Axis Rings and Bases, what you may learn from my experiences...
I think I noted this in a previous thread but seeing all the Mount and Ring Questions I thought it may help others.
Accuracy:
Rough Hunting Expectation: 3.0MOA or 3inch group at 100yds from the bench. If I can't get a rifle to shoot this, I won't even bother to keep the rifle. 3 inches at 100yds is what I was taught is "acceptable accuracy" Personally I won't hunt game with it unless it was an emergency. I personally for myself don't consider this accurate enough for a guaranteed clean humane kill.
Hunting Expectation: 2.0 MOA or 2" group at 100yds from the bench. This is a rifle I would take a field and hunt with if left with limited options. I feel I can ensure a clean humane kill with a broadside shot. With a quality rifle and quality ammunition, of the *same manufacturer* and bullet weight, this is achievable for most hunters.
** I would not expect Hornady 150gr and Remington 180gr to hold a 2"group when mixed together. Choose 1 Maker, 1 bullet, and 1 weight that shoots well for you and stick with it.
My Personal Expectations: 1.0MOA or 1 inch group at 100yds from the bench with factory ammo. This is the accuracy I expect to take a rifle into the field. I know that at 100yds I can guarantee a humane kill with a broadside shot, and that I have the ability to take head or neck shots with confidence.
Honestly though I hand load for my rifles and take rifle out that are at .5MOA or less. This Axis I am writing about currently is shooting .20moa with my Hunting load.
Now onto my original topic:
With my 308 HB I have tried:
2 piece Weaver Bases
1 Piece Leupold Base
1 Piece Weave Multislot base
1 Piece EGW Bases.
2 Piece Weaver Bases:
These are inexpensive as you can get. In my experience they work great for a hunting rig. In my training though I prefer 1 piece bases for rigidity why double the chance of flex was what my instructor had told me. Personally i prefer a close eye piece on my lower recoiling rifles, I couldn't accomplish a comfortable position with the 2 piece bases since they are limited to scope movement in the rings alone. I had my first 120 rounds on these. I found they had a gap between the receiver and the mount, so the fit was not precise. These used narrow weave slotting that will not hold a true 1913 picatinny Ring as the lug on a mil spec picatinny is too thick for a weaver cut. $4ea These are inexpensive, but would NOT be my given choice.
1 piece Leupold Base:
This was sent to me as a substitute for the Weave Multi slot base I ordered. It worked well, but with the limit of slots again, I could not get it comfortable for my personal eye relief. I had about 50rnds on this mount without movement Again this one is cut for weaver bases and will not fit a milspec 1913 picatinny lug. $10 total This mount is adequate but would NOT be my given choice.
1 piece Weaver Multislot:
Finally got my rings where I wanted them with this mount. Very solid, and I figured this was the one. I took it to the range and with the borrowed scope I had I was getting .15" groups! Ok I was happy and ready to invest in my scope of choice and rings! This mount uses weave spacing in the lugs, a milspec 1913 lug will not fit... that was the reason for ordering the EGW Mount (more on this later in my ring choices) $10-$15 This is my choice for a less expensive mount. Had I not gotten the EGW rings this would still be on my rifle.
1 Piece EGW Scope mount for Axis:
I ended up having to order this mount due to the Weaver Multislot not fitting the 1913 Picatinny lug on the matched set of EGW rings I ordered along with my Vortex scope. This mount was the most expensive of the one I ran totallying more then the rest combined, at $44. It was a perfect fit, has perfect mate up to the action with no gap. So far it has had zero movement under recoil, and I expect it not to move. It is also the highest quality mount of the 4 I tried. Obviously this one will fit the 1913 Picatinny lugs, as well as Weaver. REMEMBER to always press your ring's lug or cossbolt all the way forward in the slot so that it reduces the chance of movement under recoil. This is my current ( and hopefully last) mount on this rifle.
RINGS
Weaver standard rings old style the screws down on one side only
Weaver Extreme Tactical rings
EGW matched steel rings
These are the three sets of rings I have run on my Axis. I prefer my scopes to be approx 1/8" to 1/4" above my barrel. Any closer and I was taught that contact could occur under recoil. Much higher then that and you are changing the dynamics of trajectory vs crosshairs. Unless they are high quality rings, I for the most part have no faith in inexpensive aluminum rings, they tend to flex, and require additional work in lapping them to match for proper scope mounting. Can't count how many holes I have stripped out at 15inch lbs or less when tightening.
Weaver Standard Rings:
I have used these on other rifles and once you can get your crosshairs straight they work great. These screw down on one side only while utilizing a hook and slot on the other. The problem is that as you tighted them down the rotate your scope slightly so that by the time they are adequately tight your crosshairs are turned 3-10 degrees. These did not work for my on the Axis as the scope bell was contacting the barrel. You can find these in almost any gun shop used, for $.25 ea on up. They do certainly hold a scope firmly in place and I have complete confidence in the sets I have, but the added setup time I have had with those, makes these not my first choice in most cases.
Weaver Extreme Tactical rings:
These were the rings on the borrowed Leupold scope I ran for a while. A fairly decent ring, although the cross bole tends to fall out upon loosening as it is not actually attached to the ring, just held through pressure on tightening. These held zero just fine, and were actually my first set of rings I bought after I chose my scope. When my Vortex 6-24X50 arrived, I found these just didn't fit the setup well. The front bell was too close to the barrel for my liking, maybe a 1/32" off it. There was light in between but in my experience I like at least a 1/8" -1/4" of space to prevent contact under recoil. I did have to lap these rings, and they are what I have come to expect from Weaver - Fully functional, and adequate in quality, but not a "Premium" ring. $39 for the set
EGW Steel Matched rings.
I chose these because they are matched to one another, and extremely high quality. The issue I ran into was I was running a Weaver Multislot mount that uses weaver crossbolt spacing slots and the EGW rings utilize a milspec Picatinny lug and crossbolt, so were too large to fit the Weaver, necessitating the ordering of the EGW Rail which they fit perfectly. This is my current setup on my rifle. The EGW Rail is bedded to the action, and these rings hold my Vortex just at a 1/4" over my barrel. Although this is definitely the most expensive setup at $100+ for the rings and $45 for the mount, it is also the highest quality and best fit of all that I tested. It all depends on what you desire from your rifle and it's purpose. I would not be running this setup on a standard Axis hunting rifle. Theres no point to the added expense. In a hunting rig with a sporter barrel, I would probablly run lighter with a Weaver Multislot mount (Like the slot options) and Leupold or burris rings.
A basic setup can be had for $8 for the 2 piece Weaver mounts and $10-$20 for a set of rings. In my choices when available for a rifle I prefer Leupold's steel rings and dovetail mounts, but those were not available for they Axis.
In lightweight Rings I would personnally go with Talley lightweights.
If height is not an issue in a lightweight I would try the Aero Precision lightweight AR mount. This mount and a Leupold Ultralight scope are my next experiment for my mountain gun, which currently has a 6.5-20X44 Vortex in those Weaver extreme rings on it, and I'd like to shed some of that almost 2# weight of scope and mount. On paper the Aero Precision and Leupold combo will bring it down around 13 to 14oz, vs 2#lbs plus right now.
Another setup that I looked and researched and read many many great reviews for is the Deadnutz mounts for Axis. I had an early one they produced for a Ruger M77, and remeber it being very high quality one piece Mount and Rings together. I don't recall ever shooting it after mounting before I sold the rifle to a friend, but I do know that he still uses that 3006 to hunt with and it still has that mount on it.
I hope this helps others, and please add your own experiences and set ups to this thread
