How do mount height, construction height and sight height differ?
Manufacturers do not all define mount height in the same way. Some measure from the top of the rail to the ring centre; others measure to the underside of the scope tube. Two identical numbers can therefore describe different heights. Only a dimensioned drawing shows whether the figures are comparable.
Manufacturers do not all define mount height in the same way. Some measure from the top of the rail to the ring centre; others measure to the underside of the scope tube. Two identical numbers can therefore describe different heights. Only a dimensioned drawing shows whether the figures are comparable.
Sight height is the distance between the barrel axis and the optical axis. It is not automatically the same as mount height. Think of different floors in a building: the floor from which you measure makes a difference.
The lowest possible mount is not necessarily better. The complete system has to fit together. The objective housing, covers and controls need space; eye relief and stock shape also matter. Small height differences are therefore neither always irrelevant nor automatically a problem. One minimum dimension does not establish that a combination fits.
Inclination is another, separate quantity. It describes an angle in MOA / MRAD. Mount height remains a length in millimetres. Keeping these quantities separate makes data sheets easier to compare.