Would like to find a sturdy scope mount for a savage 99 that would enable mounting a shorter scope such as a leupold 2.5X8

Most of my Savage 99's that get hunted have a Leupold 2.5-8 mounted in Weaver rings on Weaver bases. No offset rings needed for me but if the eye relief isn't just right for you with standard rings, you'll want one offset ring to get it where you need it. I have both pivot mount and standard fixed rings. Both work fine for me but be aware they vary in tolerances quite a bit so a particular set may or may not work on a particular rifle. In my case I have a few sets to work with so I can always get a set that works. Knock on wood. They're sturdy and don't shift.
The one piece Leupolds or Redfields with the turn in rings are longer and will probably require an offset ring on the front..

I've used the Weaver bases and rings on the 99's I've had. You probably know that the front and rear bases are a lot different and have different product numbers but I thought I'd throw that in. I used Leupold VX2 2-7x on them with great success. That being said, My favorite hunting scope of all time, without hesitation, is the Leupold VX3 2.5-8x. I use the 2-7x on all my levers except my BLR-81 IN 358Winchester. It wears the 2.5-8x.I like it so well that I even had one on a 25/06 for 25years. I rarely hunt where shots could be taken over 150yards though. Good ole Elmer Keith said you need about 1power of magnification for every 100yards. IF that is true I 've been hunting with way too much scope 99.44% of the time!

Most mail order places should have both bases.

Nothing wrong with the Leupold one piece base either. It's definitely sturdy.