Blue

Machining the front dovetail portion of Leupold bases is not too hard if you have some machine shop background.

I could draw this for you a lot easier than explaining it. Bear with me and I will try explain it.

The part people have the most difficulty with is how to determine the correct depth of the 45 degree shoulder on the underside of the base.

Take a piece of .500 dia. CRS and machine a 45 degree shoulder down to a dia. of .300 inch. Insert the guage you just made from the bottom of a factory base. Use a common micrometer to measure from the top side of the base to the bottom of your guage. You can use a thin piece of plate metal for the micrometer top anvil to rest on and the bottom anvil will touch the bottom or your guage.

Now drill a .320 dia. hole through the base followed by a .500 dia. cutter with a 45 degree chamfer. Regulate your depth to match your guage reading. Flip the base over and mill a .320 X .520 slot from the top.

Leupold and Redfield bases are machined out of common low carbon steel with a lead additive. 1018L if memory serves me correct. Ordinary CRS is fine and will blue or color case harden nicely.

I have a customer who wanted to use the Leupold quick detachable rings in a quarter rib that comes over the receiver ring to form the front scope base. The problem I saw when I took the job was making the release levers for the mounts. Then I realized I could remove the levers from a set of Leupold's bases and machine my quarter rib so they fit. I also would do the same for the rear scope base.

Freddy (Craftsman), Did I cover twist ring bases in class?

These started out as Leupold blank gunsmith bases with quick release levers. They were meticulously hand fitted to a 1938 Brno commercial model A in 8x60S, so that charger clips could still be used.

Kurt, that is a VERY cool rifle!

AD

Outstanding photography, too!

I know there is a certain satisfaction in making the dovetail base yourself but the "blanks" are cheap.
Midway has them for $12.95.
Gunmakers' dovetail base

Kyler

Blue,

The bases only took about 5 minutes to make...out the check to Griffin & Howe. They also did the custom sights and rust/nitre bluing.