It is a mystery why so many different bases and hole spacings were apparently found on the Browning-Sakos. It is also a bit of a mystery why Browning had Sako cut the rear action ring down like a Mauser instead of leaving both rings the same height. There couldn't be even a half-ounce of metal there.
Both the rings in the black Browning boxes and the Redfields were made by Redfield, which makes things seem even odder.
Johnny66: Although the Redfield base is nice, I have one on my Safari .243 HB and I find that the bridge across the action opening is slightly in the way of accessing the loading/ejection port. It's never been a real problem, but because of the slight obstruction it represents I've always preferred two-piece bases. And not that there is any real weakness in the one-piece base, but it is held on by only three screws whereas the two-piece bases are attached with four screws. If you are striving to keep your pencil-barrel Browning as light as possible, the one-piece steel base is somewhat heavier than the two-piece Weavers. None of this is a big deal -- its just to say that there are some advantages of each system (like the windage adjustment on the Redfield) and either will serve you well.
Both the rings in the black Browning boxes and the Redfields were made by Redfield, which makes things seem even odder.
Johnny66: Although the Redfield base is nice, I have one on my Safari .243 HB and I find that the bridge across the action opening is slightly in the way of accessing the loading/ejection port. It's never been a real problem, but because of the slight obstruction it represents I've always preferred two-piece bases. And not that there is any real weakness in the one-piece base, but it is held on by only three screws whereas the two-piece bases are attached with four screws. If you are striving to keep your pencil-barrel Browning as light as possible, the one-piece steel base is somewhat heavier than the two-piece Weavers. None of this is a big deal -- its just to say that there are some advantages of each system (like the windage adjustment on the Redfield) and either will serve you well.