Rifle Scopes What scope for a post-war Savage 99?

[shoobe01]

Not as snazzy high end and specialized as most topics here, but a friend of mine has a post-war Savage 99 in 308. Ready for a scope, with 1" rings, but the scope has disappeared.

I am pretty well tasked with this as he's moved for a few years to a non-gun state, so I have his stuff. I get to shoot this, among other things. A scope is allowed, and within reason (like, with the cash from selling some of his other gear and apartment stuff left behind) I can even make him pay for it.

I have... no idea past 1" tube. He doesn't hunt much anymore, but we can pretend it's for stalks on medium game in KS/OK/MO. Mostly not past 75 yards in the woods, but there are clearings, and farm fields, where the max offhand distance (say 200 yards) would be plausible.

Does not have to be period correct or anything.

 

[kujuak]

Leupold 1.5-6 or 2.5-8x works well on my 99's. Fixed 3x also is nice.

 

[Deleted member 113831]

Vintage Leupold Plainsman or Lyman Alaskan. Not only will it look right but it will add value also.

 

[Dirty8404]

Vintage Leupold Plainsman or Lyman Alaskan. Not only will it look right but it will add value also.

I believe the Plainsman is 7/8” tube, but I agree wholeheartedly with this sentiment.

The old Weavers made in El Paso, TX had all brass internals if I remember and were made very well. I’d put a fixed 2.5x or 4x Weaver on if it were me, most likely 4x since I’m out west.

The Model 99 is an amazing rifle, I’ll have one in 308 one day.

Edit: if he doesn’t want an older scope, a used 2-7x32 Leupold wouldn’t be too terrible, and relatively inexpensive. But, the Weaver would be my first choice.

 

[Quackaddict]

A good friend of mine has hunted with a rotary mag Savage 99 for years. It had peep sights and it worked well when he was young. Now that he is older the eyes aren't what they were used to be I brought up the idea of putting a scope on it. I had a weaver 1-3 sitting on the bench I sold him for little. We found some bases and rings and put it together. That addition has made it a whole new gun. Before he wouldn't use it past about 50 yards. Now he has a rifle he can use at almost any distance. He took a buck last year at about 80 yards and commented at how easy it was compared to the peep sights.

That scope/gun combo is about perfect. If I would change anything it would be the quality of the optics in the weaver. A nice leupold/bushnell/Nikon would be perfect. For inside 100 you don't need anything over 4x and the 1x will let you keep both eyes open if your game is running or your posting for a drive.

 

[fdkay]

if you are on a budget, a Mueller 2-7 multi-shot is a dandy scope with an excellent reticle.
http://muelleroptics.com/products/mueller-2-7x32-multi-shot/

 

[spife7980]

The old weavers are what I would match with it as well.

 

[maverick2]

If you want to stick with the current rings, take a close look at them and see if they'll afford you any room to do anything other than a straight tube objective. Because of the drop comb set up for shooting open sights on the 99s, most ring configurations on the 99s were set up to keep the scope pretty darn close to the barrel, so you may not have any room to go with a larger objective. (When my Dad gave me his .308 99F in 1972, it had a straight tube 2x on it, and I hunted that way with it until the late 90's.) Given that the gun isn't yours and your goal is to shoot and play with it, I'd set it up with a scope that you like to shoot behind and forget trying to keep it traditional (save that for the owner to do if he wants...) These rifles are a ball to shoot and play with, so scope it accord to how you like to play. (My .308 99f wears a 2.5-10x42, I've got a second .308 99f that will soon be a .358 win that will wear a 1-4/ 1-5/ 1-6x24, and when I put my hands on a .243 99 it will wear a 3.5-14x42.)

 

[ubettcha]

One of the prism optics or a red dot. These are better suited for off hand and hasty sling type positions so use something that excels at those shooting scenarios. Might be fun to shoot a 3 gun with this rifle other than getting beat up from the recoil.

 

[shoobe01]

Definitely going to not go to RDS because of the rings it has. I am RDS+magnifier on almost all guns, and it works well. Which is also why I needed advice here. I sold my LPVOs a few years back so have minimal base of knowledge for low power scopes.

Watching a few eBay auctions for cheap vintage things. I DID forget to check the bell depth allowance. Ring/mounts (sorta integral ones) are like this:

E-yup. That's gonna limit my options a lot. Good! Reduced choice helps!

 

[maverick2]

Cool. Once you start playing with that thing, you'll find it a lot handier to shoot scoped if you do something to raise the comb and (unless you are small framed) increase the length of pull. (My 99 fit my 12 yr old self perfectly, but not so much for my 6' 2" frame.) Here's a pic of my "project" 99 -- trimmed a piece of 1/2" UHMW to fit the standard crescent butt and then borrowed a recoil pad off another gun to increase LOP by 1.25", and made a $20 raised cheek piece with some thin Kydex, spray foam, and epoxy. Fits WAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYY better now -- by far my favorite rifle to shoot.

 

[MarinePMI]

Another vote for an old Weaver (El Paso); a K-4 specifically.