Hey, I think you sold that one to me!
Even if your not, here is the story of mine (which also happens to be a bit more than 17000 and have two drilled & tapped holes for a Weaver side mount).
My theory upon seeing the hole placement was that it was for a Weaver side mount similar to one on my "
Garand
Trainer Prototype" Springfield Model 87M (which came with side-mount holes from the factory, but someone had added a rear peep sight). Sure enough, I was right. So I purchased another side mount base, put on my scope rig and went to the NRA range in Fairfax VA.
First of all, the H&R Model 65 Reising is an absolute joy to shoot. There is very little recoil and it just feels great on the bench. Secondly, its a flippin *tack driver* with regular ammo! Two magazines using the scope would leave me with a ragged quarter-sized hole.
The downside is that even with the scope cranked all the way to the left and all the way up, it was still printing down and to the right. My brother-in-law is going to machine down the base to match the 87M, and he also suggested some Burris Signature rings with inserts that can compensate quite a bit for the lopsidedness.
Next time I take it out, I will use the factory sights and see how well it performs, then try again with the scope.
BTW, the H&R 65 feels like a "real" rifle, while the Remington Model 12A I also brought along felt more like a toy.