I recently acquired a grayed 1949 Savage 99 EG �rat� in .300 Savage that I intend to set up as a serious hunter.


As you can see, this rifle has already been altered with sling swivels and has been drilled and tapped for an old Buehler one-piece scope-mount system, so I�m not worried about any sort of remaining collector value. This 99 will purely be a shooter and hunter for me.

I am setting this rifle up for western mule deer and antelope, and the very first step in that process will be to upgrade the scope and the scope mounts. The old Weaver K4 currently on the rifle is a fine period scope, but its ultra-fine crosshairs-with-dot reticle is just too fine for my eyes. My plan is to equip the rifle with a fairly sleek and trim, current Leupold FX-II 6x36mm matte scope.

To do that, I�ll need new scope mounts. And I�ll likely need to have a gunsmith re-drill and tap the rifle for these new mounts over the top of the old mount holes. That�s a bit of a shame, but it needs to be done.



Here's what I'm looking for in new mounts and rings. Ideally, I�d like new mounts (and rings) that are as light as possible, are as low as possible, are reasonally trim and are obviously solid and secure.

Given my intended use, my intended scope and those ideals, what mounts and rings would you suggest?

Is the old Weaver system as good as it gets? Or is there something sleeker and better out there today for an old Savage 99 EG looking for a new shooting-and-hunting lease on life?

What mount system(s) should I consider?

What is wrong with the buehler mounts?? is one or two ounces that important to you? send me the mounts when you take them off . thanks

First off, I'm glad you got the rifle. When you posted about it a couple weeks ago, it was pretty clear that you had the itch to get it.

Those Bueler mounts should work just fine. They look like they'll offer enough clearence for a 36mm scope, and they are a cool old mount that will be hard to improve upon. I'd keep 'em.

If you have to go with new mounts, it looks to me like the one-piece Leupold base might fit without drilling any new holes. This base and ring system really won't save you any weight or be any more solid than the Bueler however.

Rod

Hubert- good question. Let me see if I can explain my concerns. Phil99 - good input, as always.

The old Buehler system on my rifle is actually quite nice - strong, precise and sleek. But the rings with this system are split only at the bottom, which I assume means that they (or at least the rear ring) must be slid over the scope tube lengthwise. To do that, the scope's ocular (rear) lens must unscrewed and removed. And I believe that's a bad idea with today's scopes which utilize internally-contained gas to keep the scope fog free (?).

I admit that I could be wrong in all of those assumptions.

Does anyone remember exactly how these old Buehler rings, which are split only at the bottom (the front ring has a retaining screw, the back ring does not), were suppose to be mounted to a scope?

Here�s a photo of the FRONT Buehler ring with its retaining screw:



Here�s the REAR Buehler ring (no screw):



And here�s the Buehler base attached to the rifle:



Can or should this old Buehler system be used with a modern scope with a 36mm objective lens? If so, how does one get the rings on the scope? I've mounted many modern scopes on many modern rifles, but this one's got me temporarily stumped.

Hmmm... I see the concern. But how did the front ring get over the current scope's objective?

I could be wrong, but I think I've seen other types of Buehler rings for sale on eBay. Maybe you could find a set of Buehler split rings and still use the existing base.

Rod

A quick search on eBay showed several sets of rings. Here's some new in the box, but they're probably too low for a 36mm scope. But they are out there to be found.

Rod

http://cgi.ebay.com/Maynard-P-Buehl...LHQ5fDefaultDomainQ5f0QQsalenotsupported

A Leupold one piece mount, or any of its clones (Tasco, Redfied, Simmons, etc.) for a M99 should fit your holes. They also use two holes in front and one hole in the back. There are plenty of rings in different hights that will work with those mounts.

After a bit more research, it appears that what I really need is a pair of Buehler SPLIT Rings�just exactly as Phil99 suggested. Those rings should work with the exiting Buehler base on the rifle and would be compatible with a modern scope. Buehler Split Rings look this:



The rings I have are Buehler CLOSED Rings. And I still don�t know how they got the front ring on the existing scope (just bent it open?).

Now to locate the correct Buehler SPLIT Rings. Ebay!

Other viable alternations (with new D&T) would seem to include Weaver two-piece bases, a Leupold one-piece base and Conetrol two-piece bases, all with appropriate rings.

Aren't rifle projects fun?!

To get the front ring into position one unscrews the ocular bell and also the plinth holding the windage and elevation screws. Slide the ring on, reinstall everything. You're right, not a good idea with a scope with gas sealed inside. (Although I wonder how many of those scopes, with a little age on them, actually retain that gas. Anybody know about that?)

Insert age/gas joke here( )