Patent ID: 8707610

Claim:
Scope mounting apparatus comprising: an elongated base with a longitudinally extending dovetail slot designed to mate with a dovetail mounting rail on a firearm, an upper surface of the base forming an elongated channel with transversely extending grooves; at least one mounting ring including a plurality of arcuate elements pivotally joined together and movable between an open and a closed orientation, the at least one mounting ring designed to receive a scope body in the open orientation and to enclose the scope body in a coaxial relationship in the closed orientation, mounting elements fixed to the at least one mounting ring so as to be positioned together in the closed orientation and to define an enclosure therebetween designed to receive and hold a nut in a firmly non-rotating orientation; a mounting block with a slot in an upper end thereof, the slot designed to receive the positioned together mounting elements therein, the mounting block includes a lower surface designed to be engaged in the elongated channel in the upper surface of the base and to be engaged in at least one transverse groove of the elongated channel and an upper surface designed to receive in abutting engagement a portion of the outer circular surface of the at least one mounting ring with the mounting elements received in the slot in the upper end; and a mounting screw designed to extend upwardly through the elongated base from a lower surface, through the mounting block and into threaded engagement with the nut held between the mounting elements, in the threadedly engaged orientation the mounting screw and nut firmly holding the at least one mounting ring in the closed orientation enclosing the scope body, the mounting elements fixedly engaged in the mounting block and the mounting block fixedly engaged in at least one groove in the upper surface of the base.