Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Picatinny Rail Vs. Weaver Rifle Scope Base Dimensions
I called a well-known quality manufacturer to confirm dimensions of some riflescope rings labeled as Picatinny. I asked the technical expert there for some insight and he thought I was some quack because Picatinny and Weaver rifle scope rings were exactly the same. They are absolutely not the same. It's typical that a so called "expert" didn't know the difference. The recoil lugs on true Picatinny scope rings are much larger than Weaver style rifle scope rings to better fit the dimensions of MIL-STD-1913 (Picatinny) rails. The recoil groove on Picatinny rails is .206. Not plus or minus, but .206 if the manufacturing was done correctly. Weaver base recoil slots are plus or minus .180, again, depending on the manufacturer, and with a certain amount of leeway. So, Weaver scope rings will fit on Picatinny bases, but Picatinny rifle scope rings will not fit on Weaver rails. That's how it's supposed to work. Unfortunately, manufacturers and consumers interchange the monikers, occasionally resulting in non-compatible components.
For instance, Leupold recently changed their superb Mark 4 rifle scope rings to fit Weaver bases, so they are no longer true Picatinny due to the reduced size of the recoil lugs under the rings. In another example, Burris XTR rings are marketed as Picatinny but they are not. They are Weaver. In another Burris twist, they label the XTB bases as Weaver mounts, but they are Picatinny mounts. Aimpoint is on the ball and calls a spade a spade. They offer scope rings for their top quality reflex sights in Weaver AND Picatinny. Slowly manufacturers are starting to make all rifle scope bases Picatinny and all riflescope rings Weaver style to insure compatibility with all newly manufactured items.
