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Rifle scopes with SR rail

VIDEO

Introduction

While most of rifle scopes are still being installed on rifles using mounting rings, we have to admit that using mounting rails is far better solution. This is probably the reason why all premium European manufacturers of rifle scopes provide solutions with rails nowadays. There are several different rails provided by these manufacturers on the market.

First rail standard that was presented to the market in the past, was LM rail, also known as prismatic rail. All the important European scopes could have been bought with this type of rail. However, this type of rail is outdated because drilling was needed when placing such rails on rifles. Swarovski’s modern answer to previous rail standards today is their own SR rail.

Properties of SR Rail standard

There are some rail standards on the market which have hollow rails – Zeiss ZM/VM or S&B Convex rail, for example. SR rail is one of them – one mounting part can be actually put inside the rail and the other part clamps the rail from outside.

Swarovski’s rail is a bit different from the others, because it has "teeth" on the bottom side that practically work as recoil stoppers. Quite an amazing solution, isn’t it? All manufacturers that produce mounts for SR rails have the same "teeth" on their mounts to grab the rail. It is good to know that if the mount is made from two parts, only one part of it grabs the rail, while the other part is more or less loose. This is the effective solution to get rid of pressure and tension.

Pros

Rail mounts are without exception more robust and reliable than others. Swarovski’s SR rail really shines among others when we are talking about recoil. This rail is especially appropriate for hard kicking calibres, because of its "teeth" that work as recoil stoppers. Very important advantage is that during mounting, there is no stress or tension applied to the scope tube. Therefore, damage is prevented.

One of my favourite advantages of railed scopes is that perfect horizontal level can always be achieved without much effort or effort at all. This feature is really important when shooting long range – to achieve precision, the scope just has to be perfectly aligned in horizontal direction. If this is not achieved, point of impact will move sideways when clicking the elevation turret, which must be avoided.

When choosing a rail scope, the mounting process will leave no marks on the scope if the scope is later moved to other rifle or removed from the rifle.

Cons

Railed scopes might end up a little higher in some cases, compared to scopes that are installed with mounting rings.

As a rule, railed scopes are probably more expensive in most cases, compared to scopes without rails.

Brands that use this Rail standard

Swarovski’s SR rail is not widely used among other manufacturers. It was patented in 2002 and introduced in 2005 by Swarovski Optik. Today, only Swarovski’s rifle scopes are available with SR rails (plus one exception from Kahles). However, this changed from the past – in the past, Kahles also used this rail standard with many of their products, but nowadays it is used only by Swarovski Optik and only one exception from Kahles – model Helia 2,4-12x56i.

It is important to mention that Kahles was purchased by Swarovski Optik back in 1974, in 1977 Kahles became a branch of Swarovski Optik, in 1989 Kahles Limited again became an independent company within the Swarovski group and once again, in 2017, Kahles was again brought into the Swarovski advertising and sales programs.

Conclusion

All mounting solutions with rails are far more reliable, compared to rings, and SR rail is no exception. Perfect position of the scope is guaranteed even after thousands of shots fired and one of the reasons for it is wise design of small "teeth" on the lower part of the rail. We suggest that if you are in a position where you can pick between railed scope or scope without mounting rail, you should always choose a railed one. With this solution you may avoid negative pressure or tension which might damage the scope after a while and you will get a robust solution, for sure. Nevertheless, you will have no issues with finding the perfect horizontal alignment while mounting it on the rifle.

Swarovski enjoys a high reputation on the market which additionally means that all manufacturers of mounts produce their mounts for SR rails (even though only Swarovski and one exception from Kahles use them) among other solutions.

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VIDEO

A riflescope is an important piece of equipment when hunting in the mountains. Such hunts are strenuous – the hunter has to be in good physical condition. Hiking to the desired location and back to the starting point usually takes hours, not to mention that the shot game (if any) has to be carried when returning.

A riflescope is an important piece of equipment when hunting in the mountains

General features

It is important not to carry to much weight when going on a mountain hunt. For this reason, the riflescopes in this category are compact and lightweight. The objective lens measures 40–50 mm in diameter – a bigger lens is not required as mounting hunting is mostly done during the daytime.

It is important to have a high maximum magnification as the distance to the observed game can be quite substantial. A magnification of at least 10x is recommended. An adjustable parallax is a must when high magnification is set.

A BDC-turret comes in handy as the user can quickly compensate for the bullet drop at various distances (1 – 100 m, 2 – 200 m, 3 – 300 m, etc.)

To summarize, the features of a typical optics designed for mountain hunting are:

A light, compact chassis
40–50mm objective lens
High maximum magnification (above 10x)
Adjustable parallax setting
Optionally available with a BDC turret

Use on mountain rifles

Since minimizing the weight is the key to a mountain hunt success, the primary piece of equipment is a lightweight rifle. Such rifles are often referred to as mountain rifles.

These firearms, designed for use in mountainous terrain, are compact and designed to withstand adverse weather conditions. Popular choices include repeating short-barrel rifles and single-shot drop barrel rifles such as Blaser K95 Stutzen and Merkel K3 Stutzen.

These lightweight rifles and riflescopes mentioned above are a great combination.

Long-range shooting

In the mountains, the distance to the observed game can be huge, especially in the open ground. For this reason, these riflescopes are equipped with a high maximum magnification power, allowing the user to carefully examine the game before taking the shot.

Furthermore, they feature an adjustable parallax turret for a clear focus at any range. A BDC turret works well in such situations as it allows quick compensation for the bullet drop at various distances. In the majority of cases, shooting in the mountains is done at distances up to 400 m.

Shooting at greater distances than this is rarely pulled off as it violates the principles of the ethical hunt.

Riflescopes for mountain hunting are designed for long-range shooting

Riflescopes for mountain hunting vs stalking

These two types of riflescopes appear identical at first sight as they are both compact and lightweight. There are, however, many differences between them. The most notable is the magnification range. Riflescopes designed for stalking have a much lower maximum magnification.

Consequently, they lack an adjustable parallax feature. Because of lower magnification, it is difficult to shoot accurately at a target far away. Riflescopes designed for stalking are scarcely offered with a BDC turret.

Riflescopes for mountain hunting aren't suitable for driven hunts because their minimum magnification is too big and field of view too narrow. Even though the magnification range of riflescopes designed for stalking doesn't begin at 1x, they can still be used in a driven hunt (the lowest magnification is often 1.5x, 2x or 3x).

Illumination

All the premium riflescopes for mountain hunting are equipped with an illuminated reticle, even though it is not an essential feature. Mountain hunting is done during the day, meaning that you won't have to use the illumination often but it might come in handy in certain situations. Having a thin reticle is far more important – you don't want to have too much coverage of the game when the magnification is set to high power.

It is important not to carry to much weight when going on a mountain hunt

Best riflescopes for hunting in the mountains

Optics manufacturers with headquarters near the mountainous areas tend to have the best understanding of the mountain hunters' requirements. If you are looking for top-of-the-line riflescopes for mountain hunting, Austrian (Swarovski, Kahles) and German riflescopes (Zeiss, Leica, etc.) won't let you down.

Leupold has an extensive offer of high-quality riflescopes suitable for this purpose, and Vortex is also highly competitive in this field with their LH riflescopes.

A short presentation of Riflescopes for Mountain Hunting is available here.

Rifle scopes with SR rail

VIDEO

Introduction

Properties of SR Rail standard

Pros

Cons

Brands that use this Rail standard