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To drill & tap or not to drill & tap (Read 40978 times)

Sendaro Oldtimer Offline When the sight is on SEND IT! Posts: 588 Location: Saratoga Springs NY Joined: Nov 21^st, 2010	To drill & tap or not to drill & tap Nov 15^th, 2013 at 8:42am	Print Post
	I have a Stevens 44 and a Stevens 44 1/2 that are in way better condition than most that you may come across. Have been told that they are like 95% or better. They are not dilled & tapped for scope bases. Would having them drilled and tapped for Unertil scope bases in the same place on the barrel that Stevens would have done so harm the value of the rifles? They are both standard rifles and there is nothing extra on them. I can't help but feel that it would not, but would like to hear from those in the know. There is little dough that I could shoot them more accurately with my Unertl scopes than with the tang and globe that I now use. Don't get me wrong because I do like shooting with the tang ad globe but for wringing out the most accuracy in testing the scope would sure be an asset. Sendaro
	« Last Edit: Nov 15^th, 2013 at 3:25pm by Sendaro »

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40_Rod Frequent Elocutionist Offline Extremism in the persuit of accuracy is not a vice Posts: 4285 Location: Knoxville, TN Joined: Apr 20^th, 2004	Re: To drill & tap or not to drill & tap Reply #1 - Nov 15^th, 2013 at 9:02am	Print Post
	Epoxy blocks on. If you use Black Max they will stay on. When you are ready to sell a firm tap and the blocks come off. It doesn't even discolor the bluing. 40 Rod


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Redsetter Frequent Elocutionist Offline Posts: 3468 Location: New York Joined: Aug 6^th, 2013	Re: To drill & tap or not to drill & tap Reply #2 - Nov 15^th, 2013 at 9:21am	Print Post
	Sendaro wrote on Nov 15^th, 2013 at 8:42am: for wringing out the most accuracy in testing the scope would sure be an asset. Sendaro Absolutely! Because Stevens was the first rifle maker to actively promote the use of optics, first by offering Malcolms & Cummins' in Stevens catalogs, later by manufacturing an incredibly diverse selection of its own scopes, there's nothing ahistorical about mounting a scope on a Stevens IF you do it right. Doing it right means forgetting about Unertl-style blocks & installing repros of Stevens blocks, which Steve Earle produces. He can make them with the Unertl flange cut, which isn't of course correct for Stevens, but they will at least have the correct length & hole spacing. Most later Stevens barrels were marked on the "off side" of the top flat, but if you've got an earlier barrel with markings on the top flat, there's still space on either side of them to place the blocks without drilling the markings--which WOULD be a cardinal sin.


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Redsetter Frequent Elocutionist Offline Posts: 3468 Location: New York Joined: Aug 6^th, 2013	Re: To drill & tap or not to drill & tap Reply #3 - Nov 15^th, 2013 at 9:27am	Print Post
	40_Rod wrote on Nov 15^th, 2013 at 9:02am: Epoxy blocks on. If you use Black Max they will stay on. When you are ready to sell a firm tap and the blocks come off. It doesn't even discolor the bluing. 40 Rod Well, that's the other alternative. But having an epoxied-on scope hit the ground once made me very leery of that method. However, that was years ago & I didn't use Black Max. (Never heard of it, actually.)


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Kurt_701 Frequent Elocutionist Offline Posts: 1029 Location: Missouri Joined: May 20^th, 2004	Re: To drill & tap or not to drill & tap Reply #4 - Nov 15^th, 2013 at 1:08pm	Print Post
	You might try this . I milled two bases on a piece of flat stock. I epoxy or use doublesided tape. I can test loads or shoot it for quite a while. I do use some vinyl tape as a safety. Kurt

	M-14 3rd Battalion 27th Marines RVN 68'69'
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frnkeore Frequent Elocutionist Offline Posts: 7509 Location: Central Point, OR 97502 Joined: Jun 16^th, 2010	Re: To drill & tap or not to drill & tap Reply #5 - Nov 15^th, 2013 at 1:18pm	Print Post
	Both good options but, if you epoxy, you need something to align the two block. I used the dovetail on one of my scope adaptors to epoxy blocks on a couple of bolt action 22's. On the other hand, if you have enough windgage ajustment it would still be shootable if they are out of alignment a little. Kurts idea isn't a bad one either, if you can get it made. Frank

	ASSRA Member #696, ISSA Member #339
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JLouis Frequent Elocutionist Offline Posts: 10625 Joined: Apr 8^th, 2009	Re: To drill & tap or not to drill & tap Reply #6 - Nov 15^th, 2013 at 1:28pm	Print Post
	If it were mine I would drill and tap it but that's just me. I see no use in owning a rifle one cannot shoot and enjoy for the rest of his shooting days. JLouis

	" It Is Better To Now Have Been A Has Been Than A Never Was Or A Wanna Be "
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Ciao998 Senior Forum Member Offline Posts: 263 Location: Kennewick, WA Joined: Oct 23^rd, 2013	Re: To drill & tap or not to drill & tap Reply #7 - Nov 15^th, 2013 at 2:19pm	Print Post
	Not that I know anything about anything, but it would for me depend on how high grade the model is. For example if it were an original 54 pattern I wouldn't touch the thing other than to enjoy it as it is. On the other hand if it were plain, I just might do it, for me it wouldn't diminish anything if as stated it were done in stevens' original method. Purely from a collecting standpoint maybe it's not a good idea, but I know if I were to buy it I wouldn't knock it for having scope blocks. John


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boats Frequent Elocutionist Offline Posts: 7652 Location: Virginia Joined: Apr 23^rd, 2004	Re: To drill & tap or not to drill & tap Reply #8 - Nov 15^th, 2013 at 4:33pm	Print Post
	You are probably going to loose enough in value between the two rifles to buy a CPA to shoot. I looked at a High Wall that had been D&T recently it was priced accordingly, about half of what an untouched original would sell for One reason I don't collect guns, don't want the burden of keeping one pristine. Boats


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westerner Frequent Elocutionist Offline deleted posts and threads record holder. Posts: 11928 Location: Why, out West of course Joined: May 29^th, 2006	Re: To drill & tap or not to drill & tap Reply #9 - Nov 15^th, 2013 at 5:19pm	Print Post
	Don't drill it. I like Kurts method. Lots of surface area for strength and a safety strap. Joe.

	A blind squirrel runs into a tree every once in a while.
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westerner Frequent Elocutionist Offline deleted posts and threads record holder. Posts: 11928 Location: Why, out West of course Joined: May 29^th, 2006	Re: To drill & tap or not to drill & tap Reply #10 - Nov 15^th, 2013 at 5:41pm	Print Post
	frnkeore wrote on Nov 15^th, 2013 at 1:18pm: Kurts idea isn't a bad one either, if you can get it made. Frank Could screw blocks to a plate rather than mill the entire piece. Joe.

	A blind squirrel runs into a tree every once in a while.
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ACGould Full Member Offline Posts: 138 Location: Central San Joaquin Valley Joined: Sep 3^rd, 2004	Re: To drill & tap or not to drill & tap Reply #11 - Nov 15^th, 2013 at 5:46pm	Print Post
	I have collected and shot Stevens rifles for over forty years. I have owned a large number of nice Stevens rifles, enjoyed looking at a lot more, and still own and shoot a bunch of originals. More than half of the Stevens I've seen and all of them that I presently own have or had scopes mounted at some time. Factory mounted Stevens scopes, Stevens scopes not factory mounted, after market Malcolms, Moggs, Cummins, Winchester, Sidle and more are all to be found. Many rifles are found d&t or with scope blocks but missing the scopes. Nice original rifles that were in use after WWI were often fitted with Winchester, Malcolm or Lyman (especially the Lyman 438) scopes. The presence or absence of scopes, blocks or mounting holes has had little or no impact on the price of otherwise original rifles that I have bought or sold over the years. My best advise is to mount a scope,enjoy shooting the rifle and take care to preserve it in fine condition for the next generation! Leon


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Redsetter Frequent Elocutionist Offline Posts: 3468 Location: New York Joined: Aug 6^th, 2013	Re: To drill & tap or not to drill & tap Reply #12 - Nov 15^th, 2013 at 6:14pm	Print Post
	boats wrote on Nov 15^th, 2013 at 4:33pm: You are probably going to loose enough in value between the two rifles to buy a CPA to shoot. I looked at a High Wall that had been D&T recently it was priced accordingly, about half of what an untouched original would sell for Boats Not at all. For one thing, the brl markings on Winchesters, except the late ones, are spread out over so much space that there's no room to mount the blocks without drilling the letters. For another, Winchester never promoted scopes until it began producing them (probably to compete with Stevens). Wish I could find a nice HW I could buy for half its value because its brl had been drilled!


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Kermit1945 Oldtimer Offline Posts: 980 Location: In Flux Joined: Aug 31^st, 2011	Re: To drill & tap or not to drill & tap Reply #13 - Nov 15^th, 2013 at 6:20pm	Print Post
	Since you said it's for "testing," I'd do what Kurt suggested and Joe seconded. You'll be happy, and so will the person who gets them next. Win/win.

	"Speed's fine, but accuracy's final." Bill Jordan "Anything worth doing is worth doing slowly." Mae West
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BP Frequent Elocutionist Offline Posts: 8039 Location: Westside Joined: Aug 27^th, 2006	Re: To drill & tap or not to drill & tap Reply #14 - Nov 15^th, 2013 at 6:41pm	Print Post
	Redsetter wrote Quote: Not at all. For one thing, the brl markings on Winchesters, except the late ones, are spread out over so much space that there's no room to mount the blocks without drilling the letters. For another, Winchester never promoted scopes until it began producing them (probably to compete with Stevens). Wish I could find a nice HW I could buy for half its value because its brl had been drilled! Redsetter, I'm suspecting that WRA rifles that were ordered with factory installed WRA scopes had the barrel address and calibre markings shifted from the 12 o'clock position to the 10 o'clock position.

	There are three kinds of men: The ones that learn by reading, the few who learn by observation, and the rest who have to pee on the electric fence and find out for themselves. Proud Noodlehead
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