The Ar-15 reigns supreme as the most sold firearm in America and the vast majority will continue to be for a very long time if the current forecast continues. The addition of black rifles on the market is one of the biggest reasons the aftermarket for guns has exploded in recent years. There are literally hundreds of companies that manufacture accessories for the Ar15 and many of them make optics mounts and systems for attaching accessories optics to your gun.
Finding the best AR scope mount is a simple task; nail down what you need and choose from the huge selection of awesome manufacturers on the market today.
Here are some quick reviews of the top 4 mounts for AR15's.
Best AR Scope Mount for the Money
GG&G SOCOM II Quick Detach Rifle Scope Mount
If you need a rifle scope mount for cheap this is a great option. Although specifically designed for the M14/M1a series of rifles these are a fantastic mount that will mate up to any mil spec rail or flat tip receiver. The greatest part of this scope mount is the fact that it sits very low and comes off easy.
The challenges of mounting this on an M14 has made it an effective way to mount on to an Ar15 because the same attributes of light weight, quick detach, and rugged construction you need in an optic mount. This is a fantastic mount for almost any rifle scope that would go on Ar15 for hunting shooting or home defense.
The quality of this optic combined with the low price makes it one of the best optic mounts for an Ar15. Don’t be swayed by the fact it was designed for an M14, it will work on most any M1913 rail interface, used on just about every flat top Ar15 receiver.
Best Ar15 Scope Mount
LaRue Tactical QD Cantilever Scope Mount - LT104
Larue is one of the best manufacturers of mounts for tactical carbines. They make literally dozens of models and choosing one is difficult to pare down, but whatever you buy, you’ll be buying an awesome optic mount that’ll last a lifetime.
This scope is a cantilever style mount, perfect for an Ar15. This allows you to move your optic out even further away from your eye while keeping the mount on the upper receiver. A great improvement for reducing the amount of scope housing in your field of view.
The scope sits low with a centerline of just 1.5” and weighs in at just a hair over 6oz. This is a fantastic design for light and fast carbines. The cantilever is an effective 1.5” of extra distance away from your eye.
While on the expensive side, this is easily one of the best designed quick detach scope mounts money can buy. If you need a high-performance gear, you need this mount. The main reason this scope design so well is the ratcheting system that takes every detail in order, including oil holes for the mechanism that releases the mount from the rail it’s mounted on.
This is the best scope mount you can use on your rifle. It will do just about everything well but shines on rifles where ditching the optic may be imperative to task at hand. If you have the budget, get this scope mount and don’t look back.
Best AR Scope Mount Under $100
Leupold 110290 Mark 2 IMS
This is a very nice mount from Leupold for using atop an Ar15. It has a standard 1 inch tube rings built in, and is elevated just enough to clear most flip up sights that are common on fighting rifles. The high point of this mount is the full-length clasps built into the base that fits on a standard 1913 rail, and the shielding that protects the connection from dirt and debris that could make it impossible to remove the mount when you need to service the optic.
The mount has a lot of extra meat and could be pared down a bit, but it is certainly overbuilt and does a fantastic job of holding zero. The thumb screws can be hard to screw on and off, so don’t rely on this as a quick detachable scope mount, but would be great for hunting or a precision rifle set up.
Leupold is the largest of the great American optics manufacturers. They supply more military and law enforcement units worldwide than any other optics maker. They have mounts to go with just about all their optics including several that will mount nicely to an Ar15.
Best Quick Detachable Scope Mount
BOBRO Precision Optic Mount 30mm Rings
BOBRO precision engineering is a sleeper of a company but really should be more well known. The hardest thing to find on these mounts is negative reviews. They cost an awful lot, almost twice as much as other mounts but the quality of these mounts makes them worth every penny.
A quick detachable mount is important when mounting large optics that would otherwise be obtrusive to back up iron sights. Quick datable mounts are common, but good ones aren’t. The biggest problem with many quick detachable mounts is they either lock down hard and hold zero, but get gummed up with sand and are very hard to get off or they take sand and debris easily but are wobbly and don’t zero.
This mount solves this by having a very well designed and tight tolerance mechanism that won’t allow for debris to get gummed up and because the tolerances are tight it’ll hold a rock solid zero. This is an extremely high quality mount, if you stomach the cost you’ll never need another one.
Challenges
Image by bk1bennett
When you start to add a scope onto your ar15 and look for a mount you’ll notice a few issues that are unique for the Ar-15:
Weight & Construction
The weight of your mount isn’t as critical as with other rifles, but as with most things, lighter is better. Aluminum mounts are just as good as other steel mounts but do cost more and weigh more. Remember, Ar15’s are made from primarily aluminum, if it can hold together your rifle, you can bet it’ll hold down your scope. Be careful when cranking down a steel mount onto a flattop receiver, you can easily strip out the dovetails and damage the upper receive on an ar15 from improper mounting.
Size & Position
For the most part, mounts on an ar15 should be as low and as small as possible. The Ar15 is a light and fast carbine. A large optic mount is largely dead weight, the size of the mount does little to help it hold zero.
Look for a trim optics mount at the correct height for the optic you are using and mount it as far away from your eye as possible while keeping it on the upper receiver. This keeps the optic from shifting zero if you bang the handguard but it keeps the housing of the optic and the mount out of your field of vision. Red dots have infinite eye relief and an appropriate scope for an Ar15 will have enough eye relief to allow you to run it further forward than on a bolt action rifle.
Back Up Iron Sights
A fighting rifle should always have back up iron sights. Fighting rifles are often the rifle to benefit most from an optic, both can be used if you use the correct optics mount. The key is to get a pair of sights that mounts low and then get a mount that is tall enough to clear the eyepiece of your optic so they don’t obscure your sight picture when looking through your optic.
Quick Detachable
The idea that the ar15 is primarily a fighting rifle and needs to be outfitted with back up iron sights is good wisdom if that’s the task at hand for your rifle. This makes mounting an optic an interesting task because on one hand it needs to be rugged and bombproof but it needs to come off easily to allow you to use your back up iron sights.
Many people assume the only reason they’ll switch to iron sights is if the battery in their red dot burns out. But if your scope gets clogged with mud or debris you won’t be able to see through the rifle to co witness the sights anyway. Get a quick detachable mount if you’re going to be using a rifle that must have both an optic and back up iron sights.
Bottom Line
Adding an optic to an AR is a great way to make the rifle more usable and make it much easier to use. Magnifiers, optics or red dot scopes make an addition that few other accessories can make. Attaching it to your gun is extremely important so make sure pick the best AR scope mount, install it properly and get out into the field and use it!
