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Aero Precision, a major manufacturer of AR-15 and AR-10 receivers, has recently started making 1-piece scope mounts for the AR-15 and AR-10 style rifles and other types of black rifles. Based in Tacoma, Washington, Aero Precision was founded as a CNC metal component manufacturer for Boeing and other companies in the aerospace industry.
I had a chance to visited Aero Precision (AP) last fall and I saw their facility was running large number of CNC machines on site. Besides their own label, Aero Precision also makes AR receivers and other components for a number of familiar brands.
There are many high-quality tactical style 1-piece scope mounts on the market such as those made by LaRue, American Defense Mfg and Bobro, but the Aero Precision Ultralight scope mount differs from those in a few areas: the first is the total weight, the entire Aero Precision mount weighs only 3.37 oz. That’s less than half the typical 7-8 oz. weight of most 1-piece scope mounts. Instead of milling out of billet, the Aero Precision Ultralight mounts are made from aluminum extrusion by CNC machining process. Most of the newer modular AR handguards from various manufacturers are also made with this method.
It’s very easy to attach the Aero Precision mount to a riflescope due to the clever design of its rings. Located on the top of the half-ring pieces is a hook-like connecting joint that locks the two halves together when the two ring screws below are tightened. On my sample, the fit is perfect and I didn’t have any ring misalignment issues.
Included with each Aero Precision Ultralight scope mount is a very nice T15 torx wrench. Unlike the cheap L-shaped torx or allen keys that most optic mounts come with, Aero Precision has a long chrome plated metal shaft with rubber-coated plastic finger pad for additional leverage. It’s definitely a tool that I will be keeping around.
The Aero Precision Ultralight scope mount can be installed on any Picatinny 1913 rail. Another design feature that I really like is the three recoil lugs and those also contain the screw holes for the three mounting screws. There’s no need to worry about the aluminum rail finish get scuffed up by exposed steel screw threads.
The 100% American-made Aero Precision Ultralight scope mount retails for just $85. This is half the cost of other high-quality USA-made 1-piece optic mounts. While I do like those quick-detachable lever type of optic mounts but the trade off is that the QD system adds a substantial amount of weight and each QD lever costs $50-$60 to make, many comes with 2 of them. What the Aero Precision Ultralight scope mount is offering is an affordable straightforward design that’s easy to install and at half the weight.
Aero Precision Ultralight 30mm Scope Mount Spec:
Weight: 3.37 ounces
Material: 6061-T6 extruded Aluminum and CNC machined
Ring size: 30mm, also available in 1-inch
Ring height: 1.5 inch
Finish: Type 3 hard anodized, custom Cerakote colors in FDE, OD, 2 shade of grays & bronze
Variants: Standard, SPR style, Extended style, 30mm red-dot sight mount
Price: $84.95
