Repeatable zero - 1 piece scope mounts

Hi all, I’m sure there’s members on here with practical experience switching optics over on a rifle from a day scope to standalone thermal and back again.

I’m also pretty sure I know the answer, but hey if there’s some secret sauce out there that’s working I’m keen to listen and learn.

The goal is to run a day optic in either a sphur or nightforce mount, remove it to switch to a thermal scope, and then return back at the end of the evening to my day optic.

If I can achieve this with acceptable repeatability and not need to re zero each time I will be a happy man.

Like I said, I think it’s an unlikely proposition but let’s hear it.

Ps- acceptable accuracy to me means under an inch variation at 100m to enable clean shots to be taken at 500m

Certainly possible on the Blaser rifles.

I think it's likely possible on others.

Yes it is douable. It is easier to achieve with a torque wrench.
We had a customer who was a professional culler, and he needed two scope mounts, one for is vx5 the other for his thermal on his tikka.
He bought two of our mounts and a torque wrench , and was getting very good return to zero.
We even made a custom base that he could fit on his tikka 17hmr, so that he could switch between two rifles the thermal scope.

The same can be done for picatinny rails mounts.
Just don’t skip on the quality.

I had assumed QD mounts would be the way to go but yea no issues keeping a torque wrench handy.

Talk to Fraser at owl optics he sells return to zero rings and a mount for thermals. Not sure what brand you’re running but I know he has them for the pards. I run this set up on my work guns with no issues no torque wrench needed

I can echo the above, talk with Fraser, he can get QD mounts that actually work and accurately do what you want

https://owloptics.nz/

I have had no issues swapping between a day scope and thermal both with std rings (Leupold and contessa) on a picatinny rail with as friwis said a torque screwdriver. Maybe not as quick as a qd mount but it's not a race.

Fraser ones we have tested for repeatability with thermal and his day scope mounts.
Yep work a treat.
His thermals work really well to with good bang for buck with his sale at the moment.

Sent from my SM-A226B using Tapatalk

Definitely don't need QD mounts, or even a torque wrench to get a repeatable zero when switch scopes around.

I've used NF, Spuhr, Contessa and Reknagle rings and found them all to return to zero perfectly.

The only rings I've had that didn't return to zero were Burris XTR rings, as the clamp design was leading to a left/right variance.

On my AR I used to swap between day scope and thermal regularly, at least once a week, with no zeroing issues. Regular scope rings, not QD. Thermal had own mounts for rail. Now use a dedicated rifle/NV system for that caper, a Win Model 70 in 223 with HIKMICRO Alpex day/night scope. Also have a Bergara BA13 in 308 which I swap over scope/ red dot sight depending on weather/hunting conditions without any noticeable poa shift. Again, no special mounts. Main hunting rifle these days has one piece rings/bases that it came with, solid setup.

Awesome cheers all, looks like there is no need to go the ‘clip on’ thermal route.

I do this exact scenario....
I use Leupold QRW2 rings on all my main scopes (3) and my thermal has a Warne QD....
I swap the zero settings on the thermal between the 3 rifles and the scopes back and forward..
Everything works well and I have no reason to doubt it, I zeroed them all once initially and wrote it all clearly into my wee black book, and haven't had a single issue that makes me want to check where things are....
I follow the same procedure for mounting and doing up the rings by hand each time, IE slide it forward on the rail and do it up until the ring mount lever screws are about "that" position.
Maybe at most there could be some slight change in poi but I don't really notice it..
And the deer certainly dont either..

Took a spiker at 180m with base of neck shot with thermal that's had 100 swaps between zero settings and not far fewer swaps between rifles and it fell over dead with a shot to base of the neck right where I aimed....

Hope that helps

Spuhr mounts are but need torque wrench. Been using Warne QD for many years swapping between scopes and red dots.

As @ Marty Henry had no issues changing over scope to therm and back again with ordinary rings

I played with this idea and did experiments at the range too. I only used QD mounts (Leupold and Warne). My method was to fire one five shot group with the scope remaining mounted throughout and then another five shot group with the scope removed and remounted between each shot. I tried this with several different rifles/scopes.
Generally there is no variation.

I found that it is best to have a good solid pic rail to mount to if doing this. The lower quality or flimsy pic rails don’t give as good repeatability.

Sometimes after replacing the scope, you can get a flier on the first shot after which it will settle down. (I always pushed the scopes forward during mounting).

It very doable mate.
the fundamentals are running a pic rail, using high quality rings, using a torque wrench and mounting the scope with forward pressure in the same pic slots each time.

I personally like using NF ultralights and a fix it sticks 65in/lb limiter

tighten up each bolt a little at a time and will be within 1 click of zero