probably fine, but I prefer more contact of a flat surface versus a round one. Tried on various uppers including KAC and Geissele. Not much point of their leveling system if the mount sits crooked on the upper. Thanks to Larue, I know to check this on every mount I buy, as I had issues with their stuff doing this as well. To date, I have never had an issue with Geissele, Badger C1 or Unity mounts sitting level relative to the upper. Sent it back. @Marksman14 Was it the FUSE/02 you got? That’s the one I’ve been after. I’ve heard nothing but stellar things about their mounts, but that’s mostly been the QD Leaps. I don’t need QD and the Leaps don’t come in 1.7 height. |
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I just bought 2 Reptilia AUS 30mm 1.7” mounts. In stock and crazy sale at Optics Planet right now - $206.99 free shipping Good enough for the UK Military, good enough for me, I guess. I’ve read lots of good things about them. 5.82oz for the 1.7” The 1.7” Scalarworks is 5.64oz, so not too far off. |
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Tons of options honestly. UTG Accusync is pretty nice overall. One of the lighter QD mounts out there that won't break the bank or be a disappointment. 5 7 oz and rated for .338 Lapua Warne on a budget is a great option too if you don't need QD. ADM/Scalarworks/Bobro if you don't mind spending more. I'd avoid the Aero light weight mounts. |
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Originally Posted By Brahmzy: @Marksman14 Was it the FUSE/02 you got? That’s the one I’ve been after. I’ve heard nothing but stellar things about their mounts, but that’s mostly been the QD Leaps. I don’t need QD and the Leaps don’t come in 1.7 height. Correct. The overall system looked fantastic. It was extremely disappointing. |
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Originally Posted By Marksman14: Got their new one. It didn’t sit level relative to the upper, and the recoil lug didn’t make any contact with the pic slot either, so the round cross bolts were your *actual* lug. Probably fine, but I prefer more contact of a flat surface versus a round one. Tried on various uppers including KAC and Geissele. Not much point of their leveling system if the mount sits crooked on the upper. Thanks to Larue, I know to check this on every mount I buy, as I had issues with their stuff doing this as well. To date, I have never had an issue with Geissele, Badger C1 or Unity mounts sitting level relative to the upper. Sent it back. Originally Posted By Marksman14: Originally Posted By Brahmzy: Scalarworks is top-tier stuff. If you can find them in stock! Got their new one. It didn’t sit level relative to the upper, and the recoil lug didn’t make any contact with the pic slot either, so the round cross bolts were your *actual* lug. Probably fine, but I prefer more contact of a flat surface versus a round one. Tried on various uppers including KAC and Geissele. Not much point of their leveling system if the mount sits crooked on the upper. Thanks to Larue, I know to check this on every mount I buy, as I had issues with their stuff doing this as well. To date, I have never had an issue with Geissele, Badger C1 or Unity mounts sitting level relative to the upper. Sent it back. Yeah, while I like Scalarworks, I would never consider them top tier for a scope mount. I generally use their small mounts for AimPoint micros and Acros. I think of Spuhr as top tier, but they're neither lightweight nor inexpensive. Reptilia, Geissele, Badger, and Area 419 are all probably probably one notch down, but they're also going to be more expensive than what the OP is looking to spend, unless you catch something on sale. |
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Originally Posted By scuba_steve: Yeah, while I like Scalarworks, I would never consider them top tier for a scope mount. I generally use their small mounts for AimPoint micros and Acros. I think of Spuhr as top tier, but they're neither lightweight nor inexpensive. Reptilia, Geissele, Badger, and Area 419 are all probably probably one notch down, but they're also going to be more expensive than what the OP is looking to spend, unless you catch something on sale. Sphur has consistently lost zero and had mount issues in far greater numbers than the others you mentioned during testing at rokslide. They hold Area 419 in the highest regard. EDIT: It appears the issues are more localized than initially how I understood it. They are referring to the side clamps, and alot of the other posters did not report similar findings. |
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Great timing for this thread OP. I’m contemplating the same. Kind of. Do I buy a nicer mount while using a cheaper LVPO so when I can afford to upgrade the optic I’ll already have a good mount? Or do I buy the optic with their mount? (Burris RT-6). Interested in the discussion. Subscribed. |
| I decided to try a Warne MaxLite MSR. Primary Arms has them on sale for $60. I can't find my old favorite DNZ Freedom Reaper for under $180. The Warne is an ounce lighter as well. Hopefully, it stays put. I've had great success with many DNZ mounts, but I wanted to try something a little higher again, and shave some weight. |
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Originally Posted By HighlanderI: Great timing for this thread OP. I’m contemplating the same. Kind of. Do I buy a nicer mount while using a cheaper LVPO so when I can afford to upgrade the optic I’ll already have a good mount? Or do I buy the optic with their mount? (Burris RT-6). Interested in the discussion. Subscribed. Job 1 for a mount is to make the scope stay put. Some mounts and rings allow slight movements that are hard to pin down. I've had it happen twice, once with no-name rings and once with the aforementioned Aero lightweight mount. Since then, I've erred on the side of bullet proof. Many rifles (and ammo) don't shoot well enough to find the mount's deficiency in the first place. A Burris mount should hold. Their downside is usually weight. Extra money in a mount usually gets you some combination of lighter weight, quick detach, accessory compatibility, cool looks, and a desired brand name, once you pass the mandatory threshold of holding the scope absolutely in place. I helped a friend with a build recently who ran out of budget at mount time. He went with the basic Primary Arms house brand. I have to say that I was impressed for the price. It appeared to work fine through initial zeroing and function testing of the rifle. |
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Originally Posted By HunterKiller86: Sphur has consistently lost zero and had mount issues in far greater numbers than the others you mentioned during testing at rokslide. They hold Area 419 in the highest regard. The ISMS Picatinny mount? That would be surprising to hear. |
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Originally Posted By HunterKiller86: Sphur has consistently lost zero and had mount issues in far greater numbers than the others you mentioned during testing at rokslide. They hold Area 419 in the highest regard. Not doubting you, but do you have some links? I did a simple search and couldn’t find anything concrete about this. I’ve had very good luck with Spuhr mounts, but I basically only run Nightforce at this point since I absolutely need optics that can take abuse, and they seem to be the reigning champion on that front. But as long as the scope mount is installed properly I’m really struggling to see how spuhr wouldn’t be a top performer. |
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My mistake! It was a thread on SH, not rokslide. I can DM you the thread. EDIT: It appears the issues are more localized than initially how I understood it. They are referring to the side clamps, and alot of the other posters did not report similar findings. |
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Originally Posted By HunterKiller86: My mistake! It was a thread on SH, not rokslide. I can DM you the thread. EDIT: It appears the issues are more localized than initially how I understood it. They are referring to the side clamps, and alot of the other posters did not report similar findings. Thanks for the follow up, because every review I've seen for the ISMS mounts has been extremely positive, with some even referring to them as the gold standard. I like it for numerous reasons, including how it allows you to add other components (e.g., a level, diving board, red dot) without having to remove and replace one of the rings. That's especially useful if you follow their advice to use powdered rosin between the internal grooves when mounting a scope on a heavily recoiling rifle, and later decide you want to add an accessory to the mount. Interestingly enough, they also recommend lightly oiling your rail before you mount and torque it down, but I've heard that as more of a general recommendation as well, and not specific to Spuhr.  Wet Mounting a Rifle Scope with Hakan Spuhr: Myth or Reality? |
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Originally Posted By scuba_steve: Thanks for the follow up, because every review I've seen for the ISMS mounts has been extremely positive, with some even referring to them as the gold standard. I like it for numerous reasons, including how it allows you to add other components (e.g., a level, diving board, red dot) without having to remove and replace one of the rings. That's especially useful if you follow their advice to use powdered rosin between the internal grooves when mounting a scope on a heavily recoiling rifle, and later decide you want to add an accessory to the mount. Interestingly enough, they also recommend lightly oiling your rail before you mount and torque it down, but I've heard that as more of a general recommendation as well, and not specific to Spuhr.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kL5LvXd14YcI'm glad this came up to be honest. I know some people that run gen 2 mounts, and did not realize that they had issues with the locking bars breaking. My mount is a gen 3, and now looking at the pictures, its obvious that mine is beefier, on top of being steel. Thanks to Hunterkiller86, I learned a fair amount about something that while it may not impact me personally, has already been passed on to a few people using those mounts that absolutely *need* them to work- it also appears that the older mounts will accept the newer steel bars, so even better. Overall, this is why I love tech. I legitimately otherwise never would have known this. |
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Originally Posted By bluedog82: Warne is a solid option in that price range. I like Warne mounts. |
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Proud member of Team Ranstad.
Arfcom St Jude Mafia 3 years
Arfcom callsign: trenchfoot
Joined:
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Joined:
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I have the one you listed. I like it a lot. Relatively light, made in USA and Warne has a good rep. The only thing about it is that the MSR mounts are slide on vs. clamp on like their higher end ones. That may be an issue for some. |
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