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I am a new owner of a 99C. I need some scope mounts for this rifle. It is drilled and tapped from the factory. I have been searching the internet, and have found a bewildering array of available equipment.
I have searched this forum and found mention of extension rings.
Can anyone tell me which mounts I need to use? Are the extension rings needed to properly position the scope, or only for a compact scope? I have found a Leupold standard mount for the 99. Will this mount with a set of standard Leupold rings position the scope correctly.
I know that's a lot of questions. Any help will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Jeff

I have Leo dovetail mounts on all of my 99s. If your scope is 32mm or less you might get away with using the low rings. It makes a nice low mounted scope that comes right to the eye.Mark

Congrats on a fine rifle!
Leupold and the interchangeable Redfield mounts and Redfield/Burris rings are excellent, rugged set-ups. The system allows you to align the scope if anything is "off" such as the rings out of alignment. However, removing the scope to use the iron sights if needed is difficult at best in the field. If you are using an under $125.00 scope, you might consider weaver bases and rings just to make it possible to loosen two thumb screws and be able to hunt on if the scope fails for any reason. It is also possible to have a second scope set-up in rings and sighted in to use on the weaver bases on the rifle, ready as a back-up. A cheap tasco fixed power etc. is an economical way to do this. If you are set on buying a luepold type base and rings, they are solid, rugged and nearly bomb proof. The Weavers are just as good. Many people prefer weaver type bases and a good set rings made by someone else. Find a good article on scope mounting and read it carefully before you do it yourself. For prices it's tough to beat e-bay if you bid wisely. However having a local gun shop to mount and boresight for you is usually worth paying a little more for. I am trying a weaver pivot-mount set-up at the moment, you might want to consider one of those also. Having just got it this winter I havent used it so as to form a just opinion yet

Most manufacturers only give you one choice in bases for the 99. I used the Redfield windage adjustable base and low Leupold turn-in rings to mount a 2x7x33 Vari-XII on my 99F. I stay away from Weaver bases as much as possible, because although solid perfomers, most of the rings are butt ugly. However, I did find some good looking Millett rings for the Weaver bases on my muzzleloader.

Most times, the base/rings depend on the scope you're mounting. Some scopes have very short bodies -- the straight 1" dia sections fore and aft of the turret that the rings go on. If you use a long base on a short scope, you can't move the scope fore or aft enough to get the proper eye relief. In this case, you need extension rings. A long scope is usually not a problem. By the way, you've got proper eye relief when you can throw the rifle up to your shoulder and see the entire field of view without any black out.

If you are using a Leupold scope, go to their website's ring/base selector and pick the rings and base(s) that match your scope. If you are not using a Leup scope, find a scope on their site that has dimensions as similar as possible to yours and use the selector to determine which rings you need.

If you are having a really hard time, go to your local gunshop and get them to help you with the selection. They will have to take them back and make good if the combination doesn't mount right. If you order on line and you pick wrong, it's usually more of a hassle returning stuff. What scope do you plan to use?

I haven't decided on a scope yet. I only paid $225 for the rifle, and being on a budget, I probably won't buy a Leupold scope. Their mounts however, are not much more expensive than any others.
I can't find the Redfield mounts on the internet. Got a link?
Is my assumption correct that with a Leupold or Redfield One-piece mount, the rings will be spaced to fit most scopes? Or are scopes built with different ring spacing?
Thanks for the info guys. I'm almost done refinishing the stock(it was nasty). I hope to shoot the rifle this weekend.
Thanks,
Jeff

Redfield and Leupold bases may fit most scopes WITH THE RINGS INSTALLED, but that's not guaranteed. Scopes have different maximum allowable ring spacings in general because there is no established standard across manufacturers. This is the distance between the ocular bells -- the straight portion. The turret (windage/elevation mount) is near the middle. However, occassionally you might find 2 different scopes with the same max ring spacing. And this may be more frequent than occassional -- I don't know. As a coincidence for example, a 3x9x40 Redfield could have the same max ring spacing as a 3x9x40 Leupold.

I don't know of a site that sells redfield bases. I bought mine at the local gunshop. I've seen them on eBay quite often though.

There are sevral good enternet sites:
http://www.midwayusa.com
http://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com
http://www.natchezss.com
There may be a minimum purchase of around $30 required.

Rick....

Thanks for all the help, guys. I bought Leupold standard rings and base, and a Cabelas Pine Ridge 2-7 x 32 scope. It all fit perfectly. Its going to be a few days before I can shoot it.
Jeff