Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Leupold Dual Dovetail Bases + Rings

I am looking to change bases+rings on my Rem 700 Mtn LSS. Has anyone used this set-up? How are they compared to Leupold STD rings + bases. Are the dual dovetails a better way to go compared to the STD rings and bases? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Tom

I switched to DD's from Std.s on several big game rifles in the past few years. Never had trouble with the Std's and still have them on my varmint rifles. I just felt that the DD's were more simple and rugged on a heavier rifle.

They have worked fine so far and I like their appearance as well. You do have to be careful to have the rings properly aligned in the bases so that they line up perfectly with each other and don't torque the scope in any way. I use a 1" dowel to do that, but there are special alignment tools available also.

I like them, and have never had any trouble with them.

I like the DDs alot, as the STD/windage adjustable rear base is a weak spot. Kicker is the obvious - there is no adjustment, and you're betting that your rifle is drilled in the right spot.

To get a stronger mount, you move to steel Talleys or something similar.

I am a huge fan of Leupold dual dovetail rings and bases. That is ALL I use these days. I have the dual dovetail Leupold set up on 8 rifles and 2 pistols that I can think of.

Are the old Standard Leupolds or Redfields no good? Of course not, but I feel the dual dovetails are better.

Heck I have a set of old Redfield mounts with the windage adjustment on my .338 Win Mag that have been on there more than 30 years, they still work great. Having said that, the dual dovetail is so clearly simpler and stronger that they deserve use.

The darned windage adjustment system on the standard Leupold and Redfields depend on so little contact between the base and ring that it is amazing it works as well as it does. A lot of people really screw up this mounting system.

The ONLY problem I see with the dual dovetail system is the lack of adjustment that might be needed with a gun with scope mounting screws that are out of alignment. You do not see that much anymore, but it does happen. If so, go back to the old standard windage adjustable mounts or try the Burris system with the shims in the rings.

I've used Dual Dovdtails on my beloved .280 Ackley since Day One.

I learned to use them on earlier rifles ... DDs are horseproof. Never, never, never have I had a shift of point-of-impact with the Dual Dovetails ... which is one heck of a lot more than I can say for just about any other system.

The Deadnutz Mounting System fascinates me and it is without a doubt as good. Too bad I'm too old to hunt, it would be fun testing DNZ out.

Steve

As has been said, a nice, timeless setup that has worked great for me and looks good on my pre 64 M70's.

I like the DDs quite well, prob have 8 to 10 sets. They are strong and don't look too shabby either.

I still run stds on several rigs as well, but hardly ever purchase them any longer. I remember Dad dropping his rifle once(sling stud pulled out of the stock) and the windage screws came loose.

The only bad thing I've found with DDs is some of the rings don't go in very tight. Mounted a scope Friday night and the first ring could be turned by hand in the base, grabbed another pack and they went in with the usual force. That's not the first time I've had that happen.

I also like the way the DDs line up when compared to Stds. The rear ring of Stds are often not perfectly square. With the DDs I square the rear or front with the reciever and use a caliper to get the front parallel. I then drop the lapping rod in to see if they appear straight.

You'll still need to lap them even if they are straight as you get front to back tilt more times than not.

I actually prefer the older Redfield rings to the Leupie, but you don't hardly see them in DDs. The Redfields had more bearing surface and didn't have the ribs like the Leupies. Of course after lapping the ribs aren't that big a deal, but the wider rings were less likely to leave ring marks.

Have a good one,

Loder

I use them simply because of the cleaner look, no knobs sticking out.

Leupold Dual Dovetail Bases + Rings are used on all my Remington 700's and model seven rifles. Just like that combination.

Ken

I prefer DD's over standard bases for obvious reasons. I also have a set of Matte DD's (lows) for a remington 700 I might be willing to sell the OP. If that's what he's looking for. They were on my 22-250, if that makes any difference.

Dd are a muchbetter system than the windage adjustable base of any kind. I have removed most of the adjustable leupolds from my riflesbecause it is very difficult to move the windage screws without putting stress on the tube of the scope and then being able to reliably relieve that stress. Stick only with non adjustAble bases and get scopes with enough windage to compensate for any misalignment of bases.. You will likely have a much more accurate shooter that seldom if ever needs to be resighted. Few people have the tools or talent to get a set of adjustable bases totally aligned and then stress relieved.i like to firmly tap the the rings and bases after sighting in a scope, then see if it is still on target. It may be but have seen them jump alot also.

After missing the biggest deer ive seen in a scope that had shifted POI I switched to DD's and think they are a great system for a hard kicking rifle or for rough Terrain hunting.

I use the Leupold DD bases and Burris signature rings. Can't beat this combination. If you run into problems sighting in your rifle you can get a set of offset inserts for the rings from Burris to give you more adjustment range.

I have them on all three of my Remingtons, two model sevens and one 700, and all align with no problems. My Ruger 77 is the only rifle that I have had alignment problems with and that is with their bases. I need a scope with lots of windage adjustment. miles

Like many of the previous posters, I am a fan of the Leupold Dual Dovetail system.

Recently a rifle came with another set of mounts,and 2 MOA with freaky fliers was best it would do.So the "guessing" started and the first move was to replace the system with Leupold DD's.

That cured it. Been using them for years with good results.Anymore if a scope won't fit in DD's, I replace the scope.

I use the DD or the Weaver pipe strap mounts on all but one rifle. I haven't had to use a windage adjustable system yet, but would probably get rid of the rifle if I needed it.

I did this same setup on a Weatherby Mk5. The Leupold bases look better than Burris and work the same. And the synthetic inserts work as advertised. Was pretty easy to line up the turn in bases using a 1" lapping bar to check. I used a cloth padded open end wrench to grab the shank of the rings and turn them in and adjust.

If you deal in trophy hunting.........which may include once-in-a-lifetime hard to draw tags..........or expensive ones........then reliability is the number one thing you want in scope mounts. Not popularity or prettiness or hype.

I used Weaver rings and bases back in the day. They are bulky and hugely unsightly.......but brought me comfort and peace of mind. Plus they were cheap.

20 years ago I thought I'd try Leu DD's, which were more eye-appealing and slim-lined and seemed equally reliable. I used them for many years on a number of rifles.........that had the stuffing banged out of them and their scopes all over the west.

The only problem I had was with one of my first sets. While twisting a ring into place.......it caught a burr and actually cut a deep groove into the base while twisting. Needless to say, it didn't seat solidly. My known scope, after suddenly changing mounts on the same rifle, wouldn't shoot. I dissected the mounts and found this all out and bought another set. I think Leu recommends twisting completely twice for this reason........but this was a BIG burr and even that wouldn't have mattered.

All my other DD's have worked fine.

But.....a few years ago.......after having some 10-12 year old DD's on rifles, I got to wondering about the strength of them. They obviously work on leverage.......and what might happen if the leverage weakens after so many years? Was I willing to chance this on a trophy hunt? Nope. Mounts ain't that expensive.

I've since moved on to newer Talley's on everything that I hunt with. But Leu DD's are my close second choice.

Weavers are bulky?