Rifle scopes with mount rail

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Introduction

In majority, rifle scopes have central tubular part where rings can be placed for mounting them on a rifle. This is how first scopes were mounted on rifles and it is still common practice in most cases, but not all of them. European manufacturers of rifle scopes have started to produce scopes with special rails under the tubes and this began already decades ago. Such scopes do not need rings for mounting, because they offer completely different solution.

In the beginning, there was only one type of rail in use by most European scope manufacturers. Nevertheless, manufacturers decided to develop better solutions. In the end (we are talking about last decades), three more modern rail standards were established.

This type of mounting systems gained in popularity recently and will become the predominant way of mounting premium scopes in the future.

Pros of Rifle Scopes with Mounting Rails

One of the main advantages of using the rail is that scopes with integrated mounting rail are robust. The whole mount is stiffer because there is lack of many screws which are not needed with this solution. Therefore, reliability comes to place here (also because of the rigidness, mentioned above). If there is no rings attached (with screws) to the scope tube, it also means that there is no stress on the scope – that might also end in better accuracy when shooting. If there is a need to change the scope or put it on the other gun, there will be no marks on the tube from previous installation, which is common when mounting with scope rings.

Schmidt & Bender with S&B convex rail

One of the advantages which might be very important to a lot of shooters, is that there is always the perfect level of the scope when rails are used. Balancing and leveling the scope to reach perfect horizontal alignment, while mounting with scope rings, can really be pain in the ass. Through my eyes, always getting the perfect level of the scope, is really the main advantage of using integrated rails. We should not forget that mounting a railed scope is always much easier than with rings. Last, but not least – scopes with integrated mounting rails offers better recoil profness of the mounts.

Cons of Rifle Scopes with Mounting Rails

Sometimes scope bases combined with rifle scope with integrated mounting rails end up much higher, compared to traditional setup with scope rings. Height of our setup must be checked before buying bases and railed scope. In that way, we can avoid disappointment.

As a rule, rail mounting is only available with expensive rifle scopes.

Type of Scopes Rail Standards

Below, we are going to briefly present different types of scope rail standards, available on the market nowadays.

LM Rails

LM rails standard is also known and often called "prism rail" or "70 mm prism". This is the oldest rail standard on the market and is not used anymore. The problem with this standard was that drilling was needed when mounting these scopes on rifles.

Zeiss ZM/VM Rail

ZM/VM rail standard is widely used these days in it is probably the most common rail mounting standard available. It is widely known also as "Inner rail", "M rail" or "Zeiss rail" standard. It was invented by Zeiss and for this reason it is widely known as "Zeiss rail" – however, it is used by many manufacturers nowadays, not only Zeiss.

Zeiss Victory HT 3-12x56 M (rail)

Swarovski SR Rail

One of the most famous European optics manufacturer, Swarovski Optik, presented their own mounting rail solution on the market – known as SR rail. It is a specific design, patented by the company. It contains many small teeth under the scope through the whole area of the rail which is great for more powerful calibers with stronger recoil. It is no wonder that this rail is also used by Kahles, since Swarovski company took over Kahles in 1974.

Swarovski Z6i gen.2 2-12x50 BT SR

S&B Convex Rail

Schmidt & Bender’s Convex rail is made by Schmidt & Bender and is used only by them. In terms of design, it is quite similar to Zeiss rail. However, lower surface on S&B rail rounded and not straight, on the contrary to Zeiss. Comparatively, it is most rare among all rail standards.

Conclusion

As seen above, only the best European rifle scopes manufacturers have rails as option on their scopes. These scopes with rail are usually more expensive as the ones without rails – it is quite logical, because they are more expensive to produce. Unquestionably scopes with rails provide best possible mounting solution and hopefully, most of the rifle scopes in the future will be made with rail mounts.

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VIDEO

As the name suggests, prism scopes (sometimes also referred to as prismatic scopes) are composed of glass prisms – like binoculars. As a result, they are a much more compact optic. These compact, robust devices work similarly as red dot sights but are usually equipped with an illuminated reticle in the shape of a dot or a cross, surrounded by a circle. BDC reticles for .223 are common in prismatic scopes.

The magnification for these products is lower, and fixed: 1x, 2.5x, 3x, 4x, or 6x. Nearly every prism scope has a Picatinny mount built-in on the bottom part of the housing.

Prism scopes give the user an option of choosing between green and red illumination. All in all, these scopes are a great choice as they give the user a brighter and extremely sharp image, providing quicker target acquisition times.

General properties of Prism scopes

a compact, robust scope
prisms in the interior of the scope
illuminated reticle
fixed magnification (1x, 2.5x, 3x, 4x or 6x)
scope with diopter adjustment

Prism Scopes

Steiner and Burris Prism scopes

Why are prism scopes better for astigmatism?

Prism scopes are a great substitution for red dot sights for people with astigmatism because they have a dioptre that can be adjusted for personal differences in vision. If a user with astigmatism uses a red dot, they cannot see a clear image of the reticle, the dot may glow or appear dispersed into a different shape.

This is where prism scopes come to the rescue, as you can adjust the dioptre setting so that your eye can see a crisp reticle because there is no distortion.

Also, people who wear glasses do not have to deal with the obtrusive reflection of the dot. This is a great fix, the only downsides are a smaller eye-box and the lack of unlimited eye relief.

Prism Scope

Steiner S332 3x Prism Scope

What is the difference between prism scopes and red dots?

The most significant difference between Prism scope and the Red dot is that red dot sights feature 1x magnification, while prism scopes can have various magnification powers: 1x, 2x, 3x, 4x, or 6x.
Prism scopes are lightweight and small, yet still bigger than red dots. They have reticles in a shape of a dot or a cross, surrounded by a circle, which is different from reticles in red dots, which have, as the name suggests, only a dot in the center.
The latter are unusable without battery-powered illumination, while prism scopes (with an etched reticle) work without batteries.
Prism scopes also oftentimes allow the user to switch between a red or green illumination, while red dots usually do not offer the same option (it is mostly only red).

Overall, red dot sights are used for close distances, while prism scopes for close to medium distances. But if you ever find yourself using a prism scope with 1x magnification, keep in mind that it can also be used as an alternative to a red dot.

Burris prism scope

Burris RT-3X Prismatic

Rifle scopes with mount rail

VIDEO

Introduction

Pros of Rifle Scopes with Mounting Rails

Cons of Rifle Scopes with Mounting Rails