Ken Ferral 20 MOA base

Ian,
I was thinking about one of Farrell's bases for my Savage SA. I would be interested in any info you might have on them.
Thanks,
Wayne

[ 02-07-2004: Message edited by: Wayne McD ]
 
Re-reading the stuff below convinces me that I am getting old and fussy, but what the hell... Here are my feeble thoughts on Ken Farrell bases:
..there are a couple of slot designs now, he recently switched his slot specs to emulate the other tacticals which use an army spec'd slot pattern called Picatinny spec. So you should be aware that there are two styles, the older ones on roughly 1/2" slot centers and the newer Picatinny style.
..unfortunately they are not Picatinny spec so if you want to move a scope from one rail to another they probably will not allow you to. From one Rem. short action to another you will probably be OK, but from a Rem short action to a Rem long, or a Win. M-70 or Savage, no go. Will not work from an old style to an newer style. With true Picatinny rails such as Nears and Badgers this is inherent in their design. You do NOT have to relocate a ring, which is not a big job but still a pain in the butt. I can go Badger to Badger or Badger to Near with perfect fit.
The latest bases are said to be Picatinny spec but that is only true for each end of the base that has slots. The middle area that has the product name and model has no slot pattern and varies in size, so that throws out the lengthwise specs.
..second, Farrell rings and bases are beautifully machined and finished, but they have their little quirks. The bottom of the base is hollowed out and the manufacturer suggests bedding them to the top contour of your receiver. This is sort of a pain in the butt since you don't do that to the other heavy rails. They are also a bit higher than most other bases, this is probably not a concern but can elevate your scope quite noticeably above the barrel. His rings don't employ 1/2 inch nuts like the other guys, which means you need a big allen wrench to torque them. Some people prefer the allens, some prefer the 1/2" nuts, I guess I am used to the bigger nuts.
..if you have spent two thousand bucks on a rifle, another thousand or so on a scope, what in hell is another fifty or sixty bucks to have a true mil-spec mounting system (even tho you don't need it since you probably won't be jumping out of too many helicopters but ...).
Ken Farrell's bases are very strong and beautifully machined - and priced reasonably (53 bucks vs 125 is quite a difference). They are great for someone who wants a tapered one-piece base for a particular rifle and scope - and will leave them together.
 
Ian,
Thanks! I had noticed he switched from .5" spacing to the near .4" spacing, but somehow missed that it didn't carry on the whole length of the rail, I must have assumed he just left slots out for the name but kept the spacing front to rear.

If you plan on swapping scopes from one rifle to the next, don't overlook this if they aren't the same length actions. I'd personally go with the BO or NF base if one had plans for SA and LA swapping.

Keep in mind though, lock the scope in the rings so it works on the short action, fitting it to the LA first, it may not work on the SA.

The Farrel base IS really nice, and standard ring height generally work with the 50-56MM OBJ scopes. I think the base is .400" tall at the front for a M700, pretty tall indeed.

Bedding the scope base is something I recommend anyway, especially if swapping scopes. Lapping rings on a tweaked rail wouldn't be good when it's locked down to another rail that sets straight, or is tweaked a "different" way.

I believe that the machining is really well done, but I'd still lock down the rings on both rails and do a light lap check to detect the difference between the two bases before lapping fully to match just "one" base.
 
I know it's a pain, but I leave the lapped rings on the base when I switch scopes. I know I have to go through alignment again, but it's not too bad if you have a level on the scope and have the time.
db
 
Ring height on 20moa base? using loopie rings for a 30mm tube 40 mm objective?

Any help here appreicated!

(do you just get the loopie chart and size down one height?)

Can Ken Farrel himself help with this?

Anybody know how to contact him?

I bought my base from sharp shooter supply
 
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