36mm Scope Ring Mounts

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Spare Parts for Suhl Mounts

The size 36 mm main tube is the second widest main tube diameter in use on modern rifle scopes. It is only used by Zeiss and Hensold for their massive, lowlight hunting rifle scopes and the last generation of Hensoldt tactical scopes. The rifle scope is mounted to the rifle with the help of two 36 mm mounting rings. When fastening the screws one must take absolute caution not to over tighten the screw. Doing so can result in marks and scratches on the rifle scope exterior or even worse in malfunctioned rifle scope due to structural compromises. The most force to be used when tightening the screw should not exceed 2.2 Nm.

The manufacturers who provide 36 mm mount rings are:

Even though it was an very unusual step for Zeiss to introduce scopes with tube diameter which no one else ever produced, producers of munts followed incredibly fast. 3 years after introduction of Zeiss Victory V8 scopes, there is more than 10 manufacturers of mounts that produce anything from mono-block mounts, individual rings, pivot mounts, custom mounting solutions.

36mm ring mounts have all possible forms, from very elegant hunting mounts with 15mm wide rings to tactical mono-block mounts with 30mm and more wide rings.

Is lapping of the rings really needed?

Lapping is a process that is essentially lining two mounting rings perfectly to one-a-another. It is done with special cylinders that grind off the excess metal.

When the ring is constructed from two near half circles - so if the circle of the ring is split in half, roughly in the ratio 50:50 and such rings are mounted on two separate mounting bases, than lapping is recommended. If lapping is not performed, the very small offsetting can be present when all the different pieces of the mount come together and when both rings are mounted on two separated bases. If mounting of two high quality rings is done on a single-piece base, then lapping is not needed. This is one of the reasons that Picatinny rails are becoming so popular in the recent years.

In the worst case scenario the axis that runs through the center of the rear ring does not completely match the axis that runs through the center of the front ring. For this reason the scope, if mounted into such rings is under unwanted structural stress. The most obvious problems that occurs due to this reason is less than perfect optical performance, tracking problems, the side focus mechanism can stop working and the point of impact groups can be dispersed.

If the ring is designed in the fashion of 1/3 base of the ring and 2/3 the top of the ring than lapping is not required as the design is plastic enough to bend slightly and adjust its shape to the scope tube. The same applies for ½-1/2 rings mounted on single piece

It may be a good idea to take in consideration to choose the 1/3 : 2/3 rings as they do not require additional lapping to be fitted properly. Or use a single piece mounting base.

Since 36mm mounts are mainly produced by premium mounts producers and are usually expensive, lapping is almost never needed. Due to this reason there is also almost no lapping tools available on the market for 36mm mounts. It is however a good idea to use a ribbon cut from latex/rubber gloves on the lower contact surface in the rings, when mounting 36mm scopes.

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Recknagel Rear Ring with Windage Adjustment for Suhl-Claw Mount, 36 mm

As low as $83.00

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Recknagel Rear Ring Blank with Windage Adjustment for Suhl-Claw Mount, 36 mm

As low as $87.00

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Suhl Claw mounts were the most common form of detachable/repeatable mounts on European rifles before the modern pivot mounts emerged on the market. This type of mounts were mainly used in central Europe and especially dominated in Germany and Austria. Hence, for this reason such mounts are called German Claw mounts in the English speaking lands, whereas in central Europe the same mounts are usually just referred to as Suhl mounts. Suhl mounts are compromised from the front ring which embraces the objective bell and the rear ring that is located on the central tube of the scope. The prime reason for such popularity was the extraordinary repeatability and reliability, which is still remarkable by today’s standards. There are however some drawbacks with this type of mounting solution and due to this reasons their popularity rapidly declined in the last 2 decades. These are:

High price (Suhl Claw mount is the most expensive mount among all and a price of 1000 EUR or more for a single mount is quite ordinary. All such mounts are custom made by gunsmiths and their installation involves by far the most work input among all mounts.),
Front mounting base often has to be installed on the barrel (Almost all modern rifle scopes with 50 or 56mm objective lens and eye-relief of 80mm or more need the front ring around the objective bell, which means that the front base of the mount is placed on the barrel. This interferes with the free floating barrels and reduces accuracy.),
Sample to sample variation (The quality of the German Claw mount depends on the skill and knowledge of the gunsmith that installed it or even made it from scratch. That means that there are very big differences in quality from mount to mount.).

36mm Scope Ring Mounts

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Is lapping of the rings really needed?

Recknagel Rear Ring with Windage Adjustment for Suhl-Claw Mount, 36 mm

Recknagel Rear Ring Blank with Windage Adjustment for Suhl-Claw Mount, 36 mm

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36mm Scope Ring Mounts

Sub Categories

Is lapping of the rings really needed?

Recknagel Rear Ring with Windage Adjustment for Suhl-Claw Mount, 36 mm

Recknagel Rear Ring Blank with Windage Adjustment for Suhl-Claw Mount, 36 mm

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