Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors Kesselring scope mount on pre-mil 99F

Here is an unusual mount. Made by Kesselring Gun Shop in Washington state from 1950's through about 1970. Machined from aluminum, with windage adjustments on both ends. Can dismount and return to zero with thumbscrews on the right side. Has a tunnel under the scope that allows sighting with the receiver sight. Scope is a 1950's Weaver K4-60B.

Rifle is a 1955 99F in .300. Rifle looks like the scope and Redfield 80LH were mounted when new and used very little.

Boy, that sure looks like a solidly machined piece of equipment. Don't recall seeing one.

That's some real gun porn. I always appreciate finely machined and fitted wood or metal.

Kesselring Gun Shop
4024 Old Highway 99
Burlington, WA 98233

also patents on it


http://www.google.com/patents?id=vZc3AAAAEBAJ&pg=PA2&source=gbs_selected_pages&cad=4
http://www.google.com/patents/US2857675

nice looking gun! Neat mount!

These mounts were made from 1946 to 1975. They were invented and patented by my grandfather, Clarence Kesselring. I spent many days as a kid growing up running the aluminum blocks through the Bridgeport milling machine to make these mounts. Grandpa would set up the jigs and would turn it over to me to run them through. Pretty cool job for a 13 year old kid! Also it was pretty neat to have a grandfather who was so creative.

Ok... so I just have to ask. Do you have a surplus of these mounts stashed away???

KRing;

I'm glad you saw this. I have great respect for your Grandfather. I like the simple, strong way that he designed this mount so that you can adjust windage with the lock screws on one side and thumb screws on the other side. I can take the scope and rings off and it returns to zero when put back on.

My mount is marked with "99" and "Kesselring". Did the mounts made after your grandfather received his patent in 1957 have the patent number marked on them?

Can you use the redfield through the scope mount?

"Has a tunnel under the scope that allows sighting with the receiver sight. "

Thanks Mike, Its been cold here, brain only working at 29%.

Well! back in my day...

Here is a photo of the groove cut through the mount base. The Redfield is off the rifle, you can see the barrel mounted rear sight notch through the groove, the front sight bead is out of focus.

That is a beautiful 99 you have there. My Grandfather called the mount system you have the "See Em Under Base." Back when he invented these the quality of the scopes were not what they are today. Hunting in the Northwest and Alaska in the wet weather often resulted in a fogged up scope. Usually you would not notice your scope was fogged until you went to make a shot. By the time you removed your scope the animal had moved on. With this base you simply adjust you eye to look at your iron sights and you can still make the shot.

From my memory the rings were stamped "Kesselring" and the base was stamped "Kesselring" and "99" as this base was specifically for the Savage M99. I don't remember ever stamping the patent numbers on them.

As a kid working in the shop I remember guys would drive hundreds of miles from Oregon and Eastern Washington just to have Grandpa sight in their hunting rifle. They specifically requested that Clarence sight their rifle in and no one else. There were many that would do this each year before hunting season and they would say that they never missed a shot and their rifles were always dead on. Grandpa was kind of a legend when it came to sighting in rifles and his scope mounts. Good memories!

I don't have any stashed away but I also don't have anything to do with the business. I see them on EBay every once in a while.

You must be very proud & what memories of your grandfather. I envy you. I don't remember either of mine.