I know ya'll will be happy...

I finally took the plunge and bought a Winchester Model 70 Safari Express in 458 Win Mag. I hope it arrives within a couple of weeks.

I am now trying to pick out a scope for it and decide on what type of rings and mounts to get. Should I go with Leopold rings/bases or something different? I've read alot of posts on different scopes and it seems the consensus is to go with the M8 series Leopold in 2.5 power, RIGHT?

Should I go ahead and get the rifle punched out to 458 Lott? Is it "good" to shoot 458 Win's through it after getting it punched out or just "okay"? - what I'm asking is if it will damage the gun in any way in the long run.

Thank ya'll for all of the help.