Mounting holes off centre. Big problems?

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DerrickLee

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So I just picked up a Remington 700 SPS Tactical in .308 and it looks like the rear base mounting hole is just barely off to the left of the other three. I almost didn't notice it. I am hoping to mount a one piece Picatinny base but I don't know that much about gunsmithing. Yes I am one of those guys that usually gets his scopes mounted in store but I am trying to learn. So is this going to cause me some big issues or can I take a breathe again?
 
If one hole is out of line, it might not be possible to use all four screws to mount the base.
I would put screws in all four holes, and use a precision straight edge against their shanks to check alignment.
If one hole is out, there is essentially no way for you to fix it.
 
If it is in fact out of alignment, you have a few options.

My first would be to take it back to where you got it from. If you're lucky you bought it from somewhere that does not have a "firearms sales are final" policy. They might exchange it for one that isn't buggered up.

Barring that, you could send it for "warranty repair" and since there it no practical way to fix it, you'll get a new one. Be prepared to wait a year for your rifle.

Then there's repair options. The hole could be spot welded shut and re drilled and tapped. You'd require some touch up refinishing afterward that will never be quite right.
You could also jbweld a screw into the hole, file it off flat, then re drill and tap in the correct place.

The easiest way would probably be to get your base on with the 3 holes that ARE in line, then slowly oval out the 4th hole until you can get the screw in, and don't torque it down like he-man or the mount could twist. Not an optimal solution, but probably the best one, and the one I'd do if i couldn't exchange at the store.
 
have a proper gunsmith, machine the holes in the right spot ,tap for a larger screw. cost should be less than $50 if he screws it up he's on the hook. or put a shim under one of the bases .
 
He wants to use a one piece base. A shim is only going to push it further out of alignment. Plus, a gunsmith is going to charge a hell of a lot more than $50. The old hole needs to be filled first, because you can tap a hole that intersects with another hole.
 
mwjones said:
He wants to use a one piece base. A shim is only going to push it further out of alignment. Plus, a gunsmith is going to charge a hell of a lot more than $50. The old hole needs to be filled first, because you can tap a hole that intersects with another hole.
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If there only slightly of ,as he said ,and the holes are machined for a larger screw ,the old hole should be encompassed. machined with a end mill not a drill bit
 
gaff said:
If there only slightly of ,as he said ,and the holes are machined for a larger screw ,the old hole should be encompassed. machined with a end mill not a drill bit
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Winner winner chicken dinner. As long as the new tap drill size is bigger than the major diameter of the old screw you are golden.
 
If you are going to #### around, filling a hole in the action by welding it, drilling and retapping, you might as well just drill and tap a new hole and drill and c'bore the base to suit.

As the rifle itself is the most expensive part of the project, machining the base by elongating the one offending hole and c'bore is cheaper. A job much better suited to a milling machine and not a drill press and dremal tool.
 
maynard said:
If you are going to #### around, filling a hole in the action by welding it, drilling and retapping, you might as well just drill and tap a new hole and drill and c'bore the base to suit.

As the rifle itself is the most expensive part of the project, machining the base by elongating the one offending hole and c'bore is cheaper. A job much better suited to a milling machine and not a drill press and dremal tool.
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This is definitely what I was thinking, what would you ever modify the receiver instead of the mount
 
JonMtl said:
I would take it back to the store and exchange it. Manufacturer defect, what else is wrong with the rifle?
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Well ideally that's what I would like to do but it says right on my wholesale sports receipt no returns of firearms so I'm left to either deal with remingtons extremely sub par Canadian customer service or try to fix it
 
tiriaq said:
If one hole is out of line, it might not be possible to use all four screws to mount the base.
I would put screws in all four holes, and use a precision straight edge against their shanks to check alignment.
If one hole is out, there is essentially no way for you to fix it.
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This man knows what he's talking about. Some of the other suggestions are possible but a waste of time and money.

I go through a lot of used firearms with this problem. The one piece base mentioned by the OP is the first part of the solution

I've had most common actions out there with square mount hole problems of one sort or another.

Sometimes, none of them are on center, or only those on one end of the receiver are acceptable, or one hole on each end is acceptable.

Sometimes, it's possible to modify the mounts by drilling different hole positions, transposing those onto the receiver and drilling/tapping new holes. The old holes can be filled with loctite and screws, then filed off and blued. It's all covered by the bases so no unsightly marks.

This is difficult but not impossible with a one piece mount. If you have to take it to a smith to do the job, it's hardly worth the money the smith has to charge for his time, no matter how good his/her work is.

When three out of four holes are OK, just use three mount screws. Hell, it's worked on Model 7 Remingtons, chambered in short magnums for years.

If it's just one hole on each end, depending on the cartridge, I will use JB Weld or Titanium Putty under each end to secure the base in place. The base has now become a part of the rifle but, it will never be an issue again. While doing this, I fill the holes not being used with the same material and often will use the heads of the unused screws as "mock" screws in the blind holes.

There are lots of options open to you if you do the work yourself.

Make sure you follow the instructions for LocTite and JB Weld/Titanium Putty or it will all go to hell when the first round is fired.
 
gaff said:
If there only slightly of ,as he said ,and the holes are machined for a larger screw ,the old hole should be encompassed. machined with a end mill not a drill bit
Click to expand...
This is what I was thinking would be best. along with centering it better I also get beefier screws for my mounting platform. sounds like a win win to me. What is the downside? Know anyone that does this or has had it done and what the result was?
 
You haven't mentionned which hole you suspect is out of alignment. Or if you have determined exactly how much it is off. This information would help make a decision about the best course of action. If there are two good holes on the receiver ring, and one on the rear bridge, I would just install the mount with three screws and be done with it. It is common for one piece bridge mounts to be affixed with three screws in this pattern.
The factory holes are 6-48. It is common to got to the larger 8-40 screws for addtional strength. A slightly off 6-48 hole could be shifted sideways slightly. Not a whole lot, but perhaps enough to make a difference. You will have to find out exactly how much the hole needs to be shifted.
I suppose 10-32 might be an option, if more lateral shift were needed.
The hole could be plugged with a cut off screw, and then an end mill could be used to make a new hole, cutting out the plug screw, and a crescent of receiver to create a hole to be drilled and tapped to a larger size. But the lateral shift is only going to be measured in the thousandths. Using a regular drill bit to make the hole might work, depending.
I wouldn't even consider a repair involving welding.
As mentionned above, it is easier to alter the base than the receiver.
Here is another option:
Use a two piece base set, with Burris Signature rings - the ones with the polymer bushings. The bushings will allow the scope to float in line, regardless of one base being slightly misaligned. Easy, fast, and effective. And less expensive than paying a smith to do anything else.
I have had rifles brought to me where bubba tried to drill and tap, and got misaligned bases. Trying to fix the receiver is more complicated than just using a base and ring solution.
 
DerrickLee said:
Well ideally that's what I would like to do but it says right on my wholesale sports receipt no returns of firearms so I'm left to either deal with remingtons extremely sub par Canadian customer service or try to fix it
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They sell you a defective gun and you willingly accept the no returns policy. Here is where the problem lies. Take the gun back and demand your money back. You don't want a repaired gun when you paid for a new gun.
 
As I said in the first post it is the rear mounting hole its not out by much maybe a couple thou at most. if i could find my feeler gauges I would tell you. Maybe it would just be best for me to buy the base that I plan on using and see where i end up? hopefully it will be somewhere that doesn't require me to max the windage on my scope just to end up on target haha
 
Take the rifle with you when buying the base if this is possible. Hold the base on the rifle to double check on the hole alighnment. "A couple thou at most" off could be a measuring error.
 
If it is out any amount send it back to remington and have it fixed properly or replaced....some of the suggestions listed so far may be fine for a repair to a used gun that you don't ever plan on selling. Fix it properly the first time and it will never be an issue again.
I don't see why it would take a year for the warranty to be completed from remington.
I have a new savage that is being replaced with a new rifle that had a warranty issue and the turn around time is about 3 1/2 months. Also the selling dealer was great and offered me a full refund if I had choosen to go that route.
good luck but fix it proper!!
 
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