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Posted: 8/4/2012 6:18:19 PM EDT
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I recently built an AR for my wife. I currently only have MBUS on it. I plan on teaching her how to shoot with irons but I know she isn't going to like it very much. I wanna get a scope for her but I haven't decided on one and wanna save up for it.
I have a PA red dot on mine and was thinking of trying it out on hers. I'm wondering if I got a quick detach mount if I could use it on both rifles easy enough. I realize that the zero on each rifle may be slightly different but would it be pretty close? I'd imagine that a more quality mount is probably better at keeping zero If this would work what would be a good mount for me? I really didn't want to spend a lot on it if possible....less than $100? Thanks Paul |
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I personally would NOT buy a QD mount only for the purpose of swapping 1 optic from one weapon to another.
If using a LaRue mount, for instance, you would have to 'assume' that both rails are close enough in order to NOT have to adjust the mount to fit the rail. ASSUMING that both rails are identical then the mount should swap back & forth without requiring ANY adjustment. You would want to zero the optic in on your weapon. When you swap the optic over the other weapon you would obviously have to zero it in. When making adjustments you would have to keep track of the up & down adjustments. Count the clicks both up & down. Make note of those adjustments and IF the optic's adjustments are reliable & repeatable then you should be able to move the optic back & forth from weapon to weapon (assuming that both rails are identical) and the optic should be swappable. You would still want to confirm the zero after swapping from one weapon to another just in case. Considering all the fuss it would require ... you might as well save yourself the cost of a QD mount and simply re-zero the optic every time you swap it. IF you plan to swap often enough then you might as well get her her own optic and mount whether it be a common mount or a QD mount. Personally I prefer a QD mount for every optic I own. I see the value in a good mount, but it depends on the value of the optic itself. The primary purpose of QD mounts is to remove & replace the same optic from the same weapon. If you have multiple optics with their own QD mounts then you can swap multiple optics on the same weapon as long as they are all zeroed in on the same weapon. |
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It could be close.....or it could be off by miles.
Depends on the rails. I would NOT expect them to be very close. QD's are designed for one gun mounting...and mounting at the same spot on the rail then. Zero on T12....remount to T12 it should be within 1/X inches of zero. This would NOT be the case one two separate rifles even by the same MFG. expect to re-zero between guns. J |
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Isn't a PA red dot about the same price as a good QD mount?
I tried the sharing one device between two platforms concept a couple years back, albeit with a Gen3 riflescope, and it was a major PITA. Not a particularly good plan considering how challenging it is to sight in NV in the first place, and the scope was used for hunting. If your wife doesn't like the irons, either give her your PA or just by her one. |
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The vast majority of "quick detach" optic mounts I have played with over the past 45 years do not come back to zero perfectly after being removed. The one exception remains my 1934 Model 54's G&H side mount. That can be taken on and off 100 times and will be zeroed every time. I have not played with the HK claw, so cannot comment.
That said, it is really no big deal to keep a log of how many clicks you adjust a dot between two different rifles. Even I can do it. Assuming a quality QD mount, when you dial in the correction each time you will likely not have a perfect zero, but it will be close enough for most purposes, ie., CQB to 100 yd coyotes. 200 yd prairie dogs are not one of those "most purposes", but you knew that. Sam |
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That would be similar to the holy grail, or at least pretty cool, to have lucked into two rifles with exactly the same POI so you can swap optics between the two without re-adjustment. The odds would be astronomical.
I would try it just to see if you have that. Otherwise, you'll be wasting rounds each time you have to re-zero it to the new rifle. |
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I have a Bushnell Elite 3200 3-9x40 in a LaRue mount. I transferred the optic/mount combo over to a different rifle and took not of the corrections. I have yet to move it back, but I'm glad I took note of the corrections that need made.
The day I swap it back I will confirm the settings to see if the optic returns to zero. The LaRue mount did not require any adjustment so the mount will return to zero. It's the optic that is left in question. Seeing how you will have to confirm your zero anyway ... I couldn't' recommend buying a QD mount just for this swap which would rarely occur. A QD mount is not a waste of money, but it's up to you as to whether you want one for that optic. I use a QD mount for all of my optics now and I have never regretted it or lost zero on any single occasion. |
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What model PA do you have?
You can pick up a second scope for the wife for around 100, or give her yours and start saving up for a new one. I have been using a cheap Tasco on a UTG riser for co witness and have been happily surprised by the results. The scope was free from a friend but new they are $40 and the riser was under $20. |
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Buy a Bushnell TRS-25 and medium (for absolute cowitness) or high (for 1/3 cowitness) 3 slot UTG riser for under $100.
You may just like it better than the PA RDS. It's that good. It's at least good enough for your wife's rifle. The quality of the dot is as good as the dot in my Comp M4(s), and while not having quite the brightness of the M4 in the "set your retina on fire" max setting, it is quite bright at its max. Joe |
| I have 2 identical uppers and the one the Aimpoints been zeroed on shoots a little to the right when tested on the identical but unzeroed upper..so swaping out while it was close would still have to be zeroed and would be impractical to swap out from one to another. |
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Speaking of cowitness, you can zero the sight with the irons if your irons are zeroed.
And vice versa, you can zero your irons to a sight that is zeroed. Beware of parallax and keep the dot centered in the optic when you do this (even the parallax free optics have a little parallax up close). Always confirm with actual rounds, but you can get them real close (save ammo) that way. |
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