What is the easiest/best way to fill screw holes on a barrel. Do you use silver solder,welding or epoxy? I'm fitting a Rem 700 takeoff barrel to a M98 Turkish Mauser and don't want to keep the Iron Sights. I'm probably just going to finish this gun with an epoxy/camo coating. I don't need anything fancy just durable.

I had the exact same issue (Rem barrel on Turk). I first used screws and filed the heads off, but a small circle was still visible. Then I found this tip and it worked perfectly...

Using a nail of approximately the same diameter, cut a piece slightly longer than the depth of the screw hole. Using a hammer and common sense, peen (smoosh) the bit of nail until the top overflows the hole. File off the overflow and buff as usual.

This Rem 22-250 barrel has since been baked (at 300 degrees for an hour, for finish) and had about 150 rounds through it with no evidence that holes ever existed.

Same tip works for filling the leftover sight hole when removing the rear sight from military barrels.

Good luck!

To do it properly........

Get a 6-48 screw that is longer than the hole is deep. Use a soft one. Weaver scope mount screws work great. A local gunsmith will have a box of buggared screws. That is good since the mashed threads indicate they are soft. Screw the screw tightly into the hole. Wrap a piece of cardboard around the barrel providing a hole for the screw to poke through. The cardboard protects the barrel. A piece of ammo box is handy. Cut the screw off with a hacksaw. Leave it long. File it to be about 1 or 2 threads long. Pene it into the hole with a smooth faced hammer. Cold blue the plug. If you are carefull and do a good job it will be nearly invisible. It will never come out.

Plan "B", get some of the headless plug screws. : )

If I wanted to do it right I would just cut the threads until all the holes and writing were underneath and hidden inside the barrel channal of the stock...then recut the chamber a little if necessary..then it would be clean...You cannot hide holes in the barrel or action, end of story. you will see them in the light no matter what, even tigged.

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Ray Atkinson

ray@atkinsonhunting.com
atkinsonhunting.com

Dang Ray, you beat me to it! And unlike re-fitting a barrel where you want the sights to line up, you can be off a few degrees, and it'll still be ok.

Ray/Paul

That still doesn't take care of the front sight holes.