I ordered one of the new split rings that Mike (Lightfoot) is making for use with 1" Stith mounts. This allows for virtually any straight tube 1" scope to be used in a Stith, since the objective bell does not have to be removed to put it into the rear mount.

I'm getting set up for a bear hunt this coming fall and I wanted a good low light scope. I decided on a Leupold VX I 1-4X with a heavy duplex reticle. It's a lot of scope for the money ($200) and should be just what I need. I've got the scope and mount on a 1930s T in .300 with a thumb safety.

I've got nothing but good things to say about Mike's new product. It's simply a matter of replacing the old rear ring on the Stith; it couldn't be easier.



Rod

One of my guns has the straight tube front... darn, can't remember which. Soon as I find out I think I'm gonna have to get one of these.

Very nice!

I own the prototype that Mike made, haven't put a scope on it yet though.

I bought one also, just dont have a rifle to put it on! have scope, and all else tho!

Thanks for the plug Rod! I have torx screws to go with it if needed.

How much of the Leupolds tube is in the front mount? Just curious. I have an order in.

That may be the weak link in the setup. I'd like to have more of the front tube engaged. It's only in the front mount about two inches. It seems rigid enough, but many of the older scopes had longer tubes and would bottom out in the front mount of a Stith, giving them extra rigidity.

Are there longer tubes available for the front mount? I seem to remember seeing different length tubes for the 3/4" Stiths; is this true of the 1" mounts?

Rod

I just measured 3 1" tubes.

2 of them are 3.5" and one is 3 1/4" measured at the bottom of the tube to the back.

There is a bastardized fix for the short tube. You can use a front tube for the Win 70 QD style Stith. You have to bend the strap down to line up with the tilt in Savage sight dovetail. I can post some pics when I find them again.

That's just damn cool. Would it be more rigid if you sleeved the tube in front of the scope? Thanks for putting up the picture.

Alas tis an unfinished job Mike, your mission, should you choose to accept it is to now make a front tube to take a modern scope, maybe a 32, 33 mm objective.

Should'nt take you to long to get it sorted

Johno

I'd like to see what you come up with on this Mike. Thanks.

It's not the "length" of the front tube. If you look inside from back to front, you'll see a ledge inside where the inside diameters change. In order to have a solid rigid set-up your scope needs to butt up against that ledge. If the scope doesn't make it you'll need to put a spacer in the tube between the scope and the ledge. Once you have the scope installed and have your eye relief set look in from the front and get a measurement from the ledge to the front of the scope. That will tell you what size spacer you need.

Ahhhh... thanks Steve. That makes sense. I'm thinking that a spacer could be made from a section of tube from a junk scope.

I have a couple inches that I cut into various lengths of black plastic that I used. Another way to get that measurement is, if you already have the scope installed where you are comfortable with it, take a sharpie and mark the scope at the front tube. remove the rear ring and slide the scope into the tube and make another mark. The distance between the two marks will give you the width of the spacer you need. An old scope tube will work, but it's harder to work with.

That's what I meant with the sleeve. I had a machinist make one up out of aluminum for that reason about 15-years ago for a Stith.

This is good info. I didn't know the scope had to butt up against the ledge in the front tube. I think one of my Stith setups doesn't butt up against the ledge. I'll have to check them. David

Here is a Weaver V4.5 I mounted with a Stith split rear ring windage mount and the Win 70 front tube. I took a pic before bending the Win tube just to show why parts don't interchange that well.

That doesn't look bad at all. How is that rear ring working? I have one and had a bear of a time getting it to stay in place on recoil. As a matter of fact it was with the same Weaver scope that you used.

The base block that the ring goes into is reversed. Turn it 180 so the recoil doesn't slip the ring out of the slot.

I had it installed with the slot or dovetail facing forward and it still jumped out. That could have just been my bad luck but after that I found out that that base ring combo was used with a front base that fixed to the receiver ring. The front base used one of the Stith dovetail mount rings. I have a picture of it in a book I can dig out.

Mike, your set-up with the Winchester 70 front looks like it sets noticeably higher than Rod's using your rear ring. Would that M70 front work with his rear set-up? I have wondered if the locking ring that was used on M70 fronts for the mounts that I think were made to be easily removed & remounted could be used to make sure the front mount was stabilized, but with Rod's set-up it does not look like there would be room above the front of the receiver, on the one you pictured it does.



From the looks of these I think it would be possible to over tighten and dent the scope. This also shows one of the auxiliary peep sights that could be used with these.

The slot should open to the rear.

Thanks. This makes a good point. Does the scope angle upward with the M70 tube and dovetail block?

You guys are the masters at confusion. You've totally lost me in your train of thought. Stith mount, Savage 99? How much simpler can it get. Today we have a myriad of scope mounting options. Back in the day, not only did they have fewer options, scopes were scorned in lieu of open iron sights. The average hunter had one gun and he made a tool out of it. They couldn't give a rat's a s s about modifying a gun to "make it work" for them.

So let's get back to the Stith. Luckily I traded a mod 55 Winchester. No not the lever,,,,,,,,,,,,the one they called the single shot automatic, for a Stith that was on a 99. It was the only Stith I had and I wanted others. I copied that one, I drew up some prints of all the parts and commenced to duplicate every one. In doing so, I learned the design intent behind the mount and in order to hold zero, EVERYTHING must be snugged up. That means the scope must be against the ledge in the front tube AND your eye relief must be correct. Lyman and Weaver and the Norman Ford scopes seem to fit well. But now try to mount in a Leupold or Redfield, as well as others and you run into length issues. That scope MUST fit in the front tube against that ledge or the whole assembly will shift around.

I solved this by inserting a plastic shim between scope and ledge. I made shim of .200",.300", .400" and .500". I have yet to have any problems mounting any straight tube (which I prefer in the first place) in any of my Stiths.

The setup with the V4.5 shot OK so I guess there is enough leeway in the elevation adjustment to make it work.

I agree it looks higher, but it works.

Well, as they say. "The proof is in the pudding." Thanks again.

Your solution was basically what I had envisioned. I guess all great minds think alike!