Mounting the Holland Adjustable Picatinny Scope Rail

Every scope sight performs best when the reticle is optically centered in the viewing field. The adjustable-rail mount syste d’s Shooters Supply makes this simple, er to solidly mount an in-line scope with the reticle perfectly centered. The Holland Picatinny rail mount has two solid-steel bases as a rigid component attached to the rifle receiver beneath the slotted, adjustable rail. The Holland rail has a unique feature allowing it to be adjusted right or left, making it possible to center the scope reticle.

The system comes with detailed instructions on how this is accomplished. For a perfectly centered scope, some minor fitting is necessary on one of the two rails offered. This will be covered in more detail below. Attaching the Rail Mount System First, the two bases are attached to the receiver with four 6-48 screws provided. In cases where the bases are not in true alignment, they can be milled. This procedure is outlined in the instructions.

Such milling could also be performed to alter the angled plane formed by the two bases to change vertical reticle adjustment. Holland offers two different rail mounts for the Remington Model 700- Series rifles, one of which requires drilling and tapping a screw hole. The rail can now be attached to the bases with two of the three 10-32 screws provided. The rear base screw is a flathead screw, which is not fully tightened at this time.

The other front screw is a 10-32 button-head screw that goes in the slotted front hole. This feature allows the base to be moved from side-to-side at the front for exact reticle centering with the bore. Before mounting the scope on the rifle, the scope reticle should be centered in the scope. This is accomplished by turning the reticle adjusting-knob until it reaches one end" "R" or "L. Then count the clicks all the way to the opposite side.

Divide the total clicks in half, and set the reticle in this position to center it. Mount the scope on the rifle and align the reticle to the bore. This is also This system is one of the most rigid scope mounts available. done for vertical reticle position at this time, to see if any base adjustment is required. At this point, with the scope temporarily mounted and with the reticle coinciding with the bore, remove the scope (with the rings attached) from the rail.

This is where the final railattaching screw comes into use. A hole is drilled and tapped in the extreme forward end of the front base for the final 10-32 flat-head screw. This hole must be carefully centered, drilled, and tapped through the front hole in the rail into the base, and requires attention to detail for exact centering. The screw provided is a flat-head 82-degree 10-32, requiring a number 22 drill. If you lack the ability

Both provide for perfect reticle centering prior to permanently attaching the rail. to accomplish this task, seek help. This final screw, along with the other two screws holding the rail base, locks things solidly in position, providing what is essentially a custom-fitted Picatinny rail mount.

Holland’s does recommend using a drop of Loctite on each screw thread, after the surfaces The difference between this rail and the other offered by Holland is in the front part of the rail and the screws used to attach it. have been thoroughly cleaned. Holland’s other rail mount is much the same as the first one I have described, with one difference.

This rail mount has two slotted holes at the front, along with a 10-32 button-head screw for each slot permitting full adjustment and solid attachment of the rail mount to the front base. No drilling and tapping for this rail is required. The bases are machined at a 20- MOA slope as received, which should be good out to 1,000 yards. Available with the Holland Picatinny mounting system is a machinist’s sine-bar to hold the action for precise milling of the bases, if needed to center the reticle vertically.

This was not required in my cases, as I mounted the scope on one of my Model 40X Remington rifles and a Model 700. Follow the instructions that come with the mount for this procedure. Scope Rings Equally Important In conjunction with the Holland Picatinny Rail Mounting System, I chose to use Badger Ordnance scope rings. These rings come in 30mm with precision sleeves for one-inch scope tubes. The Badger Ordnance scope rings are avai nclair Internation and Brownells These rd in pairs and serial numbered.

The mediumheight scope rings are made of steel, and range in weight from 6.6 to 10.4 ounces. They have a Weaver-style clamp with a 1/2-inch nut to secure the rings solidly to the rail. The Badger scope rings are available in standard, medium, medium-high, high, and ultra-high. I have mounted and tested many hundreds of scope-mounting systems with none that beat the solidness and coaxial congruity of the Picatinny railmounting systems when used with precision-made rings.

I installed Brownells’ Sleeved Scope Alignment Rods between the rings. These rods serve to prove the true coaxial alignment of the scope rings, whether the rings are 30 mm or 1 inch. Proof positive for absolute precision in ring alignment is shown when the longer of the two alignment rods passes easily through both mounted sleeves, as it did with the Holland/Badger Ordnance combination. Attaining this level of precision requires a great deal of well-thought-out machining by the manufacturers.

Conclusions The Picatinny scope-mounting system is not ideal for all rifles. A mountain rifle or other carry rifle might be served with one of the other scopemount systems. I have used and tested many of these with excellent success. However, where the ultimate in precision and overall rigidity is required, few mounts equal the performance of a well-made Picatinny rail along with high-quality scope rings.

The Holland/Badger Ordnance combination easily meets these demands as well as providing for optimal reticle adjustability. I