Gents,
My smith has informed me he got the action drilled on my 500A2 project,but that he has not been able to get a tap in to start cutting threads. I am confused here,soft enough to drill but too hard to tap? BTW the action is a P-14.
I have express sights installed but I was really wanting a scope mounted,I purchased a Leupold 2-7 just for this gun. The barrel is by Pac-Nor,stock by B&C ,ect ect I am awaiting your help. 45nut

If the action is to hard for a standard tap, take a standard CARBON STEEL (not Hi Speed) tap. You need the shortest flute length to just clear the tapping depth required. You usually have a short broken off one in the box anyway. So grind this tap short & the leading edge as it would be for a somewhat slightly bottoming type tap.

Then heat it cherry red, & quench it in Mercury. This quenches as fast any any media & makes it VERY HARD. It will be so hard that if it does break in the hole, you can tap it out with a punch, as it will break up like glass.

The shortness is important as it makes the tap stronger. Use a good tapping oil.

By the way you really do not want to use a Hi Speed one on gun work anyway, since it it breaks in a blind hole, that makes for ulcers. But using a carbon steel one, you can get carbide dental burrs (which won't really work well on Hi Speed), & go in the hole & quarter it at he flutes & remove them. Have done many in the last 40 years.

Gunny,
I appreciate your reply,but Mercury isn't something easy to come by anymore. Is there an alternative,,dry ice ? ect ? 45nut

45Nut---

Kinks for tapping hard steel runs a close second to how to stop hiccups in "folk remedies".

I heat the stub of a Tally bolt knob red hot and balance it on top dead center of the action and go check out the AR post til it cools.......then I use copper-based anti-sieze compound as tapping fluid.

Slickeren deer guts on a pump handle.

Maybe he drilled through the case (if the action is case hardened) and has not countersunk the hole enough to get through the case. That was just a guess. I like the "Molydee" oil with MoS2 in it for tougher tapping or threading jobs.

45 is this an eddystone action, I don't think it is they were p-17 but that is the only one that was very hard to tap.( as fare as I know the eddystone was said never to be used for magnum rifles as they were prone to cracking and bolwing up because of being too brittle) By the way I have my 500-A2 done. I am going to load some shells this week and then work up enough back bone to shoot it.
Dan P.

You can mount the tap in a drill press and use the pressure to start the tap. Just turn the chuck by hand until it has a good start. It will increase the chance of breaking the tap though, so be ready to remove chunks.

First thing that you want to make sure of is, don't use a tap that doesn't have an adequate amount of lead on the end of it. If the tap is ground completely flat, it will greatly increase the amount of pressure necessary to tap the hole. Once you get the tap started and have fed it down as far as you can, you can always go back with a bottoming tap to finish out the last little bit left.

People, kind people - there are times when I despair.

The problem is a hard skin. The best solution - soften it locally.

Why not just re-read JBelks post and go that route! It really does work.

luck - edi

"I appreciate your reply,but Mercury isn't something easy to come by anymore. Is there an alternative,,dry ice ? ect ? 45nut"

One of the most severe quenches you can use is iced brine. Load water with salt and put in the ice. A wire basket inserted will keep the ice from interfering with the quench.

Gents,
I shall print out this thread and bring it out to my 'smith. I appreciate all the "kinks" shared here. One or the other of these methods should get me in. I have had this project in the works for some time now and the wait is really starting to get to me,however I shall not be the one to put pressure on him. Trust is not easily regained once lost,and having trust in your gunsmith is paramount in my book. Something about putting 50k psi up next to your face........ thanks again folks. 45nut