I have had the bases converted to rails, the original base/ring combo always appeared a tad “flimsy” and these rifles sometimes end up in a scabbard on a saddle. My shank diameters were the same as the good ol NEF Handi Rifle so I got some suitable bases and the smith fit them for me. I’m using Zeiss V4 4-24 and Sig Whiskey 5 5-25 so yes they are bigger scopes. Incidentally they worked just fine in the old base setup.
i had custom picatinny bases made for the # 1`s i use , i use Nightforce scopes on mine.
