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 However, this type of rail is outdated because drilling was needed when placing such rails on rifles.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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Swarovski Z8i 2.3-18x56 P

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Kahles Helia 2.4-12x56i

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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 SR rail

VIDEO

Introduction

Properties of SR Rail standard

Pros

Cons

Brands that use this Rail standard