What size and thread are the sight screws in the barrel for a TC Hawken? I have a .45 cal kit barrel I purchased used and the sight was soldered on. I have taken it off and wish to try to chase the threads a little. Any tips for how to remove the solder from the screw holes? And what size and thread should they be? I would like to mount some sort of optic temporarily for load testing. I also wanted to check to make sure nobody had drilled the holes through the barrel before they soldered. If the threads are gone is it practical to plug tap them to a larger size? Or glue on a mount and take it off later?
Hawken sight screw thread..
- Thread starter Bill M.
- Start date
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6-48 can be opened to 8-48. Tapping a blind hole that small isn't fun. To get the solder out you can machine it for best results.
Thank you for your prompt reply. Not sure what I am going to do next but I have the information I need. Will grind a tap flat and try to clean up what is there first. The holes are shallow. Ugly spot on the barrel. Fall back is to just solder it back down.
Brownells sells a good bottoming tap....I would have a spare....they break easy.
More questions. I bought 8-40 taps and tried to re-drill and thread the holes. I got threads in one of them. The other hole stripped while threading. Things I am considering:
Tap to 10-32
get holes welded and re tap. Can a welder fill the holes with something that is soft enough to drill and retap in same place?
Suggestions welcome
Tap to 10-32
get holes welded and re tap. Can a welder fill the holes with something that is soft enough to drill and retap in same place?
Suggestions welcome
Next time, there are wicking strips for pulling solder out of joints. No need to drill it out. You would then chase the thread.
Did you use a milling machine or at least a drill press when drilling and tapping to keep things steady and lined up? You usually get in trouble when drilling and tapping small holes by hand.
With a shallow tap hole I would suggest staying with a finer pitch thread. It will grip better. You could also just move the sight slightly forward or aft a bit and tap and drill new holes for the factory sight screws. The original holes will be hidden by the repositioned sight. You may want to plug the old holes.
You could also cut a dovetail and mount a different sight. Choose wisely and the sight will cover the existing holes, which you may want to plug.
My old man always said the first rule in hole digging was to put the shovel down.
Did you use a milling machine or at least a drill press when drilling and tapping to keep things steady and lined up? You usually get in trouble when drilling and tapping small holes by hand.
With a shallow tap hole I would suggest staying with a finer pitch thread. It will grip better. You could also just move the sight slightly forward or aft a bit and tap and drill new holes for the factory sight screws. The original holes will be hidden by the repositioned sight. You may want to plug the old holes.
You could also cut a dovetail and mount a different sight. Choose wisely and the sight will cover the existing holes, which you may want to plug.
My old man always said the first rule in hole digging was to put the shovel down.
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Thanks for the advise.
Not a clean job but here is what I did. Yes, I used drill press with cross vise and drill center to start. I managed to get a few threads of 8-40 in the rear hole. I stripped the front hole with that tap. I do not really know what I did wrong there. I suspect I oversized the hole some how by not getting it centered. Soft steel and it is hard to start a tap in a shallow blind hole. I re-drilled and tapped the front hole to 10-32 and got a couple of threads deep. I cut down an an aluminum Weaver rail and drilled it for the different sized screws front and back. I trimmed the screws to the correct length. I thinned the rail from the bottom and the top so that I can use the standard front sight and a peep with the base in place. I changed the front sight from a blade to a bead. I mounted the rail with the short odd sized screws and some JB Weld under it. I possibly will never take this base off this barrel. I mounted a Bushnell Trophy red dot on the rail. Now to go shooting. It was a kit barrel. The bore looks perfect. I got it dirt cheap a few years ago. Maybe it will be an accurate but ugly barrel. I know I got the ugly part. I needed a project more than I actually needed a barrel. Maybe the next guy will marvel at how Bubba screwed it up. For my very old eye the Red Dot makes shooting possible and the Bushnell is certainly cheaper than a peep sight.
Not a clean job but here is what I did. Yes, I used drill press with cross vise and drill center to start. I managed to get a few threads of 8-40 in the rear hole. I stripped the front hole with that tap. I do not really know what I did wrong there. I suspect I oversized the hole some how by not getting it centered. Soft steel and it is hard to start a tap in a shallow blind hole. I re-drilled and tapped the front hole to 10-32 and got a couple of threads deep. I cut down an an aluminum Weaver rail and drilled it for the different sized screws front and back. I trimmed the screws to the correct length. I thinned the rail from the bottom and the top so that I can use the standard front sight and a peep with the base in place. I changed the front sight from a blade to a bead. I mounted the rail with the short odd sized screws and some JB Weld under it. I possibly will never take this base off this barrel. I mounted a Bushnell Trophy red dot on the rail. Now to go shooting. It was a kit barrel. The bore looks perfect. I got it dirt cheap a few years ago. Maybe it will be an accurate but ugly barrel. I know I got the ugly part. I needed a project more than I actually needed a barrel. Maybe the next guy will marvel at how Bubba screwed it up. For my very old eye the Red Dot makes shooting possible and the Bushnell is certainly cheaper than a peep sight.
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