I have a set of Weaver Grand Slam bases meant on a Howa 1500 action with a set of Warne Rings.

The rear base over hangs the ejection port by about 3mm or so...I can't simply file it back, sas the Warne rings would still be too far forward...

The current rear base is 35.5mm long...Does anybody make a rear Weaver base for this action which is 30mm to 32mm long. It must be in Steel or Stainless Steel.

I've not mounted a scope on the rifle yet, but I don't think this is anything other than a cosmetic issue, but I would like to get it right.

Regards,

Pete

Pete,I have a Howa actioned rifle(S&W)that I just modified a set of aluminum Weaver bases to solve that problem,front and back,and it does look alot better. I know your not wanting aluminum bases but the reason I answered your post was because I didn't know if you were aware of the fact that Howa actions are set up to accept any bases that fit REM700 actions. Since REM700s are so common I figure you would be able to look at a wider selection knowing this. If you find some that work please post what brand they are! Hope this info helps.

til later

EP,

Cheers for that, I was aware that that the Rem700 bases would fit and thats why I'm hoping to find something suitable.

I'm hoping there might be a rear Weaver base with the slot between the screw holes as per the front base, but I've not seen any for the Howa 1500 /Rem700 as yet.


Regards,

Pete

Pete,
Take a look at these Valdada IOR bases
Looks like these could be made to work. Only thing I could locate besides gunsmith blanks.

til later

EP,

Very interesting...I wonder how wide the slot is? From doing a bit of reading it seems that Picatinny Rails usually have slightly wider slots than Weaver bases...Whether that would be decremental, I don't know...

Also on the main page they are described as "strong steel bases..." but if you click "Technical Specifications & Use" link just a bit lower, its says they are Aluminum!

I'll see if I can find out which material is correct..

Regards,

Pete

Checked Valdada IOR web which says all their bases are steel. Also found these[www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=742849].

I can understand your feelings, Pete. A while back I mounted a scope on a Weatherby Vanguard, using Weaver aluminium bases (which are identical in dimensions to the GS) and Burris Zee rings, and I thought that the rear base projecting 3mm over the back of the loading port looked absolutely awful!

Why don’t you simply take your GS base to a gunsmith or machinist and get another cross slot cut between the screw holes so that you can position the rear ring further back, and cut off the offending bit of the base at the front? At a pinch, you could do it yourself with files, though it would be a good idea to improvise some sort of jig to keep the cut(s) straight and square. I know it can be done, because I did it myself, once, on another rifle, using a 4mm dia chainsaw file to cut the slot. I used a toolmakers vice as a guide (it has accurately machined jaws which are so hard that a file won’t touch them) but there are many other possible methods

The main thing you will need to ensure is that shifting the rear ring back this far will not force you to position the scope too far back. This happened to me with my Vanguard, with a Weaver V24 on it – it was OK for shooting off-hand, or from a bench rest, but no good at all in typical field shooting positions. The scope was just TOO close to my eye.

My final solution was to widen the screw slot slightly to the rear (gained a bit over 0.5mm without running into the screw hole counterbore – not much, but it helped) mount the rear ring as far back as possible, and cut off the front of the base flush with the front of the ring. This brought them both dead-on flush with the rear of the loading port, and looked MUCH more tidy.

Zee rings are only a tad over 14mm thick. I have a feeling that Warne rings are thicker (I don’t have any on hand to measure) so this scheme might not work so well with them, but it is probably at least worth looking at.