I have a Remington 700 action and I attached Talley bases. When I looked at them it seemed like the rear base canted to the left slightly when the front base was level. So I put a level on the front base, and sure enough the rear base is off the center line to the left. They are standard screw holes.

If I wanted to get that corrected, how is that done?

Either shim it straight or better yet make a custom base. Third way, one could weld up the holes and start fresh.

Or......find a toolmaker/machinist in your area and have him slot the screw holes in the base that needs correction

The toolmaker will need the action so he can get a good measurement on these holes

Easy project

That is actually a very common problem as Remingtons are hand polished. It only has to be out .002 inch on the back bridge to make the base look really crooked. I tell most of my customers that if it sights in fine, it doesn't need fixing. The thinkers in the crowd scratch their noggins for a second and go hunting. My OCD customers get a big bill for a custom base. Both are happy. The only real difference is that one is poorer than the other. As for me. One customer thinks that I'm a super nice, honest sort of fellow. The other thinks that I'm some sort of demigod because I have single handedly crushed the evil demon that would have tormented them for all eternity. I'm easy. Not cheap though.

But, Mr Speerchucker, the problem is that it looks like "a mote in one's eye"!

quote:

Originally posted by enfieldspares:
But, Mr Speerchucker, the problem is that it looks like "a mote in one's eye"!

Did I forget to mention that I am a demigod, demon slaying mercenary for hire to the fearful and tormented who have money to spend on cosmetic gun repairs ? I probably forgot to mention that. We demigods are very shy, modest and reclusive critters.

Speerchcuker, your fix is a custom base to this problem then?

Guess what, mine sites beautifully, no issues, and I have OCD.

I have the same problem going on with a small ring 98 and it's driving me nuts

The rear hole on the rear base is offset to the right and it twists the rear base to the left !

I am not a professional but have now and then machined a scope mount to match existing holes on a rifle.

quote:

Originally posted by Prewar70:
Speerchcuker, your fix is a custom base to this problem then?

Guess what, mine sites beautifully, no issues, and I have OCD.

When I had bluing tanks I used to run a mandrel through the action and screwed into the receiver threads which I clamped into the dividing head in the mill. I would shave .001 off the high side on the rear bridge and try the base until the two came to zero. It doesn't take much. A couple guys I know do the same thing with a flat file with #320 wet & dry. Some times you will have to make a couple light cuts down the center of the rear base with a 3/4 inch carbide ball mill so the base isn't proud in the center but it's never enough to cause problems when you sight in.

You can do the same by holding a base in a bastardized scope ring and clamping that in the dividing head or rotary table and shaving the high side. Doing the receiver is the permanent fix. Also the most expensive.

The simplest method is to use it as is and if it won't sight in just put a piece of shim stock under the low side.

How about locating the correct spot and milling out the offending hole for the next size screw? Then you could just alter the base to take the bigger screw. This provided the bad hole is not outside the diameter of the new one.

Give me a call, we can talk.

Belt sander is my friend in this case; all other solutions will cost you.
Except Speer's recommendations, which are always good, even if sometimes they sound like he is a half a bubble off of plumb.
It could be the base you know.

quote:

Originally posted by dpcd:
Belt sander is my friend in this case; all other solutions will cost you.
Except Speer's recommendations, which are always good, even if sometimes they sound like he is a half a bubble off of plumb.
It could be the base you know.

I can be pretty cofuzzlin. I'm not a gudd schplainer. This is the mandrel for the 700 and this is how the cut's are made. Clear as mud now huh? LOL

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnxqblNmuq0


Gunsmith Rod Henrickson 700 Mandrel by Rod Henrickson, on Flickr

Before doing anything else, measure the base to be sure the base is machined correctly. I had a bunch of steel Weaver bases which were .006" high on one side so, of course, the rear base was canted in relation to the front.
Even if the error is on the receiver, it often makes more sense to modify the cheap piece.
The most important thing is to establish whether it is hole misalignment, a mis-contoured receiver, or a flawed base. Taking the screw holes out to 8-40 does no good if they were not misaligned in the first place. Machining the receiver to compensate for a flawed base is a move in the wrong direction.
I guess what I'm trying to say is, be sure what the problem is before you endeavor to fix it. Regards, Bill.

Put the gun in a vise and level it with the front base. Then put the level on the rear base and take a reading. Then take the rear base off and screw it back on backwards. If the rear base is still cockeyed the same direction, it's the receiver. If the cockeyed has shifted to the other side it's the base. Either way, just shim the base and go shoot something!

But don't shoot any animals. That's bad. And don't shoot any people, that's bad too.

sometimes I think too much, and get a headache...

quote:

Originally posted by Idaho Sharpshooter:
sometimes I think too much, and get a headache...

I feel your pain ISS.
Some days yah have to wonder why you chewed through the straps, crawled out the broken window and over the stucco fence. After all, in 20 minutes it would have been breakfast time and it's basket weaving and scrabble day today too ! ! !

Such things bother me greatly, I can't sleep at night over such issues therefore almost every gun I have is surface ground and drilled and tapped on line square to the world, and bases are hand fitted and at great expense..then I drag the damn thing over some of the most gun destructive tierra in the world, until it resembles stainless steel and custom drift wood, but I'm content that it will hold its zero and perform in the field, and return to zero with QD rings and bases..

I would reweld the rear ring, surface grind the action. fit my bases and go hunting. You would be looking at about $150 to $200..but first install your scope with the adjustments in center position of the scopes focal plane and see how far its off. may not need to fix it..but keep in mind a scope that's sighted in with the adjustments in the center of its focal plane will hold a zero much better than one that is at the end of its adjustable focal plane, not to mention clarity etc. An often overlooked procedure worth its weight in gold, when that big bull steps out of the timber.

quote:

Atkinson

Well, there's your problem Atkinson ! Since you had all that fool work done, scientists have discovered that the WORLD, is actually round. Not square and flat as was previously believed. Better get them back in the shop and have them straightened out !

I can't wait to tell Columbus Speerchucker!