LaRue VFZ mounts
LaRue Tactical's new VFZ are interesting. Instead out clamping horizontally they clamp vertically.
From LaRue ...
VFZ is a new theory in the concept of clamping accessories to MIL-STD-1913 rails. Instead of using a horizontal cross-bolt, the VFZ uses a vertical bolt that draws up a clamping foot against the lower angle of the rail...seating the mount similarly to a fully-closed LaRue lever. Once installed on the firearm, index marks allow the user to remove the mount, then reattach to the same tension, providing unprecedented return to zero for a non-QD-levered mount. The unique vertical alignment of the clamp allows components that are structurally stronger than traditional cross-bolt designs.
Ok I see it now. I must have been half-asleep reading this article. Here’s a better picture of how it’s different off of their website.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y44/mfingar/LaRue_Tactical/VFZ_Differences.jpg
I think some of you are missing the point. The vertical part of this device is not referring to the scope clamp, but to the picatinny attachment.
I don’t think Chris and Bob really understand whats different about the VFZ, its not the orientation of the mount for the scope (which is vertical like all the other larue mounts, and ADM mounts), its the orientation of the clamp relative to the rail.
Why are companies doing more and more of these vertical mounts when they’re such a pain in the @ss to mount up? I have a pair of vertical mounts for my rifle and they look cooler than horizontal mounts, but at least with horizontal mounts, the scope has something to rest on during mounting. It took me an eternity to get my scope right while holding it in place and placing the rings around the mount just right. Then the difference between the positions of each half combined with the difference between the base and the rings was rotating the scope. Not worth it IMO, but then again, maybe there’s some advantage I haven’t thought of.
Not really a new idea. My Leupold is vertically secured the same way for my M1A EBR. Here’s the manufacturer of the one I bought; top-notch stuff:
http://www.americandefensemanufacturing.com/browse/category/opticmounts/scopemounts/
I’m not a fanboy. (the Dillo is cool, I dont have much use for QD mounts.) I do, however, see the reasoning behind the mount. Its design is such that after securing the optic, you have one screw per ring to mess with, rather than the traditional two. Judging from the photo and the description, that one screw also is marked, so you only have to make note of the marks, and you can take it off, when needed, and replace it, back in the original position, with the original tension. Should hold a reasonable level of “zero.”
And hey, if it can handle the recoil of big game rifles, then I’ll become a fanboy. Currently I am debating on the wisdom of using locktite on scope rings.
Like a lot of people, I am a big LaRue fanboy and if they say that this new vertical clamping system works better – then I believe them.