Picatiny rail or not?

[upacreek]

I have just picked up my rifle from getting a new barrel, brake and stock. Being really excited with my new toy, my gunsmith told me he would install and level my scope if I brought it when I picked up the rifle.when I gave him my 20moa rail he installed it. When he was done he explained bench rest guys never use them cause they are not as accurate as talley rings. I have zero problem switching to the talley rings, but I am now concerned about my other 2 long range guns. One isn't as accurate as I hoped for (yet), so I'm really curious what everybody is using for super accurate guns. (1/2 moa or better).

 

[Barrelnut]

When he was done he explained bench rest guys never use them cause they are not as accurate as talley rings.

Bet your smith sells Talley rings right?
There are some excellent rings and rails out there. The Talley's though have less connections so they do have fewer places to come loose and cause problems.
I have Talleys on one rifle and various rings and rails on others. All are accurate if attached right. I would use what fits the rifle AND you best.
Talleys are nice on lighter hunting rifles and do hold securely. One thing that is not nice about them is that you have to remove the top of the ring from the scope to remove the scope from the rifle. This can be a pain getting the reticle level and the scope secure again. With rings and rails, you can detach leave the rings on the scope and detach from the rail for maintenance etc.

 

[JJMoody]

I was told a pic rail and rings are MUCH better on heavy recoiling rifles. Give the guy at Talley a call, he answered my questions and for what I wanted, steered me to the pic rail setup. Ymmv

 

[lancetkenyon]

My personal opinion.
I have a Seekins 20MOA Picatinny rail on every rifle I own that does not have an integrated rail milled Into the action. I also run Seekins rings on every rifle. Not only for a very strong connection of scope to rifle, but also for the ease of swapping scopes between rifles if the need ever arises. Nice to have a backup rifle with the same mounting system in the event of a rifle or scope issue on your primary rifle during a hunt.

As for benchrest guys....they do not abuse their weapons like hunters do. Or have heavy recoiling rifles either. Look at duty rifles where your life depends on your weapon. I highly doubt many (if any) are wearing Talley rings.

 

[FURMAN]

I have never been able to keep a set of talley rings or rail tight on a magnum rifle. I have been having luck with my Murphy Precision titanium rail.

 

[ShtrRdy]

Benchrest guys are concerned about weight and treat their rifles gently.

I don't see how Talley rings are "more accurate".

On your rifle that isn't shooting as well as you would like to see, consider starting a thead on the situation and the LRH community will "brain storm" what the problem might be.

 

[Garycrow]

Benchrest guys are concerned about weight and treat their rifles gently.

This^^ plus many benchrest rifles are set up in a right bolt/left port configuration which a rail would interfere with. They're also mostly shooting cartridges like the 6PPC with light bullets out of 17 lb. rifles which means they have essentially no recoil.

Rings and bases aren't magic, if they don't move on you and are properly aligned then one type is pretty much as good as the other. Rails are easy to build in MOA for longer range, they're tough and don't tend to move, offer a lot of fore/aft mounting options, and are easy to swap scopes with since you can quickly remove the rings from the base. They're a good system but any base/ring combo a benchrest guy is using is going to be good too or else he won't be competitive. They're either solid or they're not, and rails with good rings are a proven system that will rarely fail you.

 

[VLD Pilot]

You really won't find a stronger/accurate combination set up than a pic rail tactical ring set up. Just be careful what you purchase. Lots of cheap knockoffs out there. Get a reputable name in either steel or aluminum. You won't regret the rail/ring setup.

I have just picked up my rifle from getting a new barrel, brake and stock. Being really excited with my new toy, my gunsmith told me he would install and level my scope if I brought it when I picked up the rifle.when I gave him my 20moa rail he installed it. When he was done he explained bench rest guys never use them cause they are not as accurate as talley rings. I have zero problem switching to the talley rings, but I am now concerned about my other 2 long range guns. One isn't as accurate as I hoped for (yet), so I'm really curious what everybody is using for super accurate guns. (1/2 moa or better).

 

[FIGJAM]

I have just picked up my rifle from getting a new barrel, brake and stock. Being really excited with my new toy, my gunsmith told me he would install and level my scope if I brought it when I picked up the rifle.when I gave him my 20moa rail he installed it. When he was done he explained bench rest guys never use them cause they are not as accurate as talley rings. I have zero problem switching to the talley rings, but I am now concerned about my other 2 long range guns. One isn't as accurate as I hoped for (yet), so I'm really curious what everybody is using for super accurate guns. (1/2 moa or better).

I use Talley on all my rifles...

 

[shaughn]

I picked up a Ken Farrel FG-Force 20 MOA rail when I was building my 300 Win mag it has an adjustable set screw so you can butt up against the rear of the forward receiver ring, helps reduce loading on the screws holding the rail on to the receiver during recoil especially with a heavy optic in place and the rail allows the scope to be on the same plane without worry about how true your receiver may be...

For heavy kickers mounting large heavy scopes that will see a lot of field use a rail will be my preference.....medium caliber and minimal field use either or

 

[upacreek]

I have been working a lot of hours this week, so I've been off line. Thanks for all the input. I'm my mind 4 action screws to the rail and the warn rings on my 7rm seem pretty beefy and strong. I am sure talleys are great rings, but I'm not sure I can see the benefit except less parts. I played with the 7wsm I have last night and think I can just stick with the rail.

Too bad they are forecasting wind and rain Saturday. I want to get this new brux barrel out. I did the break in after dark shooting into my hay stack. Neighbors are loving the break, lol. Its loud!

 

[jpfrog]

I have never been able to keep a set of talley rings or rail tight on a magnum rifle. I have been having luck with my Murphy Precision titanium rail.

Can't wait to get my Murphy Precision titanium installed on my 280 Sherman build!