I happen to have a one piece Redfield base for the Model 70. Not 100% sure it would fit the prewar action but you could try screwing it down with the front screws only and just not use the rear screw and see if it is solid enough for use. It would be worth a try as they are usually very solid bases. PM me if you're interested in giving it a try- if you buy the rifle, that is...
Bob
Bob, that's not going to work too well. There's a reason for the third screw.
Depends on what you're going to use the rifle for. If it isn't a museum piece, drill and tap a single hole in the rear bridge for a one-piece mount and be done with it. Screwing around with ancient Stith mounts and equally ancient (and expensive) Lyman Alaskan scopes only makes sense if the rifle is pristine, a Super Grade, or in some scarce chambering. You're not going to drastically devalue a run-of-the-mill pre-war M70 by drilling a single hole in the rear bridge.
If you absolutely have to go the Stith route, look around for a Norman-Ford Texan. Same scope as the Lyman at half the price. The Stith QED was also available for 1" tubes as well as 7/8", so an old Weaver K2.5 or K3 would work. Stith also made what they called their "Master" mount, which looks like a cross between the QED and a B&L. It's intended for scopes with enlarged objectives (not straight tubes like the QED), so it should work with modern scopes. No extra bridge holes needed. The mount is not aesthetically pleasing.
Vintage Alaskans and the like are cool scopes, but if you're going to shoot it a lot, or hunt with it, more modern optics are probably a better idea. JMHO, of course.
