Here is my dilemma. I began ordering scope mounts and scopes without even owning a rifle. Now that the glass has arrived, I need a test bed to gauge the clarity and focus of these scopes, and their light gathering ability. The solution is a tripod mount with a Picatinny rail on top. I found this one on tnvc.com:



Is this the only one that fits the bill, and has anyone ever taken a flat base Picatinny rail and threaded it for a 1/4-20 bolt/stud?

what scope is it, and what rifle is it going on?
sorry, I can't answer your question about threading the picatinny rail bc I've never done that before

How many scopes did you buy?  Why do you need to mount them to look through them when not on a rifle?  I wouldn't bother until you have a gun to mount on.  Then you can figure out what mount height works to achieve proper cheek weld.  Mounting them on a tripod would just turn them into a low-powered telescope.

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Sounds like you're trying to create something that resembles the Phoropter the optometrist uses to check your eyesight.

"Which is better?  A (changes lens) or B?"

You need to mount them on something that resembles the same eye relief (distance between scope and your eye) and cheek weld (make the scope parallel with your line of sight).

Otherwise, a properly positioned scope may seem to work better than one that's "off", even though the later is a superior scope.

The best platform to mount them on for comparison would be the rifle you intend to use it on.

If you haven't gotten a rifle yet, it's kind of like buying an engagement ring before you choose your wife.  Might fit .... might not.   Might be the right design ... might not.

If you haven't gotten a rifle yet, it's kind of like buying an engagement ring before you choose your wife.  Might fit .... might not.   Might be the right design ... might not.

Hey, it helps when you're hunting to be loaded for bear. Got various height rings from Vortex and Zeiss. Have two scopes, from Bushnell and Zeiss. Easier to add Leupold and Schmidt & Bender in the future than buying umpteen rifles and going through the paperwork and storage headaches. Most wives hate guns more than guitars, but optics they can deal with. Cannot find precision CZ rifles in the stores I've visited (due to Covid-19 delays). Decided to standardize on 30 mm rings. Got two digiscoping adapters as well, and the best way to test a scope is to stabilize it so a shot can be captured. Buying the wrong rifle would be worse than buying the wrong scope. Also, why can't I use a scope for spotting vs. a monocular? Not easy finding a reticle on a monocular. Also, I have very good tripods which I invested in 15 years ago. I see Marine snipers using tripods for shooting and spotting, so what I am considering is not that far fetched.

While the objective may be met by using your method, it seems a bit inefficient.

JMHO.

Always more than one way to skin a cat, so I'm not knocking your plan completely. 

Another thing to consider is the scope rings.  When you mount the rings on the rifle, tripod or whatever the rail is on, there's no guarantee the insides of the rings line up exactly planar to each other.  Fixing that could require lapping them.  You might need to do that for all the rings you attach scopes to, assuming you'll have more than one scope mounted at a time for comparison.

Once you lap the scope rings, they are adjusted for that rail only.  If you mount to a rifle with a different rail, might need tweaking with your lapping bar again.

Good luck with your project.

Found this in my obsolete parts box;  a carry handle scope mount.   Mount looks to have a 1/4-28 thread so it can thread about a 1/4 inch onto a 1/4-20  camera mount stud.  Just need to run a 1/4-20 tap through the hole.   You can have the mount.  Don't need it.  Let me know if want.

Pic show the scope mount screwed 1/4 inch onto the tripod stud.  A scope is sitting on it for scale.

  You can have the mount.  Don't need it.  Let me know if want.

Thanks for the very generous offer. Please hold it in your stock of parts, as you could find a use for it in the future. In my hoarder mindset, I ordered three sets of rails last night, from TNVC (Tactical Night Vision Company) and Amazon. TNVC has an unbelievable set of offerings, with night vision offerings selling for over $5G (out of my budget for NV, lol). A journey of discovery could be filled with mistakes, but the experience is what leads you down the rabbit hole in the first place. There must be a bit of Christopher Columbus (or Captain Wrongway Peachfuzz) in my genealogy.

Here is my dilemma. I began ordering scope mounts and scopes without even owning a rifle. Now that the glass has arrived, I need a test bed to gauge the clarity and focus of these scopes, and their light gathering ability. The solution is a tripod mount with a Picatinny rail on top. I found this one on tnvc.com:

SNIP

Why do you feel the need for a mount?  Are you trying to look through the glass at high magnification and compare the images?  I can see how that testing, a stable platform would be useful. 

Personally, I WANT to look through glass before I buy.  However, the last three pricier scopes I bought (one on order now), I just went with it.  The first two, I've been really happy.  The previously owned market on those optics are quite good, so that helps. 

That said, I do think stuff like eye relief is something a look for and tough to gauge off a gun.  However, if the gun is setup properly, can make the best of the optics overall. 

What guns do you have in mind for these optics? 

What guns do you have in mind for these optics?

I'm waiting for you to choose your .22LR rifle and report back on your positive or negative reactions.   

Still focusing on optics including the Kestrel Ballistic Solution and Leica Rangemaster.

It's the sniper rifle that targeted the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs! I've outshot Imperial starships, not the local bulk-cruisers, mind you.

 

I'm waiting for you to choose your .22LR rifle and report back on your positive or negative reactions.   

Still focusing on optics including the Kestrel Ballistic Solution and Leica Rangemaster.

 

Might be a while.  If I go the “what’s in stock locally” route when my centerfire comes in, looks like Oct-Nov.  If I go Vudoo (right now not likely, but still possible), that will be a long while.  They have a decent lead time unless I can find a random one in stock that I like. 

You’re going all out on the support gear. 

I have 3d printed some picatinny rails

Tnvc is what I was looking at as well. To mount it on my tripod.

My other option was to buy a cheap rail like utg/leapers/ monstrum and jb weld it to my tripod adapter. Maybe a zip tie as well. So ghetto!!!  had to be at least 1 inch high rail cause I was gonna slobber jb weld on the sides lol. Of course the bottom as well.



Ok so my reasoning was cause I was being cheap and didn't want to buy another spotting scope. My old scope rubber protective outing thing was melted, lens was dirty/ saw little fractures. It was my first spotting scope ever. It was a winchester 20-60x80 I think. I had (at the time) a couple scopes laying around doing nothing. So I was gonna put 1 of them, which was a 3-9x40 accupoint, on top. The tnvc seemed also kind of expensive for just a spotting scope adapter for kokohead only. Anyways, I sold my remaining scopes , and got  vortex binos. 10x50 or maybe it was 12x50. I forget, but its in my range bag now. I'm only running red dots and 1x acogs now. So all I need is to be able to see at 50 yards. So I tested my binos and at bout 70 ish yards I can see Washington's face on a dollar bill. Figured it be good enough. And now that I dont have to lug a tripod and a foot long spotting scope my bag is lighter and I can carry more boxes of ammo when goin kokohead

If you wanna talk about clarity. Its basically like everything else. You get what you pay for.

Triji scopes/ acogs/ NF is prob the best ive ever used. I would also put steiner 1-4 in that range as well. Edges werent fishy eye like vortex.
I also had vxr leupys too and they were clear but maybe not as good as acogs.

Ive never tried zeiss I think, never owned 1 for sure. But I'm pretty sure their glass is suppose to be on par with leupys or acogs? At the price range I see them at, they better be.

Never shot with S and B , but looked through them at stores. Hell even sig Sauer glass seems pretty good too.

If you only have 2 scopes , 1 being zeiss , it will be hard to tell how good it is unless you have a junk scope to compare it to.

I've looked through S&B and they are really clear, at least the ones that I have looked through.  I long wanted an S&B, but never did because of the price.  Not too long ago, their pricing came down to better align with optics in that range.  NF and Kahles slightly lower.  When researching glass for my bolt guns, I did a lot of research since the "look before you buy" opportunity here isn't great.  People are often eager to share their experiences with optics in that range, but much of it is like a Ford vs Chevy truck pissing match.  Have to weed through a lot of bs-slinging. 

I've shot with Zeiss and they are quite clear as well.  I've heard the glass on Sig scopes are clear as well, but haven't tried.  I have been eyeing their range finding binos for a while though. 

I've looked through S&B and they are really clear, at least the ones that I have looked through.  I long wanted an S&B, but never did because of the price.  Not too long ago, their pricing came down to better align with optics in that range.  NF and Kahles slightly lower.  When researching glass for my bolt guns, I did a lot of research since the "look before you buy" opportunity here isn't great.  People are often eager to share their experiences with optics in that range, but much of it is like a Ford vs Chevy truck pissing match.  Have to weed through a lot of bs-slinging. 

I've shot with Zeiss and they are quite clear as well.  I've heard the glass on Sig scopes are clear as well, but haven't tried.  I have been eyeing their range finding binos for a while though.

I long wanted an S&B, but never did because of the price.
- amen brother!

I've heard of sigs range finders working with their scopes via blue tooth or something. I just read the box. Hahaha. Never looked through any of their range finders.

Put the scope on a sandbag or similar item or cut some v notches in scrap wood and make a stand for it.

Seems like you're jumping the gun a bit and inexperienced with rifles.  I'd suggest getting with a knowledgable rifle owner to see the different types of scopes and mounts, and their uses. Or starting with a low end setup so you can figure out what you need later.  For example, you normally don't need high end or high magnification stuff for deer hunting.  Precision rifles may need high magnification while tactical rifles need a better field of view.  Or how different rifles need different mounts and different height rings.

What's the purpose of your rifle? 

I long wanted an S&B, but never did because of the price.
- amen brother!

I've heard of sigs range finders working with their scopes via blue tooth or something. I just read the box. Hahaha. Never looked through any of their range finders.

I used to drool at the Short Dots, but at $3k+, they were way out of my league.  At least at the time I was looking at them.  When I got around to buying an LPVO, I ended up spending close to that range anyways.  S&B Short Dots were nowhere to be found. 

Yeah, the Sig binos are available with that feature.  But I don't plan on using that feature.  At least in combination with their optics.  I believe Leica has similar feature(s), but also a lot more $$$. 

Also, why can't I use a scope for spotting vs. a monocular? Not easy finding a reticle on a monocular. Also, I have very good tripods which I invested in 15 years ago. I see Marine snipers using tripods for shooting and spotting, so what I am considering is not that far fetched.

A rifle scope could be used as a monocular in a pinch.  However it has many downsides:
- Difficult to handhold
- Unwieldly size for all but the smallest scopes
- Smaller field of view
- shorter eye relief and eyebox

I have a vortex monocular with reticle.  I would recommend the bushnell one over it since it can be tripod mounted.  It's very difficult using the reticle when handheld even with my arms supported, so I recommend using it with a tripod or sandbag for ranging.  Better yet, get a laser rangefinder instead which can be used as a monocular and much faster and easier for ranging.  I use a bushnell rangefinder which is in the midrange that goes out to 1,000 yds or so.

I too have vortex monocular. I got the 8x I think. I believe its somewhere under my bed lol. Or the last I seen it was under my bed. Haha.

I think you may be able to mount it on a tripod. I dunno how sturdy it is but online they sell these straps with a larger baseplate (the baseplate screws into the tripod adapter) and you strap porro prism binos to it.

I have no idea how sturdy it is. Ive never tried it. Ive never bought to test it.

OP, nothing wrong using whatever you want as a spotting scope. Any reticle will do. As long as you have enough magnification for your intended purpose. But for a rifle, as long as you know the caliber's limits and researched as far as bullet drop, you should be ok on the type of reticle youve chosen. I'm not a sharp shooter. I like fast, fixed magnification which is why I stick to red dots and acogs. But when I had scopes, the 1-4's had German 4, duplex, ptr type of reticles. And the higher magniffications had moa.

So if you see a fucking retarded donkey at the range with an aimpoint h2 with an offset rmr .... That'll be me. I had an accupower 1-4 on it last, but wanted lighter/ less bulky setup. Dunno what to do with this extra rmr.

Actually might be buying the new PA Cyclops gen 2 or the 3x version. Looks promising. Tough as fuck too. Atleast the gen 1 was.

OP I'm a bit confused by the monocular reference now.  Do you mean a handheld monocular like this:



Or a spotting scope: