There are a wide variety of vintage sights, scopes and scope mounting options that were made for the Savage 99 in the decades before scopes became commonplace, but few are as interesting and well designed as the Stith Install It Yourself mounts. These were produced by M.L. Stith for a variety of rifles from the mid-1930’s up into the 1950’s, and they can be amazingly accurate on many vintage firearms. They are extremely popular on vintage Savage 99’s because they allow the use of a scope without drilling holes in the receiver.
For Savage 99’s, Stith’s Install It Yourself mounts seem to have disappeared from the market shortly after Savage Arms started drilling all their receivers for scope bases in 1954. A new Stith mount called the Stith Master Mount was produced for a while in the 1950’s that used the rear tang screws for the same type of rear scope base and the front receiver scope screw holes for the front scope base. While perfectly functional and offering windage adjustment via the base, it offered little advantage over standard scope bases with newer scopes which had internal adjustments.
Stith mounts evolved as the scopes did, starting up in the mid-30’s when rifle scopes were first becoming common on big game rifles. First available in 3/4″ sizes for early scopes such as the Weaver 330 and Weaver 29S, by the start of the 1940’s they had added a 7/8″ version to handle scopes such as the Lyman Alaskan. After World War II, they came out with 1″ mounts to handle some of the many 1″ scopes that were becoming wildly popular. Most of the early 3/4″ Stith mounts had no windage adjustment, but there were a few made that did. The later 7/8″ and 1″ Stith mounts came in both windage adjustable and non-adjustable styles. None had any ability to adjustment elevation.
Multiple styles of 1″ mounts were available up into the 1950’s to handle straight tubes as well as scopes with larger objective lenses. Whereas it’s pretty easy to fit any straight tube 3/4″ or 7/8″ scope into a corresponding straight tube Stith mount, care has to be taken on the 1″ Stiths (especially the larger bell mounts) that you get a compatible scope. The front bell is a specific width and will fit specific scopes. For example Stith marketed a Install-It-Yourself mount made to fit just the Stith Bearcat 2 3/4x Double Aperture scope. I have to admit that when buying a 1″ Stith mount that I always make sure that it comes as a set with a scope that fits it so I don’t end up accidentally buying the wrong scope to fit the mount, or end up going on a search to find what scope is compatible.
One thing you may have asked yourself while reading this article is: “How does a person get the rear ring onto the larger scopes?”. The answer is that you have to remove the rear eyepiece, slip the ring onto the tube, then replace the eyepiece onto the tube. With modern scopes nobody would think of removing the eyepiece because scopes are now filled with inert gases that prevent moisture and fog inside the scope. That wasn’t true in days past, as anybody who hunted back in the day and suffered from a fogged up rifle scope on opening morning knows. If you need to remove or replace a scope into the rings, try to do the work in a low humidity environment.
Here’s the view of a 1″ straight tube Stith and the top of a Savage 99, which should give a good idea of how it installs. There’s a hole on the bottom of the Stith to accomodate the pop-up indicator, so you won’t be able to see it but it’s still there.
A good source for more technical information is available at this thread on the 24hourcampfire:
Stith Rifle Mounts
As a quick aside, the no-drill concept was so good that one extremely talented, knowledgeable collector has created a modern style that also attaches via the rear tang screws and rear sight dovetail. He creates this on a custom basis, and it can be used to mount any modern scope using Leupold compatible rings. It’s called the Lightfoot mount, and someday it will be a true collector’s item as well.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this overview of one of the more interesting scope mounts which was made for several rifles, but it’s use is especially interesting on the Savage 99.
Rory Reynoldson
Oct. 10, 2021
You said that you have to take the rear lens apart to slide the scope into the Stith’s rear mount?? I have 4 Stith mounts for Savage 99s and all of them have a rear mount that can be unscrewed and place scope into rear mount and then tighten the mount back up.
Are these 3/4″ Stith mounts with a Weaver 29S/330/440? Yes, those can be slid forward through the rear ring because the adjustment knobs are behind the rear ring when mounted. I was referring to the scopes which have windage/elevation adjustment knobs in front of the rear ring.
You are right for 3/4″ Stith mounts with adjustment knows at the far rear of the scope. Those you don’t need to remove the eyepiece.
As usual, nicely written article Rory. In the past, I have reminded those who wish to use one of these mounts (myself included), that a takedown is no longer a takedown when deployed. Enjoying your book very much.
Thanks, Don. The top picture with the 99G and 3/4″ Stith was one of my first 99’s – and my first takedown. I eventually did sell that one because having a takedown which couldn’t be taken down due to a scope seemed silly to me at the time. Now that I have a couple other 99G’s, I’d probably be willing to keep one with a Stith.
I have a Savage model 99F .284 manufactured in 1968. My step father gave it to me. I’m in my 70’s and no longer hunt. I can’t find much info on this rifle. It has some scratches on the stock but the gun has only fired maybe 2 boxes of shells all by me.
I am interested in selling it. Can you give me an idea of what it is worth? I can send pictures if someone is interested.
Thanks