It seems to me that in 2001 I was getting 48207 with 4 screws per ring for $41 and now they sell 49302 for $14 with two screws per ring.

I'm not seeing your point. Those are two different part numbers. What does a 48207 sell for today, and how many screws does it have?

http://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item.asp?sku=0002949302


Here is the whole Weaver ring 2005 catalog:
http://glarp.atk.com/2005Catalogs/pdfs/weaver_2005_catalog.pdf


It does not look like they sell it anymore, but a different part number got the same name.