QD mount
A quick-detach mount: a lever or throw clamp takes the scope off the rail without tools. Worth it only if it goes back to the same zero, so mark the rail slot.
What it means
QD stands for quick-detach. Instead of nuts that need a wrench, the mount clamps the rail with one or two levers. Flip them open and the scope comes off; close them and it locks back on. Most thermal makers sell one for their own scopes (Pulsar, AGM, iRayUSA, DNT, RIX, OneLeaf), and AGM, iRayUSA and DNT sell mounts they say American Defense Manufacturing (ADM) built.
What it changes in the field
- One thermal, two rifles. A QD mount lets you move an expensive thermal between rifles, or take it off to scan by hand.
- Day scope swaps. Hunters who use one rifle day and night can swap a day scope for the thermal in seconds.
- Return to zero. The point of a good QD mount is that the scope shoots to the same place after it goes back on. Makers claim it; few publish a figure.
What to look for
- Same slot every time. Mark the rail slot the mount was zeroed in, and put it back there.
- Lever tension. Most QD levers adjust. Too loose and the mount can shift under recoil; too tight and it will not close.
- Picatinny or Weaver. A mount cut for Picatinny slots may not lock fully on a Weaver rail. Check the maker’s wording.
How we use it on this site
Mount pages show whether a mount is QD, as the maker describes it. We do not test return to zero.