Rifle scopes with Zeiss ZM/VM mounting rail

VIDEO

Introduction

Among other manufacturers who started offering railed scopes on the market, Zeiss is definitely one of the most known. In company of other premium European manufacturers of railed rifle scopes, Zeiss chose its own path with their own ZM/VM mounting rail. This rail was invented in 1990 which means that is in use for a very long period of time. This also means that their rail standard was one of the first if not the first one to replace very well known LM rail standard. Comparing an old LM rail with the ZM/VM rail, the solution from Zeiss does not require any drilling which is a huge advantage for the user besides nicer aesthetics.

The ZM/VM rail is also known as

"Zeiss rail",
"inner rail" or
"M rail" (Zeiss basically put a letter "M" to all of their scopes with integrated rails and therefore, you can always know that you are dealing at a railed Zeiss scope if there is letter "M" involved in the model name).

It is important to know that ZM/VM rail standard is used by many brands nowadays, not only Zeiss.

Zeiss Conquest V6 1.1-6x24

Properties of Zeiss ZM/VM Rail standard

Rifle scopes that are made for using a ZM/VM rail mounting solutions, have an internal dovetail rail on the bottom part of the scope. In this rail there are at least two wedge nuts, milled under 45° angle that are able to slide along the rail (and reach different positions). The scope mount can be attached to these wedge nuts with a use of torx, allen or hex key.

ZM/VM rail mounts normally reach the height between 7-9 mm (for hunting rifles), but can also be higher (up to 23 mm) for modern AR rifles.

Drawing of scopes

Drawing of scopes with (left) and without (right) Zeiss rail, both connected with Picatinny interface

(source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeiss_rail)

Pros

It is somehow strange that rail mounting of rifle scopes is not more popular or at least as common as mounting with rings. In majority of cases, rail mounting is far better solution. One of the main reasons for it is that using rails offers better stability of the rifle scopes. Such mounts deal with recoil much better, also because of their robustness and reliability. There is no stress or tension provided to the scope tube while mounting or after mounting during the normal lifetime of the equipment.

We should not forget to mention that perfect horizontal alignment between the scope and the rifle is always achieved. There are no subjective factors during reaching horizontal alignment, because everything is already there and prepared for you. You just have to tighten the screws and the scope will be horizontally aligned, perfectly. If you will ever think about changing the scope or putting your old one on the other rifle, there will be no mounting marks on the scope. Sliding the scope on its rail forward or backwards, usually means that it is also quite easier to adjust the perfect eye relief.

Cons

There are really not a lot of disadvantages when using a ZM/VM rail. We have to mention that in some configurations, the setup can be a little high, compared to the same setup using mounting rings. Also, the truth is that German rail solutions are not the cheapest ones.

Brands that use this rail standard

Nowadays, ZM/VM rails are produced also by other European manufacturers besides Zeiss. Let us show you the list of some of the most recognized manufacturers:

Leica,
Steiner,
Noblex,
Meopta,
Blaser,
Schmidt&Bender (only in some of their scopes),
Minox,
Kaps and
Nikon.

These are all the brands that found sense in adopting the ZM/VM rail standard for their scopes. Knowing that all these well reputed brands using the same rail standard from Zeiss, it looks quite promising, right?

Blaser Infinity 2.8-20x50

Conclusion

The reputation of ZM/VM rail is well deserved and probably this is so because we are talking about one of the best and most common rail standards available. We also (always) recommend that if you are in a situation when you can choose between mounting rings or mounting rail, you should always choose rail. All of the advantages are definitely worth it.

Filters

Sort

In stock

Zeiss Victory V8 1.8-14x50 T*

Ask for price

View Product

Add to compare

Steiner Ranger 8 2-16x50

Ask for price

View Product

Add to compare

Blaser Infinity 2.8-20x50

Ask for price

View Product

Add to compare

In stock

Leica Fortis 6 1.8-12x42i

Ask for price

View Product

Add to compare

Filters

Sort

VIDEO

A riflescope is an important piece of equipment when hunting in the mountains. Such hunts are strenuous – the hunter has to be in good physical condition. Hiking to the desired location and back to the starting point usually takes hours, not to mention that the shot game (if any) has to be carried when returning.

A riflescope is an important piece of equipment when hunting in the mountains

General features

It is important not to carry to much weight when going on a mountain hunt. For this reason, the riflescopes in this category are compact and lightweight. The objective lens measures 40–50 mm in diameter – a bigger lens is not required as mounting hunting is mostly done during the daytime.

It is important to have a high maximum magnification as the distance to the observed game can be quite substantial. A magnification of at least 10x is recommended. An adjustable parallax is a must when high magnification is set.

A BDC-turret comes in handy as the user can quickly compensate for the bullet drop at various distances (1 – 100 m, 2 – 200 m, 3 – 300 m, etc.)

To summarize, the features of a typical optics designed for mountain hunting are:

A light, compact chassis
40–50mm objective lens
High maximum magnification (above 10x)
Adjustable parallax setting
Optionally available with a BDC turret

Use on mountain rifles

Since minimizing the weight is the key to a mountain hunt success, the primary piece of equipment is a lightweight rifle. Such rifles are often referred to as mountain rifles.

These firearms, designed for use in mountainous terrain, are compact and designed to withstand adverse weather conditions. Popular choices include repeating short-barrel rifles and single-shot drop barrel rifles such as Blaser K95 Stutzen and Merkel K3 Stutzen.

These lightweight rifles and riflescopes mentioned above are a great combination.

Long-range shooting

In the mountains, the distance to the observed game can be huge, especially in the open ground. For this reason, these riflescopes are equipped with a high maximum magnification power, allowing the user to carefully examine the game before taking the shot.

Furthermore, they feature an adjustable parallax turret for a clear focus at any range. A BDC turret works well in such situations as it allows quick compensation for the bullet drop at various distances. In the majority of cases, shooting in the mountains is done at distances up to 400 m.

Shooting at greater distances than this is rarely pulled off as it violates the principles of the ethical hunt.

Riflescopes for mountain hunting are designed for long-range shooting

Riflescopes for mountain hunting vs stalking

These two types of riflescopes appear identical at first sight as they are both compact and lightweight. There are, however, many differences between them. The most notable is the magnification range. Riflescopes designed for stalking have a much lower maximum magnification.

Consequently, they lack an adjustable parallax feature. Because of lower magnification, it is difficult to shoot accurately at a target far away. Riflescopes designed for stalking are scarcely offered with a BDC turret.

Riflescopes for mountain hunting aren't suitable for driven hunts because their minimum magnification is too big and field of view too narrow. Even though the magnification range of riflescopes designed for stalking doesn't begin at 1x, they can still be used in a driven hunt (the lowest magnification is often 1.5x, 2x or 3x).

Illumination

All the premium riflescopes for mountain hunting are equipped with an illuminated reticle, even though it is not an essential feature. Mountain hunting is done during the day, meaning that you won't have to use the illumination often but it might come in handy in certain situations. Having a thin reticle is far more important – you don't want to have too much coverage of the game when the magnification is set to high power.

It is important not to carry to much weight when going on a mountain hunt

Best riflescopes for hunting in the mountains

Optics manufacturers with headquarters near the mountainous areas tend to have the best understanding of the mountain hunters' requirements. If you are looking for top-of-the-line riflescopes for mountain hunting, Austrian (Swarovski, Kahles) and German riflescopes (Zeiss, Leica, etc.) won't let you down.

Leupold has an extensive offer of high-quality riflescopes suitable for this purpose, and Vortex is also highly competitive in this field with their LH riflescopes.

A short presentation of Riflescopes for Mountain Hunting is available here.

Rifle scopes with Zeiss ZM/VM mounting rail

VIDEO

Introduction

Properties of Zeiss ZM/VM Rail standard

Pros

Cons

Brands that use this rail standard