Drill and tap for scope?

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RickN

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Anyone ever drill and tap an old 22 for a side mount scope base? If so, how difficult is it? I have my father's old Marlin 80DL that I am trying to make into a usable rifle. Loved my father but his idea of firearms cleaning and maintenance was "Fire another bullet and it will blow any dirt out of the barrel." The original sites are gone and the metal is pitted so I do not feel bad about making it usable again.

Anyway, I have a like new Weaver #2 side mount which fits the Marlin 80, just not the 80DL. I can use one of the old peep site holes for the rear of the mount but would need to drill and tap a new front hole.

Is the receiver on the pre WW2 22s very hard? Could I drill it with a hand drill and a guide? Does anyone know of a better, low cost option? I thought about trying to make a base that fits but I think that would be harder.
 

264killer

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Use cobalt bit . Line up your mount use super glue, dont get it on threads. get a driil bit that just fits the hole it will mark the center of the hole . drill small hole first then use bigger bits but leave metal for threads.
 
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