EGW Mount Series Explained

Which mount works best for my application? What is HD? What is the difference between the Standard and the Hunter mounts? These are some of the most common questions we are asked, and it's time we sat down and put a concise and (hopefully) easy to navigate guide together.

The type of mount we may recommend typically depends on your use case and your caliber.

We typically suggest our Standard Duty Mounts for firearms in the following situations:

The firearm IS NOT chambered in a magnum caliber
The firearm that may see a few hunts or limited range time per year
Just looking for an upgrade over 2 piece bases or direct mount rings

We typically recommend our Hunter Series, HD (Heavy Duty), or HD (Heavy Duty) Steel mounts when the following applies:

The firearm IS chambered in a magnum caliber
The firearm will see ample range time
The firearm will be heavily used in the field
Looking for the most robust option for their application

Our Standard Duty mounts all have the same profile and are extruded 6061 aluminum.

Our Hunter, Heavy Duty, and Heavy Duty Steel all have the same profile and are machined from solid barstock, either 7075 T6 aluminum or 4140 steel.

EGW Scope Mounts Series Chart

	Standard	Hunter	Heavy Duty (HD)	Heavy Duty (HD) Steel
Machined From:	6061 Extruded Aluminum	7075 T6 Aluminum	7075 T6 Aluminum	4140 Steel
Finish:	Standard Anodizing	Type III Hardcoat Anodizing	Type III Hardcoat Anodizing	Parkerized
Cross Slots:	Not Full Width	Full Width	Full Width	Full Width
Quick Disconnect Ring Compatible:	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Height (most mounts):	.4” (measured from the top of the receiver to the top of the rail)	.35” (measured from the top of the receiver to the top of the rail)	.35” (measured from the top of the receiver to the top of the rail)	.35” (measured from the top of the receiver to the top of the rail)
Price:	Starts at $29.99	Starts at $69.99	Starts at $49.99	Starts at $119.99
Advantage:	Cost	Shorter Overall Length	Robust and Lightweight	Strongest

Standard Duty Mounts - This is by far, our most popular base, they are machined from extruded 6061 aluminum and are available in a matte black finish (some mounts are available in silver as well). Our standard duty picatinny bases have a valley running lengthwise down the center of the mount. This was originally designed to allow the use of backup iron sights on rifles that came equipped with them, but it is no longer common for rifles to come with backup irons. Our Standard Duty mounts typically measure .4" from the top of the receiver to the top of the picatinny. This is not always the case because of height requirements on certain receivers.

Hunter Series Mounts - Our Hunter Series mounts were created to fill a gap in our product line. One common issue arises with our longer bases when trying to mount a scope with a large objective lens as low as possible. Sometimes, the extra overhang that is commonly found on our Standard Duty, Heavy Duty and Heavy Duty Steel bases can contact the objective lens when attempting to mount a scope as low as possible. To alleviate this issue, we cut the front off of our Heavy Duty mounts and beveled the rear of the mount for a more compact and aesthetically pleasing design. The Hunter Series bases are fully machined from 7075 T6 aluminum barstock, are hardcoat anodized matte black and feature full cross slots. We currently only offer a few mounts in our Hunter Series, but we are working on expanding this line. Our Hunter Series mounts typically measure .35" from the top of the receiver to the top of the picatinny, but can be slightly taller due to height requirements on certain receivers.

HD (Heavy Duty) Mounts - Our Heavy Duty mounts, or HD, are also fully machined from 7075 T6 aluminum, are hardcoat anodized matte black and feature full cross slots like the Hunter mounts. 7075 T6 aluminum has an 80% higher yield strength than 6061. The HD mounts typically feature one to two extra cross slots that hang over the front of the receiver when mounted. These extra cross slots allow the shooter extra room to move their scope forward when shooting prone. Our Heavy Duty mounts typically measure .35" from the top of the receiver to the top of the picatinny, but can be slightly taller due to height requirements on certain receivers.

HD (Heavy Duty) Steel Mounts - Our HD Steel mounts are recommended when only the most robust option will suffice. Fully machined from 4140 steel, finished with a durable parkerized coating, they are the strongest mounts we offer. Our Heavy Duty mounts typically measure .35" from the top of the receiver to the top of the picatinny, but can be slightly taller due to height requirements on certain receivers.

This video is a bit older and was made before we had our Hunter Series Mounts, but the information still is applicable.

Bonus Tip!

When mounting Quick Disconnect or rings that only have a center recoil lug, we ALWAYS recommend using our Hunter, HD, or HD Steel rails. There is not enough engagement between the recoil lug and our Standard Duty mounts. This CAN AND MOST LIKELY WILL cause the rings to shear the top of the mount leading to catastrophic failure (possibly even ouchies from a scope). When using our Standard Duty Mounts we always recommend using rings (ours of course) with full width crossbolts, that makes us happiest.