My Mod. 70 is drilled and tapped for 8X40 base screws and I need to come up with 8X40 base screws with a small enough head to fit the Leupold QRW bases. Anyone already solve this problem?

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Originally posted by PhilR:
My Mod. 70 is drilled and tapped for 8X40 base screws and I need to come up with 8X40 base screws with a small enough head to fit the Leupold QRW bases. Anyone already solve this problem?

Yup, using a drill press or a mill, it's real simple to open the holes. You might call Brownell's and see if they have 8x40 base screws that will work.

What diameter of screwhead do you need? The Leupold 8x40 ring screw has a smaller diameter head as I recall.

I just went through the same problem a while back. Burris 8X40 screws have a smaller head than Leupolds and I just turned a couple thousants of the diameter of the heads. Made a tighter fit cause I didn't have the right size end mill to mill the base holes. Oh yeah you still have to open up the holes for the threads to pass through too but you knew that.

God Bless, Louis

Piloted counterbores and pin reamers are the tools I would use if it was mine.

I'm no gunsmith by any means, but if you just need to turn down the heads of the screws, chuck the shaft in an electric drill and spin the head on a file, then smooth it out some more on a stone. Of course you need to make sure you leave enough metal it it's a torx screw. If that is a problem, go with slotted screws.

This is a little pricey, but it will fix the problem:

http://www.brownells.com/.aspx...nversion_Kit__Socket

mcmaster.com
29445A12
its a #6 .. get THAT not the #8 ..
or, one step up 2919A13

your #8 will be a TIGHT fit in that bet.. if you want to make them smaller, without a lathe, then

(watch, i'll get flamed for helping someone out with a bubba'ed up lathe trick)
in your cordless drill (yeah, ReALLy) and some 220 sandpaper.. a bit of oil... or a fine file, you can hold the threads, and turn the heads down slightly...

to reblue, either clean very well (soapy water, then boiled) and use a bluing pin or use plum brown, from birchwood casey, and boil THAT after its purple.

and then you'll have to trim the screws to make certain that they are short enough to clear the action..

its not a hard project, just annoying

Thank you all for the suggestions. My tool selection is a bit primitive so I'll try the electric drill method first.

quote:

Piloted counterbores and pin reamers are the tools I would use if it was mine.

With the proper drill# (8?) and Brownell's piloted counterbore, it's easy and it works great.