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

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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?

"Don't let the things you can't do, stop you from doing the things you can do."