There are some Nikons on clearance, also.

The scope arrived yesterday. Now, if I can figure out how to clamp the receiver and barrel, I'll drill and tap the receiver today:



I'm probably the last guy left who still likes a gloss finish on scopes.

Frank

After some head-scratching, I figured out how to clamp the barrel and support the receiver for drilling. Get a load of this Bubba rig:



Drill press table for receiver tang support:



The surface treatment is so hard on this rifle, it took 3 hours of spot-grinding and drilling with 3 different bits to drill the rear hole. It came out 1/32" too far forward, so I installed it with the rear screw, squared and leveled the mount and used the mount's forward hole as a guide:





I snapped an 8-40 tap in the forward hole, so I ground the remains flush with the receiver and pushed it through with a hammer and punch. While I wait for another tap to arrive via snail mail, I thought I'd see how things are shaping up:



There's a burr under the forward scope mount hole that's keeping the bolt from closing - maybe it'll go away when I finish tapping that hole:



I have a low-scope safety ordered, but it may not be what I need with the low mounts. I'm hoping a Buehler safety will show up on one of the auctions - they're kinda rare, though.

I checked the scope alignment at 50 yards and found it pretty good as is. L/R axis is off 2", but is adjustable at the rear mount, so no problem. POA is about 3" higher than bore-sight POI at 50 yards. That's about 1" higher through the scope at 50 yards than dead parallel with the bore, so it's well within a good adjustment range. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />

Frank

Here is a non-Bubba version of a rifle vise:


http://www.basspro.com/Tipton-Gun-Vise/product/55837/-981651

I meant to post this up last night, but I got busy cleaning my two new shooting sticks. I will have to figure out what the mounts are on the .270. I am thinking about moving the 4X from the .300 win mag and putting a new variable power on the big gun and having the fixed power scopes on the .270 and the 30.06.

Those vises work well for a rifle in the stock, but not at all when you remove the barreled receiver.

Everyone has their own idea of what sort of scope they need and it seems to me that most folks probably over-scope. For most eastern hunting, a 4x fixed scope is probably plenty. When I was a youngster, I didn't need or really want a scope, but I had one on a sporterized Mossberg .22 M-42MB that never made it to England for the lend-lease homeland defense program - only a 2x Weaver Cub and it was plenty. I still have that rifle (foreground):



I can see some value in a a high-power scope for shooting waaaaay over there, but I don't see much usefulness in local hunting unless it's used to kill time while waiting for a deer. Most shots around here are less than 100 yards.

The 3-9x40mm is more than I need and I think it makes a rifle a little top-heavy and bulky - but the type is so popular with shooters, the prices on that size are very competitive and I think the Bushnell Elite 3200s are a very good value at the price I paid. No more than I'll likely shoot it, it's much more scope than I need. A nice used 4x would have been just fine.

Frank

Well, I picked up a Nikon Prostaff 4-12x40 in a Matt finish for $149.00. I just put it on the Voere. Depending on where you are hunting in Washington, you can have 200-300 yard shots or maybe on 50 yards which is why I went with a variable power scope.

I agree that it is easy to over-scope. I will put the 4X Bushnell that came with the Voere on the Mauser. I need to take the Mauser into the store to identify the mounts for sure so I can get the right rings.

The Savage came with a 4X. One of my concerns was to make sure that if I am teaching my grandson to shoot and hunt that we similarly armed.

While waiting for the new 8-40 tap, I deburred the forward receiver scope mount hole:



Disassembled the bolt, removed the original safety, installed a left-side, thumb-operated, low scope safety - found it still hit the scope eyepiece...... removed it, heated it in the vice and bent it to fit...... still rubbed a little, so I fixed it with a hammer <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/scared.gif" alt="" />: Here, it's in the READY position with the firing pin relaxed:



Here, it's in the SAFE position with the firing pin cocked:



So far, so good:





I've ordered a right-side safety to see which one I like best. The left-side one will take some practice getting used to it, but it's not bad now that I've "adjusted" it.

Frank

The .270 Mauser that I picked up evidently has a scope-type saftety. It only moves through about 60 degrees, rather than the standard 180 degrees. I will have to see if that clears a scope when i get it put on. I still have to take the rifle in so I can get the right rings for the mounts that are on the rifle.

It sounds like it's a low scope safety - be glad if it is, because you might not want to do some of what I'm doing. I've decided that gunsmiths must have large cajones to drill holes in other people's rifles and charge them money for the fun. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" />

The tap arrived, so I spent about an hour tapping the front scope mount hole, being very careful to not break another tap. About halfway through, it felt like it was going to break, so I used a pointed grinding stone in the Dremel and cut the surface hardening just a little.... no problem after that. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />



Those two holes may not look like a big deal, but that is some mighty tough steel... and drilling into the rounded surface of the receiver makes it even more of a challenge - particularly when the holes have to be spot-on in relation to each other and dead in line with the very top of the barrel. Take a look at the fit of the screws in the holes - a miss by .001" or so would have resulted in a botched job:



Gunsmiths can be cranky folks, but I think they earn their fees. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/patriot.gif" alt="" />

Frank

I am sure whether the crankiness comes from being a gunsmith or if it is a prerequisite.