Weaver Skeleton Mount Review

Weaver Skeleton Mount Review
Black Matte XX High Mounts
May 11, 2013

During my review of the H&R 300 AAC Blackout Handi-Rifle, I found myself in need of a set of mounts to install the Nikon P-300BLK Scope on this rifle. Since the Handi-Rifle is a break over action and has an external hammer, I needed a set of tall mounts to clear the hammer spur. Other than needing high mounts, my only next real criteria was that they be affordable. The Weaver Skeleton Black Matte XX High Top Mounts were $32 at my local gun store and looked like they would meet my height requirement so I made the purchase and this review shows the details on these mounts.

During my reviews I like to compare my results to the manufacturer's claims where possible so the following text in colored italics was taken directly from the Weaver website on 5/12/13 and gives the Key Features for the Weaver Skeleton Mounts. The , and are my way to keep up with details that I have covered in this review with either photos, commentary or both.

Weaver's popular Four Hole Rings are now available in heights for just about any shooter and shooting situation .
Choose from among 1" or 30mm and medium, high, extra-high and XX-high .
Dressed in matte black and featuring no strip/slip Torx® screws , these new rings incorporate Weaver's famous Cross-Lock design and lightweight aircraft grade aluminum .

The mounts came packaged as shown below.

Figure 1 Figure 2

Inside the package were the following items:

Two caps
Eight Torx cap screws
Two bases
Two clamp bolts
Two clamp plates
Two clamp nut
One Torx wrench

Figure 3

Except for the fasteners, the mount parts (bases, caps and clamp plates) are made from aluminum and the mounts weighed in at ~3.7 ounces.

Figure 4

The height of the mounts measured 0.64" from the top of the Picatinny Rail to the bottom of the scope tube. Since the scope tube is 1.00" in diameter, the centerline of the scope will be 1.14" above the top of the Picatinny rail.

Figure 5

The inside of the cardboard backer are the mounting instructions. Unfortunately, they don't provide torque values for the clamp nut or cap screws. During my installation, I torqued the clamp nut to 65 in-lbs and the cap screws to 18 in-lbs.

Figure 6

The base is a rather beefy chunk of aluminum that measures o.75" in thickness. I'm sure the fact that these are XX High mounts makes them seem more bulky and a hole down the center of the mount would have been a nice touch to reduce weight.

Figure 7

The mounts are clamped to the Picatinny rail with a cross bolt which Weaver refers to as "Cross-Lock" design. The cross bolt rests in a notch of the Picatinny rail and when pushed forward against the rail lug, the cross bolt provided a direct load path for the scope forces to be applied to the rail which will prevent your mounts from shifting under recoil.

Figure 8 Figure 9 Figure 10

Figure 11

The caps are held in place with four cap screws which provide the ability to achieve higher clamping forces to prevent your scope from shifting under recoil.

Figure 12 Figure 13 Figure 14

These next photos show the mounts installed on my 300 AAC Blackout Handi-Rifle with the Nikon P-300BLK Scope. You can see that XX High mounts were needed in this case to get the scope above the hammer spur.

Figure 15

Figure 16

Figure 17

Bottom Line:

The Weaver Skeleton Mounts seem like a sturdy set of mounts and are a reasonable price. The XX High height I needed for this setup makes the mounts look a little chunky and there are opportunities to reduce the mass of the mounts with a hole down the center which Weaver didn't take. Overall, I'm pleased with them considering the price was only $32.

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