Trimming the barrel...new sight base or move the old one?

redshooter

redshooter

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Picked up a P-17 Sporter in 30-06, and it looks like the muzzle could loose an inch or two...I think last night was the first time a bore guide was used on it. Probably try knocking 1.5" off myself and use a piloted cutter for the crown. As for the front sight...the original is pretty beat up, still serviceable but it isn't pretty. I'm not sure if I should replace it or use the old one. I intend to use the current base to make some ref marks to aid in locating the new/old base, but what I'm most concerned with is how to bond it to the tube, Silver Soldier or Epoxy?

I'm pretty sure this has been covered before (asking search the wrong question?), if so if you know the link please send it to me.
 
Personally I would silver solder it, but be careful with the flux, it will remove bluing, so you don't want to have it run down the barrel.
 
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If it was soldered on, it likely was not silver solder, as that requires pretty high temperatures to melt and to have it flow.

Brownells sells a lower temperature solder that works well. Please note that a silver bearing solder, is not 'silver solder'. A silver solder will have ~half or more of it's content, as silver, in the materials make-up. Worth a look. I took a bunch of parts off various barrels, mostly Swede Mauser parts, and they were mainly sweated together with basic lead-tin solder that melted pretty easily with either a propane torch or a commercial grade heat gun. Easy enough to tell what it was, as you could drag your thumbnail through the cooled solder and plow a groove through it.

When you go to solder the sight back on, you will need to carefully remove the bluing in the area you need the solder to stick.

Cheers
Trev
 
Make your indexing marks before removing the sight/cutting the barrel.
Soft solder is fine for securing a front sight. Silver solder requires red heat.
 
Thanks gents! So I can just get an appropriate sized base and solder it on, now that makes me really happy. I'm really happy Silver Solder isn't required, I don't have much experience putting a torch to metal...cooler is better, gives me some room for error.

I'm really starting to think I'd like to put an aperture sight on it if it shoots well. Can anyone recommend one that I can fasten to the rear of the action in place of a scope base? It looks like there are a few options, I've looked at one of the William's types, but it looks a little frail. Simple, strong, and relatively inexpensive is what I'm after.

Went with the low dollar option and it shows...two good 5 min soaks in CR-10 and it's still an nice shade of blue.
 
Here is how I have made banded sporting front sight mounts:
Obtain a ramp and sight. Must be a steel ramp.
Fit a piece of steel tubing over the barrel. Must be a tight fit. Tap it on as far as it will go. Tap the tube working around the circumference. This will enlarge the tube, and fit it to the taper of the barrel. Drive it further on, expand it some more. Repeat until the tube fitted to the barrel is longer than the ramp. Polish up the tube to eliminate any hammer marks. Sweat solder the ramp to the tube. Cut away the tube, leaving the part under the ramp, and a band perhaps 3/4" long under the dovetail. Drill and tap a hole through the ramp and tube for a set screw. Use 6-48 and a sight hole plug screw. Polish and cold blue the ramp assembly. Tap it onto the barrel, getting it plumb, tighten the set screw. If desired, a Loctite product could be used as well. Install the front sight in its dovetail.
This will look like one of the classic banded front sight ramps used years ago.
 
Mild steel tube works fine. Even EMT, if you get rid of the plating. Have also used aircraft Cr-Mo.
 
redshooter said:
Thanks gents! So I can just get an appropriate sized base and solder it on, now that makes me really happy. I'm really happy Silver Solder isn't required, I don't have much experience putting a torch to metal...cooler is better, gives me some room for error.

I'm really starting to think I'd like to put an aperture sight on it if it shoots well. Can anyone recommend one that I can fasten to the rear of the action in place of a scope base? It looks like there are a few options, I've looked at one of the William's types, but it looks a little frail. Simple, strong, and relatively inexpensive is what I'm after.

Went with the low dollar option and it shows...two good 5 min soaks in CR-10 and it's still an nice shade of blue.
Click to expand...

All of the K98 mausers had soft soldered sights with staking screws to hold them in place while applying the solder to the rear base. The front sight ring and base was sweated on.
 
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