Malcolm Scope Mounts

[Alan in WI]

I have a full length Leatherwood Malcolm scope that was a gift. I like the scope but the mounts that came with it are junk. I would like to mount this scope to a Shiloh Sharps rifle. I do not want to drill and tap the barrel. I would like to mount it using the dovetails only. Does anyone know of such a mount?

Thanks and Happy New Year!

Alan

[Doc Highwall]

Try these, not cheap but high quality.

http://www.dzhepburn.com/sights/dz-arms-scope-mounts/

[bigted]

if by "full length" you mean the 30 + inch scope ... then even as good as the above mounts are ... they will only address 1 range as there is not enough adjustment in them.

however if the cost is not an issue ... then id go to MVA [Montana Vintage Arms] and take a look at there Malcolm style mounts ... and they do offer the dovetail mounts for their dandy scope mounts. bit expensive but if you get the tall rear mount then you should be good for whatever range you desire to shoot at. then all that is required is a unertl rail that Leatherwood sells as an accessory to their scope. maybe even pick one up from MVA as I think they offer one as well.

[country gent]

The MVA mounts have alot of adjustment in them are accurate and repeatable. I have 2 sets of them on my MVA scopes. They work and are nice looking units. Not sure if they make a set that works in the dovetails or not. Mine both use unertal blocks on the barrel requiring the barrel to be drilled and tapped for the blocks. I am currently using 34" scope and 17" ring spacing. Keep in mind the ring spacing on these scopes is what sets the adjustments values.

[bigted]

with the mounts ... they give the option of either the D&Ted type unertl blocks OR the dovetail type blocks that utilize the dovetail to mount the special unertl block.

again tho ... feller will have to purchase a unertl rib for the Leatherwood scope so it will "slip" in the mounts I believe. never had a set so you [country gent] will have to confirm or deny the slipping thru in typical unertl fashion.

[Alan in WI]

I did a lot of checking and here is what I found out. BIGTED was correct that the DZ mounts would not have enough adjustment with a 30" scope. MVA Creedmoor mounts would work but they are designed to allow the scope to slide. The scope is kept in alignment with the Pope style rib that is attached to the bottom of the scope. The Leatherwood scope has no rib so one would have to be added to use with the MVA mounts. DZ Arms makes a rib that bolts onto a 3/4 inch scope but I don't know if that rib would work with the MVA mounts. Does anyone know if that bolt on rib would work?
Thanks
Alan

[country gent]

Call MVA and ask they are very helpfull and will ansewer questions. Ive ask alot of them when ordering.

[Don McDowell]

Leatherwood makes mount blocks that go in the dovetail, check on Powder Inc.
MVA's mounts do let the scope slide.
How far are you wanting to shoot with this scope? DZ's mounts allow for quite a bit of elevation adjustment by changing the height of the rear block.

[Alan in WI]

I checked with MVA and they were of little help. They recommended the Creedmoor mounts but basically they wanted to sell me their scope with the mounts. I would go with the MVA mounts if I could figure out a way to mount a Pope Style Rib to this Leatherwood scope. Any more suggestions?
Thanks Much
Alan

[bigted]

leatherwood sells the rib you need. as well as the rib that DZ Arms sells. both these ribs are the same in dimension so it would surprise me vastly if there were a different rib size anywhere.

tho Don is rite on the stick with his question ... how far do you desire to shoot and will you be shooting shorter ranges as well? if you will be keeping it at or under 200ish yards then those mounts DZ sells should work for you ... however I believe they are also the "unertl" style slip mounts and you would still need the rib. last I checked the DZ mounts were close to the MVA mounts and if I were going to buy mounts ... believe id go with the MVA mounts as well as their dovetail blocks that I believe they will provide with the mounts.

[Alan in WI]

Thanks guys for your help. As far as a shooting distance I don't actually know how far I will shoot but I don't want to be limited to shorter ranges. My original intention was to use the scope to develop loads for my rifles. I have 3 different Shiloh's. The nice thing about the Leatherwood scope is you can buy a spacer so it can be used on different barrel lengths. Two of my rifles have 30" barrels and the third has a 32" barrel so I can swap the scope back and forth. Using the mounts that came with the rifle are all of useless. If you move the elevation, the vertical will change, if you move the vertical adjustment the elevation changes. Just getting it to hit where you want on the target can use up a pound of black powder. So if I do invest in the MVA mounts I will go with their Creedmoor mounts. Then I won't have to worry about shooting longer distances.
Alan