The Scalarworks LDM is an ambitious product. It is a quick detach Aimpoint Micro Mount that features a unique locking system and a radically skeletonized design. The result is a quick detach mount that weighs within a few tenths of ounce of the lightest non-QD mounts on the market.
The LDM or Low Drag Mount is designed from the ground up to be light weight. Traditional throw lever style QD mounts are heavier due to the presence of the lever which must be large enough to be operated by hand. In order to make a truly lightweight QD mount, Scalarworks had to get away from the typical throw lever. They designed a ratcheting thumb wheel that is extremely compact and thin enough that it fits within the footprint of the mount itself yet is easier to operate than a really tight throw lever.
The thumb wheel has a deeply knurled surface that mates with a detent in the mount. This makes setting consistent tension on the mount a snap since you can witness-mark the particular groove that the detent should lock into and be sure to tighten to the mark every time you reinstall the mount. This locking system is pretty ingenious and has certainly held up just fine to my testing.
I tested the return to zero capability of the mount by firing four separate three shot groups at 50 yards, removing the mount between each group. I could detect no difference from group to group with each one stacking on top of the other. Admittedly, it would have been easier to spot a difference at a greater distance and with a more precise optic. For my purposes, the 50 yard test was sufficient for a red dot sight.
The mount itself has been machined to a bare minimum of material. Some of you are going to look at it and think it will break or bend easily. However, I dropped my carbine from chest height directly onto the optic with no ill effects other than some dings on the optic. When you have the mount in hand, you can see that the pillars that support that optic are actually more robust than you would think from the pictures. Can this mount be bent more easily than a heavier, non-skeletonized mount? Probably, but it will take some abuse to do it.
I should also point out that Scalarworks didn’t skimp on the clamping surface. The rail clamp runs the entire length of the side of the mount. Once the thumb wheel is turned to hand tight, the mount isn’t moving.
I have the LDM110 which is the lower third co-witness model. I use it on a carbine that I purposely built to be extremely lightweight. At 1.37 ounces, it weighs less than half of the mount that it replaced on this build! To save that much weight on such a small part is amazing. It was an integral part of my Sub 6 with a Twist Build.
The LDM seems to be extremely well made. The machine work is clean and the finish is even. The fit and finish on my example is excellent.
Wrap Up
The LDM is the lightest Aimpoint Micro QD mount on the market by a wide margin. Heck, it is lighter than most non-QD mounts. It is well made, it mounts easily, it returns to zero at least as well as is required for the precision level of the optic it mounts, and it looks pretty darn good too. This is an impressive mount and I can’t wait to see how they adapt this design to support other optics.
Disclosure: The LDM was provided to me by Scalarworks for review, free of charge.
