Need some input on installing a scope base...

[don't]

Good Day All,

I have a good friend and can no longer see the little sights on his drilling. Since I have a mill and lathe and he short on $$ he has asked me to assist him in putting a scope mount on it.

This is a gun he had for some time and will likely own for sometime and he wanted to be able t use a quick release set of rings. Here are my issues..

It is a 16x16x 25/35 and has an automatic rear sight so the Rib on the gun is hollow. Not knowing how much meat there is in the sides this rules out dirlling and tapping as he would like t keep the rear site automatic if possible.

Also trying to cut dovetails in the rib is out for this same reason. Would be heart breaking to cut into that opening not to mention I would then need to modify a set of rings to fit that narrow mount.

So here is where I have ended up. My thought is to use a Weaver style scope mount blank (aluminum)about 6-9 inches long, cut a slot lengthwise for a snug fit on the rib to allow it to sit over the rib and down a bit so as to not disrupt shootin the shotgun too much. I may even concave the mount some to releive a little more (creating a sight channel so to speak) and lighten it some. I would also have to contour the outer edge to clear the shot gun barrels.

Once this was done my thought was to carefully clean the mount and rib with Acetone and then mount the scope mount with either Black Max or #638 Locktite for a semi permanent attachment.

Since I cannot soldier to save my life I figured this would be the next best thing. We will look for some aluminum rings and he said he is going to use one of the smaller 2X or 4X scopes to keep the weight down.

I know it is not the IDEAL way of doing things and if he had more $$ the proper way is to have some sort of quick release base (like a claw mount) installed. But recent heart surgery has drained his funds and he cannot shoot his favorite drilling due to failing eyes. I want to help and I am more than capable of making the mount. I just don't want to go thru all all the work only to have it comeing flying off after a few shots. It is a hammer drilling and he refuses to sell it and get into something that has mounts and rings. He reloads for the 25/35 and keeps his loads pretty light, usually using cast bullets.

So my question is has anyone attempted this or had hands on experience with either the Black Max or #628 by locktite? Do you think this is a feesable alternative? I figured with the mount coming down over the rib it would almost double the adhereing area....

I just want to try and get it set up for him to shoot and make it easy, relatively, to remove leaving little if any damage to gun in case it doesn't work out or he has to sell the gun for bills.

Thoughts???

Thanks...
DonT

[mike ford]

don't
Don, during my first tour in Germany(71-74), I lived within sight of the Ernst Apel Wuerzburg (EAW) factory, and had occasion to speak to Herr Apel about attaching their mount bases. At the time, they mounted a number of their famous swing mounts for Waffen Frankonia, and in doing so used 2 part glue (epoxy) instead of solder. The precedent is therefore set, although I understand that after several years some may come loose. On the other hand, I've also seen soldered on bases come loose. One of the advantages was they didn't have to reblue the barrels, after the work was done, as they would have if the bases were soldered. I think your idea has merit, but I think the major part of the glue joint should be on the barrels, rather than the rib.In EAW's work, a section of the rib was cut out for each base. They would have had a slot cut in them to pass the rod that works the rearsight. It would make the bases higher, but you could mill your bases to leave the rib intact. This would make the mounting reverseable, by heating the bases to break the glue bond. The rib should not be counted on to hold the bases. The very rearmost part of the rib is silversoldered, but ahead of this the rib is softsoldered, and the solderjoints are very narrow. In my opinion, which is no better than yours, you should be able to make bases and attach them by modern adhesive. If I were doing this, I think I would make them to fit lever release dovetail rings and mill a groove in the middle of them, so they wouldn't block the sights any more than necessary. You can call up EAW, ERA, or Bock's website to get an idea of the contour you need to use( be aware that due to barrel taper, you will have to do the final fitting by scraping). I hope you find this helpful, or at least supportive of your idea.
Mike

[don't]

Mike,

Thank you so much for your input, you are a wealth of information and so willing to share it, a rare quality these days.

Should I decide to move ahead with the project I will attempt to take some pictures to share with others..

Again thank you...

don't..
ps. one of these days I need to send a note to the mods to see if I can get this changed to DonT. Darn spell check changed it don't when I signed up and I didn't catch it before I hit the enter key. Lol...

[mike ford]

Don,
You are welcome.I am looking forward to the pictures.
Mike