OT: Sights off, holes plugged, we have harmony-sort of

[J Miller]

OK, last time I mentioned my Marlin MR-7 my thread was ignored and fell off the front page faster than the stock marked crashed. I need some advise so I'll try again.

In my last Midway order I bought one of those level kits to help level scopes to the rifle action. I put the level in the action and leveled the rifle in my gun vise and that confirmed the front sight was tilted. Before there was room for speculation, but no more. With the action level the tilting irons are obvious.

Due to the amount of tilt there is no way to straighten them up without re-drilling the holes. So I'm going to remove the sights, put some plug screws in the holes and put the scope back on. Some day I'll get the holes welded up and re-drilled for the iron sights. Until then I'll just use the scope. The rear sight is off, but the gb who put the optical fiber front sight in, must have used some sort of press.
When I attempted to remove the optical fiber front sight my front sight pusher tool bent. Now, the only way I can see to get that sight out of the base is to pound it out with a punch, or cut it in half with my Dremel and a cut off wheel. I really don't want to destroy the sight though.

My worry is the base is screwed to the barrel and I don't want to mess up the screws or the threaded holes taking the blade out.

Does anybody here got any suggestions? I tried calling NKJ, but I forgot it's Saturday.

Anybody?

Joe

[AJMD429]

It makes you wonder if they epoxied it in or something...?

I don't have any expert advice but will comment that your worry is well founded about the sight base screws - Just using a brass drift punch on the blade (only!) of a used 'guide gun' sent the whole front sight, ramp, and screws flying. There was barely a thread's-worth of protrusion of those sight ramp screws, but lots of red goo (no not blood!) that I presume was some version of lock-tite. I had no longer screws, plus I had to re-tap the holes which were boogered up. Then I countersank (gr?) the two ramp holes with a chain-saw sharpener (only thing the right diameter).

Lots of 'vocabulary words' were muttered during that little fiasco.

Good luck - hope someone with more sight-knocking savvy posts back.

[Modoc ED]

Dang Joe -- maybe the guy silver soldered it in place. Put some heat on it and see if it won't move.

[J Miller]

Dang Joe -- maybe the guy silver soldered it in place. Put some heat on it and see if it won't move.

Ed,

I don't think the sight is epoxied or soldered in. I think the gb just pressed it into the ramp without fitting it. Forced it, in other words.

If it weren't for the fiber optic part I would try some heat. But the heat would ruin that and I want to save that sight if possible.

Joe

[Modoc ED]

Joe - Hopefully, he installed it left to right. If it won't come out left to right, try it right to left. If that doesn't work, soak it with some penetrating oil for a few hours.

[J Miller]

My wife says: "Squirt it with some WD-40". OK, can't find the WD-40 so I squirt it with some Break Free CLP. Then with her holding the rifle against a 2x4 with the ramp against the wood and the sight hung over an existing gouge in the board I smacked the ( insert naughty word here ) out of it. Two smacks with a steel punch and a hammer and it was out.
Might have bent the longer front ramp screw but no biggie, I got a spare.

So now the ramp is off. I cleaned up the barrel and the receiver to put plug screws in the holes to hide the botched drillings until such time as I can get this rifle to a real gunsmith and ......... I can't even get a 1/16" plug screw in 6 of the 8 holes. I can't even hide the darn ugly holes.

Boy if I wasn't an old man I could be tempted to throw a royal blue temper tantrum right about now. But I won't. Not yet.

Does anybody on this forum have some #6x48 plug screws that are maybe 2 threads long? That's about all the depth I have to work with. I need 8 of them. Both of the gb's botched their screw holes. Eeeee Gads. Matter of fact the holes look like they were drilled with a regular drill bit and tapped with a taper tap. Why don't we have a bang head smiley here?

To be honest guys I'm at my wits end with this rifle. It was supposed to be a birthday present from one forum member to me and because of the lack of professionalism of two supposed gun smiths it's turned into a nightmare.
I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it. But ....... well I'm just not sure right now.

Thanks for listening to my rant.

Joe

PS - OBTW - the first person to say "I want it" will be the recipient of a .500" tall, .250" wide base, 1/16" green fiber optic front sight with the track of a flat punch on the side. Not damaged, just marked.

Or I'll trade it for 8 really short plug screws.

Or I'll buy 8 really short ( 2 threads ) plug screws

Arrrrghhhhh

[Hobie]

Joe,

I've got a bunch of plug screws. I'll look at send you all I've got that come close. If you don't hear from me that I've mailed them, drop me a line to remind me. It is hunting season AND Thanksgiving week and the usual so I'm pulled in a number of directions.

[J Miller]

Joe,

I've got a bunch of plug screws. I'll look at send you all I've got that come close. If you don't hear from me that I've mailed them, drop me a line to remind me. It is hunting season AND Thanksgiving week and the usual so I'm pulled in a number of directions.

Hobie,

Thanks a bunch. I was looking at the holes with a magnifier and a depth gauge and they should be deep enough for the 7/32" plugs I have. But they won't let the plug screw go all the way in. And a couple of them are not tapped all the way down.
It so happens I have a 6x48 bottom tap and I'm going to try to finish tapping them. Wish me luck.
Do you know what size drill bit works for a 6x48 tapped hole?

Joe

[Hobie]

If you are just going to run the bottom tap in to get a little more depth you don't need anything but care, don't drill the holes deeper. Get the tap to thread using just your fingers BEFORE you put the tap wrench on, then you'll KNOW it isn't doing something it oughtn't do. Be sure to clean the holes out to the bottom. If you have a dental pic, scribe or some such you can dig until you scratch metal. Might be gummy oil, old Loctite, nail polish or something else down there preventing full seating of the screw. I know, new holes but look at the kind of job you got.

[J Miller]

Hobie,

I used a tool I bought recently and it helped a lot. I used my magnifying illuminated hood I got from Midway. Wow, being able to see what you are doing is amazing.

The holes simply were not tapped to the bottom. I chased the four holes out in the barrel and got all of them plugged with the 7/32" plugs I had. The extra holes in the front receiver ring are covered by the scope base so there's no sense in messing with them. The rear most extra hole was filled by the last short plug screw I have.
(The reason I asked about the drill size for 6x48 is I have several small bits in the same drawer as the taps and wanted to know which one was right. I have three lever guns that need 6x48 holes drilled for receiver sights and it seems I have most of the tools to do it.)
Problem solved for now. I put the scope bases back on in the original factory holes, and put the 3-9x 40 wide field Simmons scope somebody here on the forum gave me to try in place of my original one that was jammed on 3 power. Doesn't look any different but it seems to work.
To whoever sent me that scope, I apologize, I've forgotten who you are, but thank you very much.

So, Hobie, you do not have to send those plug screws, I don't need them. The rifle is back together and should shoot as good as it did before. I "think" I got everything straight and true. If I didn't it wasn't because I didn't try hard.

Thanks for all the help and patience guys, I appreciate it.

Next time I mention that Marlin MR-7 it will be in a range report. I promise.

Joe

[Chuck 100 yd]

Joe, 6x48 uses a #31 drill.

[J Miller]

Chuck,

Thanks. I'll see if one of those I have is that size.

Joe

[Pete44ru]

This is probably a bit late, because I've been off hunting for the last couple of weeks (at least, that's what I call it), but you shoulda installed the long screws, Joe - at least in the front sight holes (the ones taht were drilled off plumb).
Then, you coulda filed them down level with the barrel surface & cold blued them - ready for a redrill some other time.

.

[J Miller]

Pete,

I considered that, but for now I just wanted to get it shootable and shoot it.
That option is still available and I just might do it in the future.

Although mescalaro1 says he has a tig welder and has offered to weld up the holes. That is a option too. At least for when I get back home to AZ (the west anyway).

Joe

[Hobie]

Chuck,

Thanks. I'll see if one of those I have is that size.

Joe

If you're like me you'll need that magnifying hood to read the number on the drill bit!

[J Miller]

Chuck,

Thanks. I'll see if one of those I have is that size.

Joe

If you're like me you'll need that magnifying hood to read the number on the drill bit!

Yep, either that or a magnifying glass

Joe

[Buffboy]

"To whoever sent me that scope, I apologize, I've forgotten who you are, but thank you very much."

You're so forgetful, and you're welcome.

Oh by the way, I got about 1k of 45acp loads out of the data you sent me for HS500. Thank You .

[J Miller]

"To whoever sent me that scope, I apologize, I've forgotten who you are, but thank you very much."

You're so forgetful, and you're welcome.

Oh by the way, I got about 1k of 45acp loads out of the data you sent me for HS500. Thank You .

You're welcome too. I'd forgotten about the load data as well. Oh to be young and virile again .
Normally I keep records of who I buy or get things from, but I've run two different computers this year, records on both, or records on neither. And I've lost most of the correspondences I've had with folks.

Anyway, my wife likes your scope better than the one that was on the rifle. What can I say?

Joe

[Griff]

Joe,

Sorry my earlier suggestion didn't work out. I suspect one of the gubbers in his shop did the work and misread the instructions... or something. It's not indicative of the work I've gotten from him previously. Now, I'm wondering if he should get my Colt...

Oh well... I've been out of pocket for the past couple of days and hopefully can take care of that other matter we PM'd about that shoulda got taken care of on Monday. Gotta find the right establishment to send off that data(?); have envelope and note all typed out, even got a stamp!

[J Miller]

Griff,

That other matter is not super time critical. But we do need it.

As for the rifle, I just don't know. I know what I was told by Oglesby, and yet as you and others have told me it just doesn't make any sense. Oh well, things will work out eventually.

TIA

Joe