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Very Hot Topic (More than 25 Replies) To drill & tap or not to drill & tap (Read 38168 times)
Sendaro
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To drill & tap or not to drill & tap
Nov 15th, 2013 at 8:42am
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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 15th, 2013 at 3:25pm by Sendaro »  
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40_Rod
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Re: To drill & tap or not to drill & tap
Reply #1 - Nov 15th, 2013 at 9:02am
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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
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Re: To drill & tap or not to drill & tap
Reply #2 - Nov 15th, 2013 at 9:21am
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Sendaro wrote on Nov 15th, 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
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Re: To drill & tap or not to drill & tap
Reply #3 - Nov 15th, 2013 at 9:27am
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40_Rod wrote on Nov 15th, 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
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Re: To drill & tap or not to drill & tap
Reply #4 - Nov 15th, 2013 at 1:08pm
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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
  

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frnkeore
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Re: To drill & tap or not to drill & tap
Reply #5 - Nov 15th, 2013 at 1:18pm
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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
  

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JLouis
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Re: To drill & tap or not to drill & tap
Reply #6 - Nov 15th, 2013 at 1:28pm
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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
  

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Re: To drill & tap or not to drill & tap
Reply #7 - Nov 15th, 2013 at 2:19pm
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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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Re: To drill & tap or not to drill & tap
Reply #8 - Nov 15th, 2013 at 4:33pm
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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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Re: To drill & tap or not to drill & tap
Reply #9 - Nov 15th, 2013 at 5:19pm
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Don't drill it.  I like Kurts method. Lots of surface area for strength and a safety strap.

      Joe.
  

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Re: To drill & tap or not to drill & tap
Reply #10 - Nov 15th, 2013 at 5:41pm
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frnkeore wrote on Nov 15th, 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. 


  

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Re: To drill & tap or not to drill & tap
Reply #11 - Nov 15th, 2013 at 5:46pm
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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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Re: To drill & tap or not to drill & tap
Reply #12 - Nov 15th, 2013 at 6:14pm
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boats wrote on Nov 15th, 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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Re: To drill & tap or not to drill & tap
Reply #13 - Nov 15th, 2013 at 6:20pm
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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.
  

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Re: To drill & tap or not to drill & tap
Reply #14 - Nov 15th, 2013 at 6:41pm
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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.

  

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