Downside of one-piece base/mount/rings?

[EJA1979]

First post here guys. I just purchased my first long range rifle; and am new to long range shooting in general. The gun I bought is a Remington 700 5R Milspec. So I'm on the search for the best rings and bases and whatnot. My question is; what is the downside to products that are a mount, base and rings all in one? Meaning; they are all one solid CNC milled piece? Here is a link to one made by nightforce.

http://www.nightforceoptics.com/RINGS__BASES___MOUNTS/mountsdirectmountL.jpg

I see people arguing about which mount, base or rings to buy. Either way....it is three different pieces that will never match up perfectly. So, why arent these one piece "all-in-ones" more popular? Are there downsides i'm not taking into consideration? If anyone has any experience with one of these; input would be great!

Thanks!

Eric

 

[EJA1979]

Here is the caption for the picture of the nightforce all-in-one.

Direct Mount
This Nightforce system combines a high quality CNC machined 7075-T6 hard anodized aluminum base with an integrated ring design. Built to mount directly to your Remington 700 short or long actions, the 20 M.O.A. taper maximizes internal adjustment. The Direct Mount ensures true alignment and maximum strength for precision shooting. Like all Nightforce mounts, it incorporates an integral recoil lug which prevents any movement of the base or stress on the screws attaching the Direct Mount to the receiver. It is the ultimate in a weight-saving one-piece design.

 

[A-FIXER]

mounts

EJ,
Well that was a good answer by that and having a built in 20 moa for long-long shots... put it this way less things to come loose and but some of us like to piece it together for our tast and to fit the standard in assembling parts that have been proven over and over but the cost may make you choice in mounts and or scope combo unit you put together I personally got indivdiual components on my long rg rifle. This doesn't mean that this is all you need .... lots of luck . WELCOME TO THE HIGH ROAD .......
dan

 

[EJA1979]

Well thats the thing, buying this one piece "Direct Mount" is actually cheaper than buying the individual components. I just read a thread on snipercentral.com that discussed this mount. Sounds like the only drawback is that it makes it harder to take the scope off and put in on another rifle...since the rings arent detachable. I can live with that since this is my only scoped rifle. By the way, I'm planning on putting a SWFA SS(super sniper) 10x42M on it.

 

[WNTFW]

1 piece mount or base takes up more of the port space. Not a bad trade off. More of an issue on a hunting rifle vs a target rifle.

 

[MCMXI]

I have Badger Ordnance 20MOA picatinny one-piece bases on both my match rifles, along with Leupold Mark 4 rings. The problem with the one-piece system from Nightforce or DNZ (or others) is that you have a limited amount of fore/aft scope movement to get the proper eye relief. Now add in a US Optics anti cant level and it gets more complicated. I've seen so many scopes with the center housing shoved up against the front ring. That style of scope mounting isn't for me so I like separate rings and an extended base. This allows me to center the scope between the rings and then move the scope/rings forward to get the proper eye relief. There are a lot of stresses put on scopes as it is, why make it tougher than it has to be? Also, with my current setup, I can remove the scope and then reinstall it without any detectable change in zero. As for separate rings and bases being less reliable .... ... the rings are mounted to the base with 65 in-lb of torque on 1/2" nuts, the rings have recoil lugs, the base has a recoil lug, and the base screws (four) are torqued to 18 in-lb with Loctite on the threads. Yep, that's an accident waiting to happen!

 

[DRYHUMOR]

Several years ago, I picked up a used rifle that had one of these on it

http://www.deathfromafar.com/htm/08_products_detail.php?id=231

I promptly pulled it off and resold the rifle. I use it on a Remington LTR rifle.

Granted, it's not a CNC one piece, but it's as solid as one. I have yet to try a CNC made unit, but in reality, they would all be made the same, and they are made for 90% of the applications out there.

As 1858 describes above, some scopes just won't work.

I use Farrell made rails and rings on other rifles

http://www.kenfarrell.com/index.html

and no complaints about them at all. The customer service is great also.

I guess you may want to decide on a scope first, then look into what mounting system will work best for you.

 

[Uncle Mike]

I have Badger Ordnance 20MOA picatinny one-piece bases on both my match rifles, along with Leupold Mark 4 rings. The problem with the one-piece system from Nightforce or DNZ (or others) is that you have a limited amount of fore/aft scope movement to get the proper eye relief. Now add in a US Optics anti cant level and it gets more complicated. I've seen so many scopes with the center housing shoved up against the front ring. That style of scope mounting isn't for me so I like separate rings and an extended base. This allows me to center the scope between the rings and then move the scope/rings forward to get the proper eye relief. There are a lot of stresses put on scopes as it is, why make it tougher than it has to be? Also, with my current setup, I can remove the scope and then reinstall it without any detectable change in zero. As for separate rings and bases being less reliable .... ... the rings are mounted to the base with 65 in-lb of torque on 1/2" nuts, the rings have recoil lugs, the base has a recoil lug, and the base screws (four) are torqued to 18 in-lb with Loctite on the threads. Yep, that's an accident waiting to happen!

This method has worked for years, and is still utilized by folks who HAVE to get it right...it will work as well for you! Also, call me old and fashioned but... I despise aluminum bases and rings on anything but a toy gun!

Excellent advice... take it, and give 1858 virtual shot o' scotch and a Cohiba-