Driller54
Well-Known Member
Can anyone give some advice on epoxying my scope bases to my reciever? The rifle is a rem700 sendero in 300win mag and I was wondering if this is a important step to take in accurizing your rifle?
epoxying bases
- Thread starter Driller54
- Start date
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Put the Bases on like this (1 or 2 pc) and you are home free:
First use 400 paper then steel 000 steel wool and acetone and rough the contact area of the receiver and then do the same to the contact area of the base.
Use a cotton ball with acetone to clean any residual off of the receiver contact area and the base or bases. Set aside the base and be careful not to touch the clean areas. Use a little paste wax on the tip of a toothpick to apply into the threaded areas on the receiver. Apply a very thin layer to the screw threads and to the bottom half of the screw head. Set screws on a clean shop towel -- you get the idea.
Now use JB Weld (regular not the quick set as it for what ever reason does not work as well) because it can be heated and removed easier should you want to remove this later on. Mix it and use just a little die if you have it to more closely match the color of the bases and receiver. After mixing on your little piece of cardboard or index card set aside for a few minutes.
Get your propane torch and heat the contact area of the receiver and the contact area of the bases just enough to bring out any moisture that may be present on the surface. When the bases and receiver have cooled back to less than 100 degrees (this will not take long because you did not heat them up that much) using the toothpick that you used to mix the JB put a small amount on the receiver mating surface and on the base mating surface. Don't worry about it oozing now carefully place the bases lining up the screw holes as closely as possible and gingerly set the base on the receiver---immediately place the screws in the holes and get all of them started a few turns.
Now that the screws are started give a turn to one and move to the next screw. Repeat process until they are all snug then tighten each one to its final tension. This is important-----DO NOT OVER TIGHTEN. We do not want all of the epoxy to be completely squeezed out.
Now leave the rifle in the vise and let sit for 5 minutes or so (I use rubber inserts so that the barrel can be clamped in) and get your capful of WD 40, cotton balls and Q-tips. First use dry q tips to remove most of the excess then take a cotton ball and dip a small portion in the WD 40 and very gingerly wipe down the areas you just removed the excess JB. You will notice that it comes of very easy but make sure not to press to hard on the edges where the base and receiver meet we don't want to disturb that line.
Use the q tip or the tip of a toothpick with WD 40 on it to clean out any of the epoxy that migrated through the top of the screw holes an also into the openings of any of the screws.
Now look at the underside of the bases where any excess JB could have migrated into the opening of the receiver or just on top of the receiver for example. Note where a one piece base is used it likes to hide underneath. For this area use the q tip with some WD 40 applied to remove.
Now go off and have lunch about an hour and use the q tips soaked with WD 40 to smooth (gently) the lines where the base and receiver meet. If you have done everything correctly it should look like one piece of metal!!!
In 24 hours or 6 using a light to position over the bases to heat them (keep under 90 degrees) you are ready to mount your scope.
A final note here make sure to pre fit everything because it will really suck if you find out a base screw is too long and the rifle will not operate!!! Also make sure the base is level on the action---placing a base or a scope in a bind is bad juju for accuracy.
If you ever bought a rifle from Speedy Gonzalez and had him glue on the base this is the way it was done.
__________________
NRA Life Member And "Low Fencer"
First use 400 paper then steel 000 steel wool and acetone and rough the contact area of the receiver and then do the same to the contact area of the base.
Use a cotton ball with acetone to clean any residual off of the receiver contact area and the base or bases. Set aside the base and be careful not to touch the clean areas. Use a little paste wax on the tip of a toothpick to apply into the threaded areas on the receiver. Apply a very thin layer to the screw threads and to the bottom half of the screw head. Set screws on a clean shop towel -- you get the idea.
Now use JB Weld (regular not the quick set as it for what ever reason does not work as well) because it can be heated and removed easier should you want to remove this later on. Mix it and use just a little die if you have it to more closely match the color of the bases and receiver. After mixing on your little piece of cardboard or index card set aside for a few minutes.
Get your propane torch and heat the contact area of the receiver and the contact area of the bases just enough to bring out any moisture that may be present on the surface. When the bases and receiver have cooled back to less than 100 degrees (this will not take long because you did not heat them up that much) using the toothpick that you used to mix the JB put a small amount on the receiver mating surface and on the base mating surface. Don't worry about it oozing now carefully place the bases lining up the screw holes as closely as possible and gingerly set the base on the receiver---immediately place the screws in the holes and get all of them started a few turns.
Now that the screws are started give a turn to one and move to the next screw. Repeat process until they are all snug then tighten each one to its final tension. This is important-----DO NOT OVER TIGHTEN. We do not want all of the epoxy to be completely squeezed out.
Now leave the rifle in the vise and let sit for 5 minutes or so (I use rubber inserts so that the barrel can be clamped in) and get your capful of WD 40, cotton balls and Q-tips. First use dry q tips to remove most of the excess then take a cotton ball and dip a small portion in the WD 40 and very gingerly wipe down the areas you just removed the excess JB. You will notice that it comes of very easy but make sure not to press to hard on the edges where the base and receiver meet we don't want to disturb that line.
Use the q tip or the tip of a toothpick with WD 40 on it to clean out any of the epoxy that migrated through the top of the screw holes an also into the openings of any of the screws.
Now look at the underside of the bases where any excess JB could have migrated into the opening of the receiver or just on top of the receiver for example. Note where a one piece base is used it likes to hide underneath. For this area use the q tip with some WD 40 applied to remove.
Now go off and have lunch about an hour and use the q tips soaked with WD 40 to smooth (gently) the lines where the base and receiver meet. If you have done everything correctly it should look like one piece of metal!!!
In 24 hours or 6 using a light to position over the bases to heat them (keep under 90 degrees) you are ready to mount your scope.
A final note here make sure to pre fit everything because it will really suck if you find out a base screw is too long and the rifle will not operate!!! Also make sure the base is level on the action---placing a base or a scope in a bind is bad juju for accuracy.
If you ever bought a rifle from Speedy Gonzalez and had him glue on the base this is the way it was done.
__________________
NRA Life Member And "Low Fencer"
Driller54
Well-Known Member
Thank you for the help!
jimbires
Well-Known Member
I bought a Ken Farrell mount , these are the instructions that came with it . Jim
MSLRHunter
Well-Known Member
That is basically the way I do it too. I started doing this several years ago when I got into LR shooting, and would never mount a scope without doing this now on ANY rifle.
