xausa,i would say dont alter the gun because i,m a collector , but on the other hand if the right scope setup was put on it like maybe a claw type utilizing the first inch of the barrel and just the rear bridge then maybe it would not be so bad ,the problem is if you want to hunt with this rifle in particular and hunting with another is going to bother you then you have to do something ,havent looked for one lately but i,m sure there are others around , i,m wrestling right now with wether to add a side mount on a sprigfield griffin&howe that ive had for years when the extra cash is around i think i,m going to send it to G&H and have it done , new england custom gun may have a mount setup that would work as far as looks go....paul