Thread: Zero MOA rail/base - why?

Just going back in time, like pre 90's when there were probably not even 5 companies worldwide making sloping rails. Everybody was using 0 Moa mounts. Worst case they would shim the rear to gain a bit of elevation ( at the risk of bending the tube).
The demand has evolved and so has the industry and there must be at least 20 to 30 companies if not more that offer inclined rails and some with all the options in between.

If machining a 0 Moa rail is resonnably strait forward ( more or less), as soon as you make a canted rail you multiply the number of operations.
Take a tikka rail for exemple:
At 0 Moa: top and bottom are parallel, and the screw holes and screw head recess are straight and 90 degrees to those parallel surfaces.

At 20 Moa ( or any other angle): your screw holes and head recess are drilled at 90 degrees to the bottom of the base , but all your picatinny slots are milled on a different plan parallel to the angle of the top surface. Which can involve a few more operations depending on what cnc set up is run.

Just that makes the price go up, or the manufacturer does not want to bother and just make and sale 0 Moa rails only and that is it.