I got a new EGW Picatinny scope base for my Savage 110 long action flat back receiver yesterday.

For some reason, when I trial fit the rail one of the screws did not want to come out and the head began to strip. I figured I might as well just comitt and snugged the rest of the screws down and I installed the rings. I got the rings lapped (kokopelli lapping and alignment kit). So last night I was stweing over what to do. I had to get the damn screw out and managed to get it out this morning after a good night's sleep. I got a new set of screws on order from EGW.

This morning, I decided to install just the rear screws and see how the front end looked. That's when I noticed there was about a .030" gap between the rail and the receiver. I can spring it like a diving board. i'm guessing I'll have to either bed it or settle for it being slightly tweaked when snug. I already got the rings lapped in that condition anyway. The good news is that it only took a few minutes to lap the rings and they were nearly perfectly aligned from the start. After a couple of minutes of lapping, alignment was dead on.

I can probably bed or shim the front or stone the back to fit the scope perfectly and I am willing to do that if I have to. If it comes to getting a replacement base, I'm willing to go with a different type of base. I really don't want a 2 piece and prefer a one-piece. I take it people may prefer round base Savages to avoid these kind of fitting issues? At this point I don't know if the mount is out of spec or the receiver. It's from the mid-80's.

When I installed the Kokopelli alignment bars, the long rod that tells you if the scope is in line with the bore indicated that there's a slight angle to the right in relation to the barrel. It's not gross, but it's there. When I look over the top of the barrel, the alignment rod is angled to the right but doesn't overhang the barrel.

Since it's a picatinny base, I can't adjust the yaw of the base so I guess I'll have to settle for the misalignment. Any comments or suggestions on this one? The ring alignment bars line up perfectly.

I'd like to do it right the first time instead of doing it over a second time.