Airsoft riser mounts for colimators

In order to choose the right riser, it is necessary to focus on specific factors such as height (how much elevation is needed), material, compatibility with your specific collimator/optics, and the rail system.
We will discuss each factor in detail below.

Use of riser mount in practice

Correct alignment

The main reason for using a riser block is to achieve correct alignment. This means that your cheek rests comfortably on the stock and naturally aligns your eye with the optics. This is very important when using protective masks during shooting.

Protective masks often prevent you from resting your cheek completely on the stock, which results in the eye being higher than without a mask, and this difference needs to be compensated for with a riser plate. Therefore, when choosing a riser plate, we recommend that you take the mask you use with you and try everything out in person at the store. This will help you choose the best size for you.

Our tip:
How to choose the right mount height? This is an individual matter for each person. The best height is when the collimator's reticle is immediately visible after alignment.

Eye relief

Another important factor that you can influence with a riser mount is the distance between your eye and the eyepiece of the collimator/rifle scope (eye relief).
A riser can help optimize eye relief for a comfortable and consistent sight picture.

What is eye relief

Eye relief in optics refers to the optimal distance between the user's eye and the eyepiece lens (the last lens of the rifle scope) at which the entire field of view is visible without blackouts or distortion. It is the distance at which your eye must be positioned to see a clear and complete image through the scope. A riser mount can help optimize both the height and distance of the optics.

Current brightness

If you want to use the collimator together with fixed sights, it sometimes happens that the collimator is lower than the fixed sights, which means that only the body of the front sight is visible through the collimator. In this case, purchasing a riser to achieve 1/3 concentricity alignment will help, as the red or green dot will then be displayed above the fixed sights.

Personal preference, or a hundred people, a hundred tastes

Some shooters prefer a higher mount, which allows them to aim at the target more quickly, or they use it for greater eye or face protection, but a higher mount also means poorer collimator stability. Other shooters prefer lower mounts for collimators when they do not need a high mount. The advantage is much greater overall stability.

Consider the material and construction used

Aluminum

This material is the most commonly used due to its strength, low weight, and durability. We definitely recommend it!

Plastic

Sometimes, especially with the cheapest mounting rails, we may encounter plastic versions. Their advantage is their very low weight, but they are not as strong as their metal counterparts.

Our tip:
With plastic rails, be careful when tightening all connecting components, as the plastic threads can be damaged if excessive force is used.

Compatibility of riser plates with collimators

The main parameter is whether the mount will work with your specific collimator or other optics. Unfortunately, there is no single type of mount (apart from RIS), so there are several types of mounting plates on the market, which are often not compatible with each other. 
For example, Vector Optics has several types of mounting plates, such as MAG, MOJ, TEK, GIN, etc. 
The main difference is the distance between the screw holes. For this reason, the individual types of plates are not interchangeable. Therefore, the best option is to purchase a universal riser mount, to which we can attach the entire collimator and do not have to worry about the type of mounting plate.

Our tip:
It is best to purchase products from the same manufacturer as the collimator or rifle scope you are using. This gives you virtually 100% compatibility, especially when using non-standard types of mounting plates. Unfortunately, each manufacturer makes its own rails, mounting rings, and other accessories according to its own standards.

Other important parameters of risers:

Offset

Some risers have a built-in tilt (slight angle). This can be advantageous for long-range shooting, as it provides greater elevation adjustment of the sight. But only for real weapons.
Ease of installation:
Choose a mount that is easy to install on your rifle. Some models have specific mounting systems (e.g., QD mounts for quick detachment) that may be more suitable.

TIP

In our opinion, a QD mount is the best choice because, if necessary, we can detach the entire riser mount together with the collimator with a single movement of the lever and then quickly reattach it. Another advantage is that if we attach the mount to the same place on the weapon, it should not be necessary to readjust the collimator, but it is better to check the sighting.

Which manufacturer do we recommend?

As with mounting rails, there are several manufacturers. Among them are WADSN and Wosport, both of which offer very interesting high mounts that can be used with any collimator, and Vector Optics, which is known both in the airsoft and real weapon environments. If you use products from this company, their risers are the best choice. Finally, there is Metal, which offers some of the cheapest rails, but the overall quality is not the best.