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Sportsmatch AR15 Maxiclamp

Sportsmatch AR15 Maxiclamp

Straight pull AR15s are becoming more popular every year and there are now several companies making this style of rifle in the UK. The M16/AR15 originally had a rear sight built into the carry handle that forms the top part of the upper receiver but current M4 style versions have a scope-mounting rail machined on top instead. This ‘Picatinny M1913’ rail is pretty much industry standard on most current assault rifles, as well as a lot or .22 rimfire look-alikes and there are many different types of optic available that use this mounting system, as well as individual and one-piece rings for mounting scopes.

Drawbacks

The main drawback to these rails on an AR is the simple fact that they end up limiting the fitment of certain types of scope, as there’s simply not enough room to mount them far enough forward for correct eye relief. Therefore one-piece ‘reach forward’ or ‘cantilever’ mounts have been produced to marry the rifle with the optic.

Many of those currently available are very nice indeed and often feature a quick release mechanism that a lot of shooters simply don’t need. Unless you really require the facility to be able to remove and re-fit a scope to an AR you’re simply paying a lot of money for something you don’t need. It’s difficult to get hold of a lot of American made shooting kit at the moment and this state of affairs could go on for quite some time, due to US shooters buying up everything that arrives on the shelves of their local gunshop (fearing anti-gun legislation).

The Solution

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To try to address this problem I thought I’d see if I could get Sportsmatch, the UK scope mount company, to make something to meet the demand. I’ve known Mathew Ford, the company’s MD for many years now and I explained the situation to him and that I thought he should make such a mount. I told him that he could probably sell a lot here and also throughout the world.

I met up with Matthew at The British Shooting Show in February and I was very pleased indeed when he presented me with the first prototype of the new mount. What he gave me is absolutely spot on, made to the company’s usual high standards and features double Allen screw top clamps, black anodising and the all important reach forward facility. The design allows for the scope to positioned 2 ½” further forward than if conventional mounts were used. There are two square-section, high tensile steel bars that lock into slots in the rail and 13mm locking nuts to tighten the 63mm clamp to the rifle; there’s no way this item will come loose! The mount is suitable for 30mm bodied scopes, with up to 50mm objective lenses.

Mount Up!

In the Spring I still had a couple of Civilian Service Rifle competitions to compete in but first I’d need to mount my scope and check my 100 yard zero and make sure I had dialling figures out to 600 yards. Fitting my scope was obviously child’s play and I set it so that I had perfect eye relief and still had one notch in the Picatinny rail spare, so I could have mounted it slightly further forward if it had been necessary. The mount weighs 170 grams, so it won’t add unnecessary weight to the rifle.

Even with the relatively large front end of my old Deben scope, there was still plenty of clearance between the front of it and the rifle’s Hogue free float handguard. I used a 13mm spanner to secure the bottom clamps and a 3mm Allen key for the top bolts. It certainly looked the part, so I was good to go.

Conclusion

So, how did the mount hold up? Well, after a couple of zero and practice sessions and two competitions, the scope’s zero has remained spot on; I guess I’ve fi red around 400 rounds through the Speed Master since I fitted the new mount, and I’ve no complaints at all. The mount does everything it was designed to do, is well made, light and looks great too. It’s made by a respected British company and at £93 it will give its American counterparts a real run for their money. The AR15 Maxiclamp mount (HOP77) is available at all good gunshops.

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  • Sportsmatch AR15 Maxiclamp - image {image:count}

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  • Sportsmatch AR15 Maxiclamp - image {image:count}

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