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Strike Industries QD Rail Adapter & Riser

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Strike Industries QD Rail

Adapter & Riser Review

  Quick disconnect, red dot style, optic mounts seem to be a little harder to find these days, or at least decent ones. Do not worry, Strike Industries recently released their Strike QD Rail Adapter. This little QD mount works with Strike Industries risers so that you can have a quick disconnect for your T1/T2 footprint optic. 

  When I saw this QD Rail Adapter, I knew it would be perfect for me. Having the ability to quickly change an optic from rifle to rifle had me hooked. Especially since I review a bunch of stuff. This might not be your use case, but having a good picatinny QD mount can still be helpful. 

  Since I was using the Strike QD rail adapter on AR style rifles, it needed a riser to go with it. The Strike QD will only work with Strike Industries risers. So I had them send one of those to me also. That adds another $50 to the already $75 cost of the QD. Just shy of $125 is still a good deal for everything. The Strike Industries Riser can be used as a standard co witness or a lower ⅓. It does this with a little spacer that adds a small amount to the top of the mount. I ended up using it without the spacer. 

  The heart of the Strike QD Adapter is the throw lever. The throw lever is what locks and unlocks the rail to the picatinny. One can usually feel when the lever cams over. Then you know it is tight. Strike Industries QD adapter has this standard feature. But what really makes the Strike Industries QD adapter better is the extra spring loaded lock. Once the main lever is tight, this little lock springs down to keep the lever from moving. It is that little added extra so your optic won’t come off if bumped or accidentally hit. To unlock the QD mount, you must first push the safety lock upward, thus releasing the main lever to be moved. The safety lock has a little flat in it also. My guess is that if you can’t get it to move out of the way by hand, you can use a screwdriver or shell casing rim to push it up. The main lever is also spring loaded to help it pop back out when the safety lever is moved. There is a square headed screw on the main lever. This screw is used to adjust how tight the adapter fits to your picatinny rail. It is click adjustable and uses a regular bladed screwdriver. You can also use your fingers to adjust it, it’s just a little harder to do. 

  I have an Atibal Solar prism that has a T1 base. This prism sight is specifically why I asked for the Strike QD Rail Adapter when it came out. Mounting it up was easy with the screws provided with the Strike Riser. After the initial adjustment, I put the QD on an AR. After about a month, I received something else to migrate the QD mount and optic over to. I have also taken the sight off and on a ton of times. Everytime I just push the lock upward and move the lever, then the whole package falls into my hand. The lever system works great. The little safety is probably my favorite thing about the QD mount. Using a T1/T2 footprint for this mount was a smart choice.

  If you are in the market for a QD red dot mount, the Strike Industries QD Rail Adapter has worked great for me. It is super easy to use and has the extra added security of a safety lock. Pair it with Strike Industries T1 Riser and you get a whole package that you can use on any rifle. Head over to Strike Industries and check out the QD Rail Adapter and Riser for yourself.

Firearms Insider Reviews - Key Points

Claim to Fame:

QD mount for T1/T2 style optics 

Target Market:

Those wanting a throw lever style mount for their optic

Features, Benefits, and Specifications of this product:

QD:

  • Length: 2.09"

  • Width:   1.78"

  • Height:  0.54"

  • Weight: 1.60 oz

  • QD Mount For T1/T2 Optics

  • Dual locking mechanism

  • Durable, steel-lined polymer body

  • Easy adjustment w/ flat head

  • Large quick detach lever

  • Compatible with all Strike T1 optic mounts

  • Use with Any T1/T2 Footprint Optics

  • ONLY usable with Strike Industries' Riser Mounts

Riser:

  • Includes T1 Riser in Lower 1/3 or Absolute

  • 6061-T6 aluminum construction

  • Type 3 hard anodized 

  • Dimensions: 23.6 mm x 25.6 mm x 53 mm

  • Weight: 2.3 oz

  • Includes mounting screws

What other aesthetic options or finishes are available?

None on QD base, some different colors on the riser

What others are saying?:

Nothing found as of publishing

Link to other reviews:

Nothing found as of publishing 

Price point:

MSRP = QD - $74.95

               Riser - $49.95

Retail = Same

I need it now! Availability:

Strike Industries, Optics Planet, or Midway USA

Our Rating:

Pros:

  • Secondary lock holds secure

  • QD

  • Standard T1/T2 footprint

  • Lightweight 

Cons:

  • Must use Strike Industries risers

Score: 7.50 Good

Timber Creek 30mm scope mount

  If you know anything about Timber Creek Outdoors, it’s that they make bright anodized and cerakoted AR parts. They happen to have a new 30mm cantilever scope mount. This mount is part of their “Enforcer” line of AR parts. Because of this, it comes in all of Timber Creek's colors.

  The Enforcer Cantilever Scope mount is a top quality scope mounting platform. It is made from 6061 aluminum. This gives the mount plenty of strength while still being lightweight. It weighs in at 6.56 ounces on my scale. This is quite a bit lighter than a lot of mounts in this category. Yes, it is for use with 30mm scopes, so you have plenty of options in the optics arena. There are 4 clamping screws to clamp it to your picatinny rail. These screws also act as the recoil lugs for this mount, making it extremely rigid to the mounting rail. Timber Creek also uses Torx head screws throughout, so no stripping the heads out on this mount.

  I opted for the Tungsten Grey cerakote finish on the Cantilever scope mount. As mentioned, the mount comes in Timber Creek’s assortment of colors. Some are anodized and some are cerakoted. From previous experience, I know that Timber Creek does a great job with their anodized colors. This is partly why I chose Tungsten cerakote. The cerakote on this mount is nicely done also, in fact maybe too nice. When I installed the scope, I had to sand the cerakote down inside the rings. Not all of it, just enough to smooth it down because there was some slight binding during the initial installation. The slight sanding cured it. I attribute this to the Tungsten cerakote being a slightly rough finish. Other products I’ve used with Tungsten cerakote also have this same feel to them. I suspect that smooth cerakote options, as well as the anodized ones, might not have this problem. But I really do like how the mount looks on a black AR, it adds just a hint of some color.

  Ring height on the TC Enforcer scope mount is 1.5”. Why do you care, you might ask. The 1.5” height is pretty much an industry standard. This height also gives you a proper cheek weld, on an AR rifle, with most optics. I installed a Primary Arms SLx 4-16x44 into the cantilever mount. There is plenty of room between the rail and the objective lens. I’d venture to guess that all 50mm objective lens scopes would still have plenty of clearance between the scope and the rail. Being a cantilever style mount, it also places the scope farther forward to give you proper eye relief on your favorite AR rifle.

  The Timber Creek cantilever mount won’t have any problems living on your AR rifle. But, I wouldn’t hesitate to use it on something larger. With those 4 mounting lug screws, it should handle some serious recoil. You could even mount it up on a bolt gun, if so inclined. It only comes in a standard 0 MOA base, but for most of us, that won’t make any difference. I’m pretty pleased with what Timber Creek has done with this mount. Being in the Enforcer line, means that it will match other Enforcer series parts.

  Timber Creek has done a fine job with the Enforcer Cantilever mount. It’s rugged and lightweight construction should last you eons. Having colors to match your other AR parts is a bonus too. If you are looking for a lightweight scope mount that is made in America, go check out the Cantilever mount from Timber Creek Outdoors. 

Firearms Insider Reviews - 8 Key Points

Claim to Fame:

Lightweight 30mm cantilever scope mount

Target Market:

Anyone who wants a lightweight scope mount, especially for AR style rifles

FNBs (Features & Benefits of this product):

  • Made from 6061 aluminum

  • 30mm ring size

  • Ring Height - 1.5”

  • Cantilever design

  • Weight - 6.56 ounces

  • 4 clamping screws also double as recoil lugs

  • Torx screws throughout

  • Made in USA

What other aesthetic options or finishes are available?

Different anodized and cerakoted colors

Price point:

MSRP = $224.99

Retail = Same

I need it now! Availability:

Timber Creek Outdoors or maybe Primary Arms

Our Rating:

Pros:

  • Lightweight

  • Rugged

  • Color options

  • Made in USA

  • Standard 1.5” height

Cons:

  • May need some fitting or sanding

  • No 34mm option as of yet

  • Price might deter some buyers

Score: 7.50 Good

Favorite Link:  Walker Defense

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