Blaser vs Mauser? Part 3. Scope Mounts.

Update - See how accuracy holds up with barrel and scope changes in this later post and video.

**********

A knowledgeable contact wrote that Blaser's and Mauser's engineers must have been on drugs when they designed systems that needed proprietary scope mounts. Maybe he's got a point. They would only be worth putting up with and worth their cost if they were very good at their job, of providing quick and convenient detachability, repeatability and consistent accuracy. Fortunately, every review I've found and every comment from contacts familiar with their performance states that they provide exactly that.

Blaser's R93 and R8 Saddle Mounts are interchangeable between the two models. Some Blaser owners are cranky that they're the only parts that are interchangeable. Blaser scope rings are made from aluminium. Mauser rings are made from steel. Of particular interest, the R93 rings fit and look right on the M03 Double Square Mount bases. The R8 rings will also fit but don't look quite right, having right angled sides instead of the curved sides that the R93 and M03 rings have.

A dodgy photo of an R93 Saddle Mount and rings, showing curved sides of ring stems.

Blaser Saddle Mounts allow lower scope mounting than Mauser M03 Double Square Mounts. The Blaser mounts take advantage of being fitted on the barrel reinforce, such that the tapering barrel provides room for the scope's objective bell. With M03s, the Double Square Mount fits as a bridge over the receiver and positions the objective bell over the barrel reinforce. More on this later.

Some shooters place high value on having a 'good cheek weld', i.e. having their cheek flap compressed to provide a solid cushion between their cheek bone and the rifle butt. I don't. Not only does it cause wrinkles that would make a Hollywood starlet freak out, it messes with my vision, with how my spectacles sit and causes contact between the stock and ear muffs. Of course this could all be because the shape of my head is funny. With heavy recoiling rifles it can also make walnut crash into bone. The walnut always wins. I'm happy with a looser rest that is quicker to establish, where I have the side of my jaw making contact with the stock. Because I'm not a crocodile I can move my jaw up and down and side to side, which makes for convenient aligning of eye to scope. As such, a particularly low scope mounting system is not something I need. So, not a win for Blaser.

The Blaser mount bases are adjustable with a screwdriver for how tightly they clamp onto the barrel.

R8 Saddle Mount, showing a raiser block between base and ring. Note right angle base of rings.

The Mauser M03 Double Square Mount is self adjusting by means of a cupped spring steel washer that acts on the shaft of the rotating cloverleaf. These washers, one at each end, are flattened when the cloverleaves are rotated to engage with the mount bases in the receiver. I took a few macro photos to show how it all works. Sorry about the fluff. The cupped spring steel washer is seen surrounding the shaft at bottom right of the second picture.

By all accounts the performance of the Blaser and Mauser scope mounts is equal. However, I'm informed that there can be a point of difference in repeatability if switching a barrel between multiple receivers. In this case, because the Blaser scope mount rides on the barrel there may be less shift in point of impact. That's understandable - but I'm hesitant to record this as a win for Blaser as I don't plan to switch barrels across multiple receivers. If I do, I'll map the respective scope and barrel to each receiver.

A gunsmith who is very familiar with both systems advised me that the M03 Double Square Mount locks to its receiver more strongly than the Blaser Saddle Mount clamps to its barrel. From looking at the two, I'd have to agree. However, as I'm constantly vigilant about isolating my scopes from bumps and don't plan to use the rifle and scope as an anchor for abseiling, I'm calling it a draw.

p.s. Re the last pic in the previous post, a closeup of an M03 Extreme, note that the scope mount rear lever's locking tab is not sitting in its slot properly. It looks like the lever needs a bit more of a push, to rotate the cloverleaf a touch more. With that, the locking tab will be able to settle into the slot.