MOA bases, use em? Got a favorite brand for 110?

[r3dn3ck]

I usually shoot custom built or browning rifles and I like to lob rounds at 1MOA steel at 1760yrds for giggles so I've always defaulted to buying 20MOA bases and Burris Signature Series rings. The eccentrics in the rings allow me to "dial out" the 20MOA from the base and if I get out to the desert I can get up to 60MOA dialed in between the rings and bases with equipment on hand before even touching the knobs on the optics. When you shoot a mile it's not uncommon to need well over 120MOA so while it might seem excessive there is utility there. Besides what's the point of having a ballistics chart on the buttstock if I'm never going to see if it's right. Now then, my Browning rifles have never been able to sight in a scope without MOA bases or rings and still have more than a few minutes of up left so I got in the habit of just buying the 20MOA base. I just put together a Stainless Stalker in .325WSM with the Bushnell yardage-pro 4-12x on it and had 5MOA of up left until I slapped on the 20MOA base.

I just swapped my .30-06 110 flat rear package gun for a 7mm Rem Mag flat rear non-package gun and promptly ordered my 20MOA Warne 1-piece base. I hate .30-06 and I like 7mm RemMag.

So, does anyone else just default to using rings or bases with adjustment built in? What are your reasons? Mine are pretty simple, I know how to count clicks and I can hold well enough to tag steel I can't see without optics and my Brownings have always required them if I wanted to be able to shoot anything beyond 400yrds or at minimum have the erector in my scope be somewhere other than at one of its extremes of adjustment. My Savage rifles haven't so far had the problem my Brownings do with the curious need to use up all the upward elevation adjustment just to get a 100yrd zero but given what I do with my rifles I know I'll need em anyway.

For bases I use EGW and Warne, rings I use only Burris Zee (signature series, with eccentrics). Anyone got a favorite long range ring/base setup for 110-116? No I don't care about your flat leupold/redfield bases and normal leupold rings, those are run of the mill.

[rrflyer]

Seekins or Badger rings and Seekins or Badger bases.

With that setup I think I have 19 or so mils available of elevation or around 66 MOA.

(someone double check my math)


What are you shooting that requires 120 or MOA to a mile?!?!?!?!?!?!?

[rusty815]

I usually use EGW bases with Burris XTR rings, or if I can find them, Zee rings for a lighter setup.

[Shoot-N-Nut]

Funny story. I was at the range one afternoon when two young gentelmen showed up with their girlfriends. They were telling the young ladies about their "SNIPER" rifles they had built and how they was going to do some long range deer hunting and was thinking about getting into some long range target shooting. They had a pair of Savage 10FP's in .308 with the factory tuperware stocks and the WalMart blisterpack $20 Tasco scopes, 3-9X40mm. They were shooting at 50yrds and after a couple boxes of ammo they still couldnt get them on target. One of them asked my opinion on their problem, after looking at their set up I seen they had 20MOA bases on their rifles and the cheap scope didnt have enough adjustment to get it down on target at that close range. They were using the little 6in smallbore targets trying to zero their rifles (that hadnt even been boresighted yet) at 50yrds. When I tried to explain this to the guys their girlfriends laughed at them and walked back to the car and they packed up their stuff and left!

Me personaly, Ive never had a need to use the MOA bases, most of my shooting is done at 300yrds or less, every now and then (maybe once a year) I do some shooting out to 600yrds, but my scopes will all handle that distance.

[Ring]

on the low end of the weaver and EGW, for 30 to 35$.. the weaver is better....

[r3dn3ck]

Trent, I was just curious to see what else was out there. I use what I use because they each came up first on a google search when I figured out I needed them and I know both brands from use on AR-15's. Cost doesn't impress me but I didn't want to read about people using weaver and leupold flat bases as those specifically are run of the mill normal stuff. New companies are popping up all the time, especially with all the guys with sudden long range combat shooting experience coming back from the sandboxes. Never can tell what I've missed while working to make pr0n even more available to the masses so I thought I'd ask. You're forgiven for being grumpy.

rrflyer: I've never heard of Seekins, thanks. I'll look them up. What caused you to pick them? As for what requires so much up, mostly modest to small cased sporting calibres from 6x45, to my own .452" wildcat which blows right through empty 5-gallon propane tanks at 350m, rolls em like beer cans at 600m and literally drops off a cliff after that ... to 5.56, .270win to 7-rem mag. They vary in elevation required but by in large they're things you shouldn't shoot so far. I normally only shoot the large end at ironically short distances but hey, to each their own right. Having a target at a full mile gives me somewhere to aim and a beaten zone to analyze for me and my geek friends to dork out over.

Rusty, why the XTR's over the Zee's? Ruggedness?

Shootnnut: I started getting MOA bases after I went to a freebie shooting event years ago for what were at the time relatively new all copper bullets held by the manufacturer as a promotion and my new (at the time) Browning BLR with a new Leupold 3-9x40 and when I was trying to sight in I kept hitting the dirt FAR under the target. Very embarrassing. So I spun all the elevation up and got on paper but then had no windage left. It was shooting several inches to one side and several inches down at 100yrds so I changed my point of aim to the corner and made a super pretty .5" group in the X ring. After the first relay was done we all brought our targets back and they saw mine and asked me to shoot the demo into the ballistics gel which caused my pants to wad right tightly up my arse. It was at that moment I decided to get a tilted base. I did do the gelatin shooting for them and despite me having to aim well off into empty space I smacked both blocks dead center for a nice display of copper's ability to over-penetrate. When I took my brand new A-bolt to the range with my brand new Yardage-pro and the first thing it did was require all but a few MOA just to get on paper my predilection was borne out as a good idea. My AR's are used for everything from busting cans at 50m to doing the sort of sillyness that spawned this thread in the first place. I learned very early that what I shoot and how and where means 20MOA is about perfect to bring my scope to near the bottom of the range of adjustment which gives me usually the ability to reach out 600-800m without any hardware changes.

I have seen tell that the screws are vastly more important than the base itself. Thoughts?

[BomarFab]

I have a Badger base on the rifle I just bought. I have heard Ken Farrel is great for Savage MOA bases as well.

[M.O.A.]

DNZ game reaper 20moa base will be my next base as soon as I get another viper for my 223.

[stomp442]

I really like the egw bases but I usually stick with 0 moa mount and use the Burris rings to adjust any if need be. Farthest our range goes is 800 meters though.

[earl39]

I like egw but why don't you change scopes and go to one with more internal adjustment? The bushnell's just restrict you with small amounts of adjustment.

[Westcliffe01]

E Arthur Brown probably has the least expensive "good" scope mounting products.

As an example, a Warne 20 MOA tactical one piece rail (steel) is $94. http://www.eabco.com/store/products/Warne_Tactical_20_MOA_Scope_Bases_Picatinny_Style-1792-35.html

Warne Medium 30mm Quick detach STEEL rings = $66 http://www.eabco.com/store/products/Warne_QD_30mm_Rings_Black_All_Quick_Detach_Heights-1783-35.html

Honestly, assuming ones scope has enough elevation, I have no idea why one needs better equipment. I so far do not use the quick detach rings, but that is a very modest price for the most expensive rings Warne makes.

[tobnpr]

EGW.

I have never understood the "need" for a steel rail.

As long as the rings are tightened snug (and forward) on the rail section, what's the advantage?

[Westcliffe01]

Steel has the most comparable properties to the receiver to which it is mounted. Strength as well as co efficient of expansion. And don't forget that there are only a few small screws holding it to the receiver. Since there is no significant price difference, I will take steel over aluminum any day of the week.

[rrflyer]

rrflyer: I've never heard of Seekins, thanks. I'll look them up. What caused you to pick them? As for what requires so much up, mostly modest to small cased sporting calibres from 6x45, to my own .452" wildcat which blows right through empty 5-gallon propane tanks at 350m, rolls em like beer cans at 600m and literally drops off a cliff after that ... to 5.56, .270win to 7-rem mag. They vary in elevation required but by in large they're things you shouldn't shoot so far. I normally only shoot the large end at ironically short distances but hey, to each their own right. Having a target at a full mile gives me somewhere to aim and a beaten zone to analyze for me and my geek friends to dork out over.

Seekins base has a built in recoil lug which I really like the idea of. Plus its actually sits lower than alot of the others like the EGW base so it allowed me to get proper eye alignment with the optic. They also come with torx head bolts instead of cheapy allen head ones like many others that strip out so easily.

The Seekins rings also dont have that huge nut on the left side of them so they're a bit sleeker and I just like the dual torx bolt on the base setup as opposed to a single nut/bolt setup. Double your chances of the things holding correctly if one happens to work loose.

Seekins is also a big sponsor of the precision rifle community. Not to say that many others aren't but I dont think I've shot a rifle match that hasn't had some seekins stuff on the prize table at the end.

I've never seen an EGW base on one of the local prize tables(not to say they don't do it other places...but not around here)

And I really try and buy from companies that support the sport through match sponsorships etc...


Also remember that all aluminum and steel are not created equal...nor are the coatings applied to them.


Your paying for something that is/can be the achilles heel of your rifle. A bad drop or a hard entrance into a barricade that shifts your rings or rail can ruin a big hunt or a competition. Its worth the few extra bucks for piece of mind alone to me.

Its not like your buying 20 sets of these things..nor will they wear out. Its something you can literally keep forever. No reason to go cheap on it.

[MichaelStrauss]

kenfarrell.com

All you need to know. I'm surprised no body else has brought this name up.

[Deerhunter 28]

kenfarrell.com

All you need to know. I'm surprised no body else has brought this name up.

See post #8


PSE EVO 57 Lbs.
Blacked out

[5spd]

I run EGW 20 moa base on all 6 of my Savages.

[kelbro]

Farrell bases on all of my Savages. 0 and 20 MOA.

[r3dn3ck]

Thanks guys for all the help. Got a couple things to consider and brands to check out. My savage rifles are primarily sporting rifles, hell almost all of my rifles are sporters of one flavor or another just some are downright odd. Still, I hate not having the ability to go play at unreasonable ranges so they're equipped admittedly a bit different than the norm. I've personally never had a scope shift unless I was stupid and failed to properly snug a couple screws down but I like the thought of a lug centering the rail to the action... means that the machining was mandated to be very precise or the screw holes won't line up. QC by manufactured in feature.

Someone mentioned switching from bushnell scopes... I don't just use those. I have exactly 1 of those anymore. I also use leupold and zeiss and simmons and tasco and sightron and others. Each has a place. The last bushy I had I loved and it had 80MOA of internal vertical (ET10x40) which made it great. I just didn't like the dots. I'm saving pennies up for a decent fixed 10x Mil-Mil scope now but that's another decision and another thread.

Thanks again chaps. You've been a lot more helpful than some other forums... a lot less condescending too, even the grumpy ones.

[BTSniper]

kenfarrell.com

All you need to know. I'm surprised no body else has brought this name up.

I have three of them as well with burris XTR 30mms. I am quite happy with them. I was able to swap scope from one base to the other without issues.

BT