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Posted: 3/7/2008 6:05:31 AM EDT
| I just got my Aimpoint ML3 however a friend gave me a cantileaver mout for free. It has not markings or brand name on it so i am guess it is just some kind of cheap genaric knock off, but i must say it does look like it was machined well and its rock solid but I have only shot about 200rd with it. Anyways i was wondering is it really worth another $150 to buy a Larue, GG&G, Daniel Defence ect. mount or do the cheep ones work or should i just use the cheap one untill it brakes and by then i should have recovered from the -$450 in my bank account and then buy a nice mount. |
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I dont have my camera right now, i dropped it and the lense got stuck in full zoom mode. Took it to the store i bought it at and said "i was just taking a picture and it got stuck" so they said it would be covered under warrenty. They claim it will be done by thursday so i sould have pics up by then. anyways a description of it is it has a hex nut that holds in on the upper, and six allen screws that hold the aimpoint and is a machined out hole in the middle of it so you can see thrugh it. |
What is the difference between them. |
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In my experience, as long as they fit and don't actually break (parts break off, screws strip, etc), they hold up fine. Often the finish isn't as robust as on more expensive parts, so you'll have more finish wear, especially if swap it around a lot, but I don't care about that. Return to zero can be a problem with cheap quick release mechanisms, but my inexpensive non-QR mounts return to zero fine if I mount them the same each time. I'm usually shooting XM193, so it's not like I'd notice a half MOA shift or anything. |
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I have KAC mount and a no name look alike. In fact the one I have sounds like the one you have. It cost me $35. I can't tell the difference between the two. They both weigh about the same and the finish is close to the same. If there is a functional difference between the two it is lost on me. |
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Do Cheap Mounts work?? Absolutely....Right up until the time they don't.... and you know when that is??? You don't.. that's the problem...Cheap Pot metal with cheap aluminum threads on bolts. One drop on the deck at teh wrong time and kapow.. broken mount. Will it hold up to the one Sat a Month trip to the range for an afternoon of plinking?? Sure. If that's good by you, then have at it... Oh, and how does some thing look "Well machined" Now there's a standard to judge by......  I would say it's not Important to you. so save your money and keep using the no name mount until it fails. |
| I dont have an aimpoint, but I did buy some knock off mount for my ptr91. The mount looked well made and it seemed to fit ok. Then I took it to the range and the thing would not hold zero and I had to adjust the scope all the way to the right and it was still not zero'd. The mount is now a paper weight and I purchased an ARMS mount. I learned that from now on I will save up and buy the best mount from now on. Cheap mounts are usually cheap for one reason...they are made cheap. That's just my experience with cheap knock off products. |
| Since you asked about why a cheap mount would be conceivably worse than a name-brand mount, I'd say the differences lie not it finish and machining, which is largely irrelevant to function, but things like materials used in important areas, whether or not it has a recoil lug fit to pic specs, and if the crossbolt is sturdy enough to hold a zero. |
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I dont have an aimpoint, but I do have a SPOT red dot. The SPOT comes with a mount. Some have said it is a good mount, other have said it is not. I will never know because I bought an ARMS mount on the EE with the 1/2" spacer and canitilever spacer for $100. If you are going to drop 450 on an aimpoint, i would spend the $$ to get an appropriate mount for it. They can readily be had on the EE. Dont risk it |
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