Bodycovers/Mounts: Opinions, technical info, RTZ

[gunnut1]

OK group here we go. I have been investigating the different scope mounts. I see a "South Africian" mount, the DSA mount, haven't found the ARMS mount yet, dust cover mounts, B-Square (nuff said) mounts. Which is the best and offers the least amount of movenemt. I think the DSA mount is based on the Leatherwood "South Africian" mount.
Suggestion are always welcome and glady accepted.

[EMDII]

DSA- bolts in, rock solid.
ARMS or Entreprise clone- slips on, repeatable removal/reinstallation.

Both are pricey, but I prefer the ARMS for it's sleeler look and ease of removal/installation. The FAL, as delivered, is NOT a sniper. Ergo, a good ARMS is plenty good.

Current 'South African' is a knock-off of Leatherwood's earlier design. I don;t believe it's an import.
B-square- be-ware.

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1*.....Train Like You Fight: Second Place is NOT an Option.

E.M. (Ted) Dannemiller II

[gunnut1]

Wouldn't give ya .02 for a B Square anything.
Does ARMS have a web site?

[ANON]

If these scope mounts are south african, why don't we see surplus mounts available?

[Blood of Tyrants]

I have a B-Square. I'm going to have to do some work to it to make it fit better. I wouldn't get another one. But since I put a red dot eltctronic scope on it, it is good enough.

[RayVet]

I have a DSA (a South African Clone) and it is rock solid.. The Federal is also said to be very close to the SA, and half the price of the DSA (about $100) I won't go near a B-Square ever again. A.R.M.S mount are generally considered 1st class, I have them on my AR's. But at $150, the A.R.M.S. FAL mount is reportedally inferior, to DSA...I went with what is considered the BEST-- DSA. and in this case the best cost less than the OTHER good one. I learned the hard way...Skimp on optics and mounting devices, and you will be sorry..AND you will end up buying that expensive thing, that you thought the cheepie would equal.

[Bill R]

Just picked up a Leatherwood.the mounting concept seems a bit more sound than squeezing the hell out of the receiver
http://home.swbell.net/wjrsr/imbel01.jpg
http://home.swbell.net/wjrsr/imbel02.jpg

[Dean Hedges]

How much is the Leatherwood and where did you get it?

[gunnut1]

The Leatherwoods are available from his web site.
http://www.leatherwoodoptics.com

Go to the Mounts or Scope mounts (can't remember which it is but willl be obivious)link.

[Bill R]

you'll like this-couldn't be much easier. www.leatherwoodoptics.com (http://www.leatherwoodoptics.com)
I have not shot with this mount.only had it a few days,the fit is good,scope mounts on the rail solidly.It is machined and not cast.
The one thing I did not like,because of this,
were some sharp edges left.I will fix this,refinish and try it out.from the looks of it,I did not throw $50.00 away on this mount,only later to spend $100.00 on a DSA,
which everyonelikes.hope this helps.

Bill

[larphred]

I have one DSA and one Federal mount. The DSA is by far the nicest with the best finish. Functionally, though, I'm not sure of a great difference between the two. The DSA has more crosscutts on the rail to allow greater forward/rearward mounting latitude, but I really like the one piece internal clamping mechanism of the Federal over the two piece mechanism of the DSA. Because of this, the Federal seems easier to install. In general, if the money is there the DSA seems much nicer, but for half the price, the Federal is more than adequate.

[EMDII]

Respectfully-

The ARMS is NOT inferior to the DSA. I've had both. I think it's a matter of preference. Slip in, some very MINOR variability if you remove the cover.

The DSA has tons of variability if you remove the cover assembly: you never get it back in exactly the same place, unless perhaps you use a torque wrench on the machine screws. The DSA is definitely a rock when bolted on.

Either, using Leupold or other quality QRW rings will do just fine w/ the FAL.

------------------
1*.....Train Like You Fight: Second Place is NOT an Option.

E.M. (Ted) Dannemiller II

[MG-70]

- Tapco
- Federal Arms
:?

I know the DSA and ARMS are top rated, but I'd like to know your opinion on these two scope mounts.

Anyone have experience with them? Are they the same mount or two different models?

Thanks,
MG-70

[larphred]

Don't know 'bout the Tapco mount (although Tapco is a great customer oriented company), but I got a Federal mount to compare w/ my DSA mount. DSA is great. Locks on tightly. Appearance is excellent--nicely machined and finishes. Federal also locks on tightly but the finish is not quite as nice. I actually found the Federal easier to mount because it has only one locking rail per side while the DSA has two per side and you have to be careful to get all four rails positioned so they don't interfere with bolt carrier.

[QA Commando]

I used the Federal mount to mount the Russian Sniper scope that was for sale here awhile ago. The see-through rings of that mount were just barely high enough to allow the 56mm objective to clear the receiver.

All in all I'm happy with the mount. It mounts positively in the grooves for the dust cover, but clamps firmly in place and doesn't move with use. It also seems like it should return to zero after remounting, but I haven't really tested that yet.

On the downside, the mount appears to be anodized aluminum and, as such, is somewhat soft. It gets beat up around the ejection port by brass, and the very fine threads of the scope ring screws stripped while I was tightening them on the scope. I replaced the screws with ones having more agressive threads, retapped the holes, and have had no more problems.

[larphred]

Just saw a better photo of the Tapco mount and I don't think it is the same as the Federal. It seems to have 2 screwholes per side to hold the mounting rails--Federal has 3. Anyone feel free to correct me if I am in error

[Brad/ GunThings.com]

The Federal Arms mount allows your scope to sit lower than the DSA mount. This means it's easier to use the scope without a cheekpad attached to your butt. The Fedarms mount is very solid and fits tightly. We sell the Federal Arms mount at http://gunthings.com
Currently we have a NICE price on them too!
I believe, after viewing photos, the Tapco mount is very different from the Fedarms.

[ricochet]

MG-70,
I too, love the Federal Arms mount. I wasn't very impressed with the rings that came with mine. One screw pulled thru , but I re-tapped it and used slightly larger screws. They are usable again, and have them on a Leepers mount (ductcover mount, not really advisable). I ended up using different steel rings with the Federal, the mount is very good. Have taken it off and put it back on with no real change in zero. It is a value for the money. IMHO