The 8 Best Quick Detach AR-15 Scope Mounts in 2024

Detachable scope mounts allow you to switch between your favorite scopes or other sighting options on one rifle quickly. To help you understand the different types of scope mounts available and determine which is the best AR15 scope mount for you, you have come to the right place. Quick Detach Mounts come in handy when you travel with your rifle and find it expedient to store your scope separately. Since a quick release scope mount stays attached on one single scope, that scope will ideally stay close to zero. Worst case, you occasionally need to make small adjustments.

Here’s Our List of the 8 Best Quick Detach Scope Mounts

We’ve done the research and testing so you don’t have to. We will go over their pros and cons and check what other users liked the most and/or what problems they had with the following AR15 quick detach scope mounts.

What are quick detach scope mounts for AR15s?

Advanced optics are becoming increasingly popular on AR-15 as shooters want to improve their range, effectiveness, and precision. Manufacturers have done an amazing job in producing masterpieces of optics in all price ranges so anybody can get a decent piece of glass. What all the optics and many other AR15 accessories have in common is the need for a way to mount them on the top rail. A mount should be be lightweight, fit perfectly on the flat-top rail of the AR15, and withstand hardcore recoil. You can always attach your scope on the rifle with a traditional scope mount. Optics in traditional scope mount hold well but don’t give you a way to remove them or exchange scopes easily. That is why you need a quick detach AR15 scope mount.

Quick detach AR15 scope mounts are designed to provide the flexibility to easily attach and detach a scope from your weapon without any tools while retaining your zero or at least staying extremely close. There are a lot of reasons why this is useful:

• Cleaning and maintenance,
• Utilizing multiple scopes on the same upper, whether multiple daytime optics or to swap in thermals or night vision,
• Needing to remove the scope when jumping or when subject to high G forces (for those who use firearms with optics for a living), or
• Removing a dead or damaged optic quickly in the field. This will hopefully only be necessary in exceptional cases.

How do quick detach AR15 scope mounts work?

Here is the step by step description on how to attach a quick detach AR15 scope.

1. Quick release AR15 scope mounts have a throw lever which switches between open and closed position.
2. You place your quick detach AR15 scope mount with the scope already installed on top of the railing and you close the throw lever.
3. If you feel the lever or the mount is too tight or too loose, you can adjust it with the set screw on the side.
4. To adjust, just loosen up the set nut and then tighten the flat hitch screw. Some of the models have a screw that sits snuggly in an opening and you have to press the levers to push the screw out. Then you can tighten it with a flathead screwdriver or even just a coin in some cases.
5. Tighten a little bit and try to close the throw lever, checking for tightness.
6. Always make sure to loosen up the set nut before tightening the hitch screw so you don’t strip the screw
7. With some firearms, the throw lever is on the same side as the ejector so it can get in the way. You can then use the Allen screws underneath the mount to flip the throw lever on the opposite side.

Why should you use a quick detach AR15 scope mount?

As mentioned above there are multiple reasons why you should use a quick detach AR15 scope mount over a traditional semi-permanent scope mount.

• The classic use for QD mounts was for hunting dangerous game such as bears, buffalos, and so on. It allowed for quick removal of the scope and using the iron sights to finish off the hunt after the target escaped into rugged terrain. The hunter would not want to track the target down with the scope attached since it was harder to instinctively acquire the target and shoot at dangerously close range
• Also hunting during a rainstorm provides a great use case for quick detach AR-15 scope mounts. Iron sights work better during rainy weather than an optic does.
• If you are not used to shooting with the sights, you can still find use for a quick detach AR-15 scope mount. You can have multiple scopes, one for a long-range and one for a short-range, and swap them around depending on the situation.
• If you travel with your AR15 then you may appreciate the possibility to pack your scope separately, maybe in carry-on to keep it safe.

What to look for when choosing a quick detach AR15 scope mount

The most important things to look for when choosing an AR15 quick detach scope are as follows:

1. High quality and durability are very important. You don’t want to buy a scope mount which will fall apart when you try to use it at the range or in the field. Quick detach AR15 scope mounts are not the cheapest so you want to choose one which will last some time.
2. You want an AR15 quick detach scope mount with a tight, reliable hold lever which will keep it in place. You love your AR15 because of its versatility and you like to shoot it a lot. Especially if you fire an alternative cartridge, the recoil can be quite strong and you don’t want to have to adjust your scope after every shot. You also don’t want to have to baby your AR15. You might end up in a rough situation with your gun. The AR15 quick detach scope mount needs to be reliable enough to withstand that.
3. Since it is a quick detach scope mount, you should look for one which really detaches quickly. Fighting the scope mount when attaching it and detaching it will just make you mad. That means looking for ease of use when buying an AR15 quick detach scope mount. If you use your AR15 for hunting in the cold you might want to choose an AR15 quick detach scope mount with bigger levers or one big lever so that you can detach and reattach it with gloves on too.
4. The eye relief would be the next point to look at. Remember that you might need to shoot from different positions and some of those will require you to be closer to your optics. If you are one of those shooters who prefer greater eye relief you might want to look for a quick detach AR15 scope mount with an extended cantilever that pushes the scope to the front of the rifle.
5. Of course, your optics needs to fit the mount so you have to make sure the diameter of your scope matches that of the AR15 quick detach scope mount.
6. Last but not least, your AR15 quick detach scope mount needs to return to zero when you reattach it otherwise you will hate yourself for spending money on this gadget.

Do quick detach AR15 Scope Mounts Hold Zero?

After you install a scope on your rifle, you want to sight it in and know that as long as the scope is mounted on that rifle it will hold its zero.

One of the key things advertised by the manufacturers of AR15 quick detach scope mounts is their ability to hold zero even after they are detached and reattached. To achieve this, an AR15 quick detach scope mount always has to be placed exactly in the same location on the rail. You can make some marks, use a rail with T-marks, or just eyeball it. However, T-marks might be the most precise option. All the AR15 quick detach scope mounts we reviewed return very close to zero, some more than the others. The built-in cams, bars, and levels in the base can help them to return to zero quite a lot. Also, having only one big lever instead of two helps a mount to hold zero better.

Are Weaver and Picatinny Mounting Rails The Same?

Picatinny and Weaver rails look almost identical and it is hard to tell the difference between the two just by looking at them.

Picatinny rail	Weaver rail
The recoil groove width of a Picatinny rail is 0.206 inches (5.23 mm).	Weaver has a recoil groove of 0.180 inches (4.57 mm)
The spacing of the Picatinny recoil groove centers is consistent at 0.394 in (10.01 mm)	Weaver has inconsistent recoil groove centers.

Due to the difference in consistency of the recoil groove centers, Picatinny accessories will not fit on a Weaver rail, where the spaces are inconsistent, but Weaver accessories will fit on a Picatinny rail

Will a 30mm Scope Fit in a 1 Inch Ring and vise versa?

There are generally two sizes of scopes due to differences in manufacturing methods and the fact that European manufacturersuse the metric system. A 1-inch rifle scope has a main tube diameter of 25.4mm while the 30mm scope’s main tube is 1.18 inches thick. The 30mm scope has been historically considered more durable and higher quality although that is more thanks to the reputation of European producers like Zeiss and Swarowski. However, 30mm scopes usually have a larger internal adjustment range. That makes them better suited for long-range target shooting and long-range hunting. Due to the different diameters, the 1-inch scope will fit a 1-inch ring or 30mm ring. However, you will need ring inserts to make the 1-inch scope fit snugly into the 30mm rings. However, it is always far better to buy the exact size of the AR15 quick detach scope mount for your scope so that it holds tightly even during strong recoil. You can not fit 30mm scope into a 25.4mm ring without destroying it.

How to install a quick detach AR15 Scope Mount

Installing a quick detach AR15 scope mount on your rifle is not that hard. You will need the following tools to get the job done:

• An Allen wrench,
• A gun vise,
• A level.

Here are the steps to follow to install your quick detach AR15 scope mount correctly:

1. Check that your AR15 is unloaded and fasten it in the vice.
2. Decide which side you will put the throw lever on.
3. Hold the lower half of the mount in your hand (with the lever facing the chosen side) and place the scopein.
4. Put on the upper half of the rings and insert the recoil lug.
5. Tighten up the ring screws with the Allen wrench but keep the scope loose in the rings,
6. Set the mount on top of the rifle’s rail and snug them down.
7. Now shoulder your rifle and check for eye relief, making sure the zoom is on the highest power setting.
   Level out the reticle (if you don’t have a level, you can eyeball it),
8. Tighten up the screws on the rings with a torque wrench if you have one, which will prevent over-torquing.
9. Check that the throw levers are lined up the way you want them. Your quick detach AR15 scope mount is now ready to go.

Conclusion – What is the best quick detach scope mount for AR-15?

As we said above there are multiple things to consider when choosing the perfect AR15 quick detach scope mount for you. There is no AR15 quick detach scope mount which will be the best in everything. You need to sit down and think which characteristics are the most important for you and for your AR15 use.

• All the AR15 quick detach scope mounts reviewed above are of great quality. They are all strong, durable, and will last you some time since they are all machined from aluminum alloy.
• Also, the levers on all the AR15 quick detach scope mounts above hold tight and can withstand heavy recoil.
• Although strong, some of them are heavier than others.

1. Spur is the heaviest of all at 9.4oz.
2. ADM is the second heaviest at 8.4oz.
3. Noveske is more on the lightweight side, 7.4oz.
4. GG&G is the lightest with a weight around 6oz.

So if weight is the most important thing for you, you should go with the GG&G.

• Ease of use depends on what you will use your AR15 quick detach scope mount for. If you do a lot of hunting in the cold and want to be able to detach and reattach your scope mount in gloves than go for either:
  1. ADM Recon-H, which has bigger paddles on the levers.
  2. GG&G, with its one big lever.
• If you don’t like when your scope mount gets in the way of the windage turret on your AR15 you will be better off with:
  1. Spuhr, as the rings have a 45-degree split.
  2. ADM or Noveske with their vertical ring split.

  Just remember that the vertically split rings might be harder to install.

• If you want to get the best return to zero after reattachment, choose the following:
  1. Spuhr, which includes a level in the mount base
  2. GG&G, with its one big lever.

  But make sure to place the AR15 quick detach scope ring at exactly the same place on the rail as it was before.

• If you need greater eye relief then an extended cantilever should be your choice.
  1. Noveske
  2. GG&G
  3. ADM

I’m confident this will help you find the best AR15 quick detach scope mount for you, one you will enjoy using for years to come.