JB weld for scope bases

mikeystew

CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Rating - 100%
51   0   0
Location
Beautiful BC
i live really far from a smith and would like to stick a scope rail on my ol' waffletop, and i dont have the proper size taper or flat taps. is it true that good old fashioned JB weld will hold the bugger on there? it's only a 30-30 so i don't see how the recoil would really be a problem... curious
 
Not without serious roughing up of the finish. Both pieces also have to be squeaky clean for the JB to bond sufficiently.
 
exactly! it's an old marlin from before the d&t era when the reciever tops were made with squiggly lines on them which vaguely resemble a waffle iron.
 
Jesus... really? This is some awesome bubba talk we have going on here. Send me your rifle and I'll drill and tap it just to keep the ####ing JBweld away from it.
 
Good imagination, bad idea. People say that there is no such thing as a stupid question. :)

Even if the JB weld holds, how would you true the bases so they are pointing in the same direction as the barrel? The mounts would only have to be out of line by a few hundreds of an inch vertically or horizontally to be outside the margin of scope adjustment.

Send it off to be drilled and tapped.
 
Lining the bases up is easy, but any kind of bonding for scope bases or sights will let loose at some point.
Most likely when you're looking at the buck of a lifetime!

Cold weather makes any glue brittle and prone to failure due to unequal expansion of glue, bases and receiver.
 
My buddy has done this with good results... I tried to JB weld ghost ring sights once, but they slipped slightly out of place and are still pretty much useless to this day
 
MarcelB, several years ago, I bought a converted Siamese Mauser. It is in 45/70.

The sights on the rifle were put in place with JB weld. I was going to remove the bridge mounted "peep" and fore sight and replace them with either a low power scope or screw on sights.

Before trying to get the sights off, I talked to the old fellow that attached the home made sights (very nice) and found out he knew his stuff. He lightly, roughed up the area first with a fine punch and cleaned the area well with a degreaser. He then applied the JB Weld and the sights which had been treated similarly.

I took the rifle out with some hand loads, with 500grn RN over 57grns of H4895. This load is a bruiser, for me at any rate. I put it in a lead sled and fired 60 quick rounds through it. Not something that is normal. The sights worked wonderfully. They were lined up perfectly and only needed a bit of elevation adjustment. I did a similar test with 405 grn cast bullets and 305 grn jacketed HPs. Over all I would say at least 500 rounds through the rifle since its purchase. The sights are still solid after 10 years of handling and storage. Its been used under harsh northern climates and in HOT okanagan weather.
My eyes aren't what they used to be so I don't use the rifle much any more. I just took it out to look at it and nothing has changed.

Understand, I don't condone "gluing", it is a real pia to remove if you want to get rid of the sight. It is a great way to settle down errant bases that on some rifles just seem to come loose. It is also a great way for an at home do it yourself type that doesn't have d&t capabilities or the money to get it done to do the job. Just understand, if you screw up, it's permanent. Mind you the same thing goes for a poor d&t job.
 
Back
Top Bottom