AR 1913 rings

[1911 guy]

So I'm almost done with my latest AR build. It's purpose is long range varminting. Long range being predicated on the limitations of a .224" diameter bullet. Probably 500-600 yards max. The rifle will have (ordered but not yet delivered) a 1:9 twist 20" barrel, free floated. The upper receiver is a flat top with picatinny (1913) rail. I've got a 10X (fixed) Bushnell Elite Mildot in hand.

I'm familiar with the option available in Weaver style rings, but not so much in the Picatinny options. Should I be looking at the same companies or is there a better option that i wouldn't be familiar with from my experience with Weaver style rings?

Thinking real hard about going with a 300 yard zero, if that makes any difference in recommendations.

In case anybody's interested, here's the build, in general. S&W lower, DSA parts kit, KNS pins, A2 stock and buffer. Aero Tech upper, BCM bolt, MI SS Gen II 15" free float tube and E.R. Shaw barrel. M4 feed ramps on upper and barrel extension.

I'll be handloading for this, as i've got a good supply of 60gr V-Max bullets and a few pounds of Varget on hand. And about a bajillion cases from my AR and current varmint rifle, a bolt .223. And a few thousand primers. Yeah, I'm a handloading hoarder.

 

[MachIVshooter]

Virtually all 7/8" Weaver rings fit M1913 rails.

Weaver rails are just a little lower profile, so in the reverse scenario, picatinny accessories may not work on them.

Long range being predicated on the limitations of a .224" diameter bullet. Probably 500-600 yards max.

500-600 is really out of .223 range for varminting. It's a 400 yard varmint round. It'll reach, but the kills are unspectacular, wind drift is a nightmare and holdover starts getting extreme.

This is why I switched to .220 Swift. I was running very hot loads out of a 24" Howa .223 that was an absolute tack driver, but on the bigger towns, shots beyond 500 were presented frequently, and I was missing too many. The .220's 1,000 FPS advantage over the .223 made those really long shots more doable.

Remember, praire dogs are barely 2" wide and only 10"-12" tall. That is a very small target at 600+ yards. Even with my .220 & handloads dialed in to where it produces .72 MOA 200 yard, 10-shot groups, my average hit ratio at 700 yards is roughly 15% (6 shots per kill). My longest shot was 782 yards on a lightly breezy day, and it took 7 rounds.

This is why I'm building yet another varmint gun, a Remington 700 based, 29" barreled 6mm-06 AI.

 

[Walkalong]

Many companies who make Weaver style rings make Picatinny style rings as well.

http://www.midwayusa.com/find?sortby=1&itemsperpage=20&newcategorydimensionid=11355

There are a lot of options in rings for Picatinny rails.

I have a Simmons scope in Burris Zee rings mounted to YHM risers that I slide on and off ARs for accuracy testing. It is always on paper at 100 yards.

Here it is on a .300 BLK and a .22 LR.

 

[helotaxi]

Weaver rings will fit on a 1913 rail without issue. The profile of the rails is exactly the same. The difference is in the cross slots in the two rails and the cross bolts in the things meant to attach to them. The Weaver rail uses round profile slots that are usually fairly shallow and round, small diameter cross bolts. The 1913 standard specifies slot spacing as well as width, depth and a square profile. The cross bolts are also either a square profile meant to be a sung fit and lock the ring in place or a round bolt of basically the same diameter as the slot that likewise fits rather snugly. The idea is that the rings won't move in either direction once locked onto the rail.

If you use Weaver rings with a 1913 rail, push the cross bolt all the way forward in the slot befor you tighten it down so it won't move under recoil.

You can't use 1913 rings with a Weaver rail because the cross bolts are too big to fit in the slots on the Weaver base.

I really don't like using individual rings on an AR. I prefer a one piece base. If you really want separate rings, extra high rings are the right ones for an AR.