Midwest Industries MK2 QD Scope Mount [NEW GEAR]

New optic mounts never get the credit they deserve, and most people (myself included) tend to cheap out on them given the chance. But if you have an optic you actually care about, it needs a mount that will keep it secure and on target. 

Brand new from Midwest Industries Inc. comes the second generation of their quick-detach optic mount! MI sent this out for testing a couple of months ago, and it’s been run hard on a DIY AR-10 ever since. From normal range days to local 2-gun matches to being driven over 1,000 miles from Arizona to Idaho for InRangeTV’s High Desert Brutality match, the MK2 QD mount has performed amazingly well.

SPECS

• Available Sizes: 30mm Standard, 30mm High, 34mm Standard, 34mm High
• Weight: 7.9 to 8.8oz, depending on ring size and height
• Overall length: 5.875”
• Width of rings: .850”
• Distance between rings: 2.800”
• Offset from base to first ring: 1.400”
• Distance from top of rail to center line of ring: 1.550” (Standard), 1.930” (High)

ON THE RANGE

400 rounds isn’t a massive round count, but precision 6.5 Creedmoor ain’t cheap. The ultimate goal of the AR-10 was to shoot in the Heavy Rifle division at InRangeTV’s High Desert Brutality in Parma, Idaho. A long range 2-gun match that pushed targets to 615 yards, a durable and rock-solid scope mount was exactly what I needed to complement the Vortex Razor Gen 3 1-10 LPVO.

With top rings that can be switched out for optics mounts or 1913 Picatiny diving boards, this mount was perfect not only for the Razor Gen 3, but also for a Vortex Impact 4000 weapon-mounted laser range finder. Not all optic mounts can handle the extra weight and size of a major attachment like the Impact, but the MK2 had no trouble with it.

A scope mount isn’t very sexy to talk about; they either work or they don’t. For me, the MK2 worked perfectly — even when the rifle didn’t. The AR-10 used an Aero Precision M5 builder’s kit as the base. Instead of being anodized, this receiver was Cerakote FDE. Apparently, Aero used a lot of Cerakote for this rifle. After about 150 rounds during pre-game range trips, the Cerakote wore down enough that the MK2 came loose and could slide back and forth in the Picatiny slots. Shockingly, it held zero even after sliding back or being pushed forward in the slots.

Even more surprising, taking the mount off and tightening the QD a few segments maintained zero when remounted to the rifle. Retightened and remounted, the MK2 has held rock solid since. 

The diving board and scope also maintained perfect alignment with the Impact 4000. Not unexpected, but good to see.

New look, new style, but still a damn good performance from this new generation of scope mount.