16.5 mm CZ/Brno

General description

Dovetail is a uniquely designed mounting platform on a rifle's receiver, which enables the installation of various scope mounts for different rifles. Regardless of the rifle type and dovetail width, this unique design can be grooved onto the rifle's receiver, barrel or slide. The most common and recognizable is the 11 mm dovetail design. The 16.5 mm dovetail can be found on various popular rifles like Tikka T3, Brno ZKM 611 and 617, Sako TRG 21/41 and many others.

Properties and dimensions

The 16.5 mm determines the measurement of the upper mounting surface. Generally, a dovetail design offers the possibility of mount installation without screws going into the receiver. The slopes on the dovetail are positioned at an angle of 60 degrees. Scope mounts simply clamp on the dovetail, with sufficient force so there is no movement during recoil. Most of the rifles featuring 16.5 mm dovetail come with a recoil cutout that is either placed horizontally or on the rear left side of the mounting surface. The recoil groove on Tikka T3 for example is located on top of the rifle's receiver in between mounting holes. As for CZ 527, the recoil groove is located on the rear mounting surface and is etched on the left side of the dovetail.

There are, however, some older models of rifles that come without the cutout. Some receivers, like the one on the Tikka T3, also have drilled and tapped holes on top which can also be used for mounting purposes instead of the dovetail.

16.5 mm Dovetail

An example of 16.5 mm dovetail, as used on Brno CZ 527

Figure 1: An example of 16.5 mm dovetail, as used on Brno CZ 527 (Source: https://greatnorthgunco.ca/product/brno-cz-527-in-222-rem/Source: https://greatnorthgunco.ca/product/brno-cz-527-in-222-rem/)

16.5 mm Dovetail

Here are some rifles with a 16.5 mm dovetail:

Best Scope Mounts for 16.5 mm Dovetail

There are various manufacturers available who offer different kinds of mounts suitable for 16.5 mm dovetail. You can see our offer of mounting solutions below.

Fixed Scope Mounts for 16.5 mm Dovetail

Fixed one-piece scope mounts require tools for attaching and detaching from the rifle's mounting surface. One-piece, two-part mounts use a base onto which the two rings are attached whereas the monoblocs or one-piece one-part mounts are usually milled from a single piece of material, with the lower end of the rings merged with the base. Fixed mounts can also come in the form of two-piece scope rings that are installed separately.

If you are looking for a fixed mounting solution for your 16.5 mm dovetail, you might consider checking out our offer which is available here:

Detachable Repeatable Scope Mounts for 16.5 mm Dovetail

Scope mounts that offer repeatability can be found in this category. Because the mounts always apply the same force to the dovetail base when clamping onto it, the scope will maintain its zero even when it is removed and reinstalled. The terms quick release (QR) and quick detach (QD) are frequently used to refer to different types of detachable mounting.

Should you be in the market for a detachable repeatable mounting system, look no further than our offer of pivot scope mounts for 16.5 mm dovetail:

Picatinny Rails for 16.5 mm Dovetail

Since its creation in 1995, the Picatinny rail has become recognized as the industry standard for attaching optics. The Picatinny rail, which was based on the Weaver pattern, has the advantage of being used along its full length, as opposed to Weaver, which has predesignated mounting slots, restricting its usability and versatility. Its advantages include interchangeability and simplicity of use. Slots in Picatinny are evenly spaced, measuring precisely 5.23 mm apart and 3 mm deep. As a result, all weapons that employ the Picatinny standard have the same mounting.

You can see our offer of Picatinny rails for various rifles with 16.5 mm dovetail on the following link:

Before purchasing the mounting solution of your choice, we kindly ask you to check the positioning of the recoil groove on your rifle and the stopper on the mounting system.

Help Us Build Our Riflescope Mounts Database

If you happen to own this or any other rifle, we would appreciate it if you could help us expand our database by sending us some photos of the rifle receiver (the bare mounting surface of the rifle without the scope mounts installed). For your help, our company offers a fair return in terms of practical rewards.

Please send us an email for more information. You can contact us here: info@optics-trade.eu