Midwest Industries MK2 QD T2 Aimpoint Mount

The MK2 QD is Midwest Industries undercutting the premium quick-detach mounts on price without giving up the feature that matters. The lever is tool-free, so the optic comes off the rail and goes back on without a driver, and Midwest offers four heights in the line: a low height, an absolute co-witness, a lower 1/3, and a 2.26 inch night vision height.

That 2.26 inch SKU is the reason this mount belongs on a short list. Scalarworks tops out at 1.93 inch on the LEAP/01 and Bobro stops at 1.7 inch, so if you want a true heads-up NVG height on a quick-detach mount, the field is small and this is the cheapest way into it. Unity's FAST Micro gets there but is fixed by default and costs roughly twice as much.

The body is hardcoat anodized 6061 rather than 7075, which is the compromise that buys the price. For a duty rifle that lives in a safe and comes out for classes, that difference is theoretical; for a rifle that gets dropped on concrete regularly, the Geissele or Badger is the sturdier answer.