Savage 11 Trophy Hunter .308 Scope Mounting - Dovetail or Picatinny rail?

I just purchased a new Savage 11 Trophy Hunter XP in .308. It currently has the 3-9x40 Nikon scope on it but I have a Bushnell 3500 on its way that I got a great deal on. Since I am going to be changing the scope, I want to change the base and rings as well since I’m not a fan of the rings that come on the scope (more of an aesthetic than anything).

My Remington 700 has dovetail mounts which I really like and think they are better looking. I know which base and rings I’ll need for that but I am also considering a picatinny rail as well to help with scope positioning for eye relief.

Does any have a suggestion on which rail to get? I’m thinking one-piece unless a two-piece is better. Between the dovetail and picatinny, is one better than the other? Any particular brand that fits better than another on the Savage?

*Edit - Are the new Savage 11's round or flat receivers? I'm not near the rifle at the moment to look.

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Originally Posted by Mossyoakglock

I just purchased a new Savage 11 Trophy Hunter XP in .308. It currently has the 3-9x40 Nikon scope on it but I have a Bushnell 3500 on its way that I got a great deal on. Since I am going to be changing the scope, I want to change the base and rings as well since I’m not a fan of the rings that come on the scope (more of an aesthetic than anything).

My Remington 700 has dovetail mounts which I really like and think they are better looking. I know which base and rings I’ll need for that but I am also considering a picatinny rail as well to help with scope positioning for eye relief.

Does any have a suggestion on which rail to get? I’m thinking one-piece unless a two-piece is better. Between the dovetail and picatinny, is one better than the other? Any particular brand that fits better than another on the Savage?

*Edit - Are the new Savage 11's round or flat receivers? I'm not near the rifle at the moment to look.

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New stuff is round back. Rail is the winner for maximum flexibility on the eye relief. I can't get decent eye relief without a rail on my 110. My 10 is a little better, but I still went with rail.

Side benefit of rail, maybe some increase in rigidity, says some...

EGW and Weaver both sell a one piece base. The EGW sits a little high but is easier to load your rifle if you have a blind mag. The Weaver mount sits lower and is more difficult to load the rifle, again if you have a blind mag. I have one of each and can't say if I like one over the other.

Talley lightweights. I run them and love them and have turned a few people into them that also like them. You can position them either way, giving you the versatility of a lot of scope adjustment for optimal eye relief. They are the lightest mount and also completely eliminate a potential failure/loose point in your mounting system. Lastly, they are, in my opinion, the best looking rings and based you can use. Check them out.

For hunting rifles I always use 2pc mounts because I want the rifle to be as light as possible.

If you're going to hunt from a stand and don't have to carry a long ways or shoot off hand, a pic rail is fine.

Every new Trophy hunter xp Savage I bought came with 2pc mounts from factory and they work good for hunting. Save your money.

I've never liked one piece rails on a hunting rifle for the reasons already mentioned. I have never found a set of dovetail rings that would give me proper eye relief with a Savage 10/110 action. Best combination I've found for appearance and function on a Savage action are 2-piece Burris Tactical Xtreme bases, or Weaver Grand Slam bases (46S, 405S) with Burris Signature Zee rings. The ring inserts protect your scope tube and allow centering of optics for POI and optimal scope windage, elevation performance. Moving a scope to a different Savage rifle with the same bases is also a lot easier. The Talley lightweight extended bases will also work.

The picture below shows Weaver Grand Slam bases (46S, 405S) and Burris 1" Signature Zee rings with a short tube Leupold VX-3 2.5-8x36 scope on a Savage 16 LWH.

http://i1027.photobucket.com/albums/...psdvcm1mct.jpg

If its just for hunting (and I wouldn't try to target shoot with that thin barrel) then the ones it comes with while ugly are fine.

If you need better scope range then the rail helps a lot there.

If you want to change it, then the Picatinny Rail is the way to go, I would go with Warne as they are cross capable for a Weaver or a Piciatinny style ring.

Not sure if Warne does aluminum, I like steel so they suit me fine. A few oz makes not difference these days, hunting guns are way light anyway.

If weight is that much of an issue I would drop 15 lbs (if I could) and laugh at the saving weight on hunting gear thing.

Thanks guys. It's a hunting rifle so I'm not too concerned about weight since I hunt out of blind or stand so I'm not walking around. Even if I do a little stalking, it's still lighter than my Remington 700 which I don't find heavy at all for carrying through the woods.

I'll target shoot a little with it but I'm not going to be shooting many rounds through it at a time since I've got other guns I shoot at the range too.

I concur with the choice for the Burris Signature Zee rings.