Bought a Savage .17 HMR last night at Bass Pro. Went back today picked up some rounds and scope and rings. I have went back 3 TIMES today trying to get the right rings to make the scope fit. The scope is a 4x12 Redhead with a 40mm objective. First I bought the Weaver rings that fit up to 40mm, got home that didn't work, went back bought some off the wall brand but it was way to high, went back again bought Weaver rings again, this time for scopes up to 42mm. It would work, but the front of the scope, it has some kind of yardage thing on it, touches the barrel and the front ring doesn't sit perfectly on the base. What do I need to do to make this scope fit. I don't want to go so high that I lift my head off of the stock. I also looked to see if they had any Leupold bases to fit my gun but couldn't find any. I might have to go buy a bunch of them and bring it home and try it. Thanks

Hmmm, I hate that you are having the problem you're having, if you want to stick with what you've got you could get someone to put shims in the rings for you., Maybe some of these other guys have a better suggestion.....

The yardage thing on the front of the scope is an "Adjustable Objective" a fancy way of saying a focusing ring for different yardages , common on high powered variable scopes. It may have a 40 mm lense but you should measure the actual diameter of the front bell and buy the right height of rings for that size. That should solve your problem.

Why don't you save yourself some more time and take the rifle with you next time.

Yeah, if you aren't very knowledgeable yourself, take it to a shop and let somebody see just what you have, and they'll be able to set you up. You don't have to buy your stuff there, you could just ask to see what options there are. There are lots of brands out there, and some are pretty pricey. They tend to be better than the cheap ones though.

Then how would the feller learn. Some of my best lessons not forgotten are ones like this.

I use the Leupold scope selector tool. It works with most scopes if you know the bell size. I know not all bells are the same.

Since he's already made 3 trips back his learning by error has been accomplished. I'd now take the gun back to the sore where it was purchased...and have them try to assist by showing that they do or do not have a set-up to match his rifle. Failing in that...its a trip to a reputable smith to iron things out.

First off, not bashing the guy, but out of the dozens and dozens of rifles, I have had, none have taken 3 trips to get the rings right. So I am confused on how that happens. But I only buy leupold rings anymore so your choices are limited.

I failed doing a glass job, more than three times. But kept at it. Never understood people not trying things for themselves.

I understand about doing things yourself, heck I hardly ever like to let someone else do something for me if I have even an inkling that I could do it myself.

Having said that we are only talking about purchasing a set of rings. taking it to Bass Pro would save a heck of a lot of time that he could be spending on something more rewarding. Like shooting the dang rifle.

Pretty much with the Savage which has very little drop off from the barrel to the top of the action, you'll need medium or high height Weaver mounts.

You are really dealing with two issues here:
Ring attachment type: Weaver, Dovetail, "rimfire" 11mm, 13mm 1 inch bla bla bla etc.
You need to match the "claw type" with the type of groves cut into the receiver. My Savage .17 has the scope bases installed. and they are Weaver. Mine also has a heavy barrel and there is little drop off from the receiver to the top line of the barrel.

Second you need the right hight mounts that will also allow you to align your scope for a decent zero distance without having to shim and fandangle around. Now there are a couple option Millet Angle Loc and Burris come to mind. The down side of the inexpensive savage is that you really can't buy cheap mounts and expect them to work well. You will be too high and have trouble with intermediate distance targets...or really long distance targets. In reality you want the scope to be as close to the bore line without the AO touching the barrel or receiver. I like the Burris Mounts. With Burris you will need the Z ring HIGH...which will just clear the scope off the body of the gun.

I hope that helps you.