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Rifle scopes with S&B Convex mounting rail

Introduction

Schmidt & Bender, well reputed German manufacturer of sports optics, chose the same direction as other premium European manufacturers and invented their own rail standard for rifle scopes with integrated mounting rails. The most recent rail mounting from this producer is called "Convex rail" and it is also known by the name "S&B rail". Mounting rail is placed underneath the scope and is integrated as part of the scope, same as with other rails from other manufacturers. These mounts cannot be removed, thus mounting with integrated rails is the only option with these scopes.

The solution has been here for years, decades to be honest. It was developed roughly at the same time as ZM/VM rail from Zeiss. However, it did not gain popularity like Zeiss or Swarovski rail and it is used only by Schmidt & Bender.

Properties of Convex Rail Standard

The mounting rail system from S&B uses matching slide-in mount fasteners which connect the rifle scope to the gun.

What is interesting with Convex rails is the fact that these solution offers the possibility to tilt the scope up to 1° angle to the left or right. This is not like with the similar rail standards and Schmidt & Bender is quite unique with this option.

It is possible to recognize Schmidt & Bender rifle scopes that uses their rail standard by the name – the models with integrated rails have LMC acronym in their name and this is in common with all their railed scopes.

Pros

Mounting, removing or changing the scope on your rifle is much easier when using a rail. There are also no mounting marks left on the scope tube when removing it. If there is no stress applied to your scope tube, because there is no mounting rings used, this also means that no harm can be done to your rifle scope (which eventually gives a mounting rail a major advantage).

Personally, I usually find hard achieving the perfect horizontal alignment when mounting a rifle scope with mounting rings. There are no similar issues when using rails. You just slide the rail on, tight the screws and voila – your rifle scope level should be perfect. After hundreds or thousands of round through the barrel, rifle scope might slide backwards when mounting rings are used. This cannot happen while using Convex rail or any other mounting rail. Definitely, the stability, robustness and reliability are improved with railed scopes. During the mounting process, correct eye relief is much easier to achieve with railed systems; the scope can easily slide forwards or backwards to the point where you are satisfied with an eye relief position. When this goal is accomplished, you will only have to tighten the screws in the rail and that’s it. Simple as that.

Cons

As with all of the rail mounting systems, in some occasions the setup can appear a little high. For those who are sensitive about the scope height, check your configuration and heights before buying such rifle scope.

Precision made rails on scopes add some costs to the production which means that railed scopes are usually more expensive solution, compared to mounting rings. Last, but not the least – with Schmidt & Bender railed scopes there might be some troubles to get a perfect setup, because not many mounts manufacturers make mount solutions for these scopes. Availiability of mounting systems for Schmidt & Bender rifle scopes with Convex rails is not that well represented on the global market.

Conclusion

Schmidt & Bender Convex rail is probably the least popular modern rail standard available. It has very good technical properties, nevertheless. If you can found a decent mounting system for S&B Convex rail, look no further. You should be pleased with Convex rail solution, because it is a quality system and will perform well.

Finally, Convex rail mounting system will always achieve better results than a conventional mount with mounting rings. Therefore, you should always choose a rail system if you have that possibility available.

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VIDEO

General properties of Low light rifle scopes

The low light rifle scopes category holds those riflescopes that are built to offer the best possible performance at dusk or dawn and when hunting during the night when the moon and the stars are the only source of light.

Best Scopes for hunting

Low light scopes are used solely for hunting and especially in Europe where hunting in low-light situations is very popular.

Low light rifle scopes - Best low light scope

Steiner Ranger 6 3-18x56 scope

Commonly associated features of scopes in this hunting category are:

50 or 56mm objective lens diameter
High-quality glass and coating of the rifle scope
Capped turrets
The illuminated reticle or thick FFP reticle
Low-intensity illumination of the reticle
1 inch or 30 mm tube or rail mounting
Fixed or variable magnification
Minimal magnification ranging from 2x to 4x
Maximal magnification ranging from 10x to 16x

What is the best Low light rifle scope?

What makes a low-light rifle scope the best?

When on a hunt for the best scope, there are many factors to be considered:

a finely adjustable red dot (dimmable),
brightness of the scope,
scope image quality,
fields of use, and many more.

Low-light rifle scope Buying guide

Due to numerous factors, price ranges, and manufacturers always producing new scopes, it is impossible to say which one is the best. However, we created a buying guide to keep you updated on some of the best buys in each price range.

Comparison of Low light scopes - information of low light scopes

Steiner and Leica low light riflescopes

Lens, coatings and magnification in best Low light scope

A good low light rifle scope is one that fits the user’s financial goals, brightness, and provides a quality image, nevertheless. A lower zoom factor means there are fewer lens in the design. And fewer lens result in less loss of light. The coatings are also important – if they are of higher quality, again, less amount of light is lost every time light travels through the lens’ surface.

As for the lens size, the bigger, the better. The magnification of the scope should also not be too high, as this results in a smaller exit pupil, which we do not want for low light use.

But the most important factor to be taken into account is that the scope performs best in low light if it has an illuminated reticle, preferably in the form of a finely adjustable central dot (if the whole reticle is illuminated, it covers up the image of the target).

Can you use a low light scope at night?

Yes, a riflescope can be used for hunting at night, if you make use of the available residual light, such as the Full Moon or starlight, but your observation will not be ideal.

However, if you wish to hunt at night and see the target clearly, you need the help of other night vision optics, such as thermal and night vision attachments, as night vision optics collect whatever little light there is and amplify it. So, without thermal optics, you would only see a silhouette of the animals and no details.

Leica Low light rifle scope

Leica Magnus 2.4-16x56 i scope

Rifle scopes with S&B Convex mounting rail

Introduction

Properties of Convex Rail Standard

Pros

Cons