Drilling/Tapping?

[Hognutz]

And if you screw it up it will cost you more than $40 to get it fixed..

[mmusso]

I paid $8 for a tap bit at Lowe's hardware and did it myself -  easy to do with a soft alloy receiver ,I did with a small drill press  - not recommenced for novices, and easy to screw up - wait time 10 minutes , and you get to keep the tap bit

I should do a tutorial and show the members how its done - 

Would anyone be willing to send me some pictures of the step-by-step? I thought it might be something I could do myself.

[dh515]

And if you screw it up it will cost you more than $40 to get it fixed..

X2 on this.  From personal experience, looks easy but not something to attempt unless you have all the right stuff like a drill press, good padded vice, correct drill bit and tap.  I had a machinist buddy of mine do the receiver on my SP 10.  Of course he has all the right stuff to do the job, but lives more than an hour away from me.  Looked so easy I thought I'd try to do the receiver on an old Benelli myself at home.  (I didn't have the base for the Benelli yet when I got the SP 10 done and was impatient).  After all, I only needed two holes, how hard can this be?  Big mistake.  Somehow I got the first hole slightly off center.  I think the drill bit walked somehow, even though I had center punched the hole and checked it repeatedly before trying to drill to make sure it was dead center.  I was lucky that my buddy was able to fix my screw up by using a bigger screw size that covered my mess.  This was one of those deals that left me wondering what the heck I was thinking as I almost ruined a nice gun.  $40 is cheap against all this, especially if you don't already have all the tools to do the job right.

[Hognutz]

My point, exactly..Being centered is crucial. Center punching a hole and then drilling it exactly to the center punch can be a tricky proposition. Then, the tap has to run through straight, or else the hole will end up on a slant. The holes have to be plumb, level and square, or the base will not be on the same axis as the barrell. If you feel like you can do it, more power to you...Many do..But you have to ask yourself, is the risk worth the gain.. This is not brain surgery, but many of the people out there have never tapped a hole in their lives..Mike

[pullit]

I have seen more than one gun drilled off center where the barrel is pointing one way and the site is point another. I will be willing to bet that after someone screws up and gets the mount on off center or breaks a tap, they would be HAPPY to pay $40 to have someone do it right.

[mmusso]

Ok, point taken. I'll leave this up to a professional.

[Reloader]

10 bucks a hole around here.

Had two 870s drilled and tapped for FF2 336 bases and it was $40 OTD.

[ILIKEHEVI-13]

I have seen more than one gun drilled off center where the barrel is pointing one way and the site is point another. I will be willing to bet that after someone screws up and gets the mount on off center or breaks a tap, they would be HAPPY to pay $40 to have someone do it right.

Exactly!

[SumToy]

Big thing if you do try it is to take your time.   Next DO NOT BREAK the tap.

Now around SE GA I have had folks tell me 20 to 30 a hole. 

[BurrisOptics]

I have seen more than one gun drilled off center where the barrel is pointing one way and the site is point another.

Then they call their optics company to complain about their scope being defective because they can't get it to zero.     Oops.  Did I say that out loud?

[beagler]

Definitely have a gunsmith do the work.

[Wolfpack]

I have plenty of experience drilling and tapping. I still don't trust myself
to punch precision holes in any of my guns, allot can go wrong.
To me the setup time and having the right equipment plus experience
to do the job correctly is worth the price.
Dewey

[Reloader]

I have plenty of experience drilling and tapping. I still don't trust myself
to punch precision holes in any of my guns, allot can go wrong.
To me the setup time and having the right equipment plus experience
to do the job correctly is worth the price.
Dewey

I agree.  A mill is nearly a must to do it right.  I tried to d/t a gun once with a drill press and it didn't work so well.  It worked, but my holes were not perfect by any means despite having them laid out and punched correctly. 10 a hole is cheap to have it done right.

[mmusso]

10 a hole is cheap to have it done right.
[/quote]

I agree completely and wish i knew where someone would do it for $10, but down here I haven't heard anyone that would do it without a $25/hole - 4 hole minimum. With 2 guns at 4 holes each, that is a bit much.

[Ozark Ridge Runner]

It can be done with a drill press but you are playing with fire for sure.  To do it correctly, and not take a chance of screwing up your receiver, it needs to be done in a milling machine.  An edge finder will allow you to get on the centerline of the receiver then a centerdrill (not a centerpunch) will get the hole started on the correct spot and prevent the tap drill from walking.  The actual tapping of the hole is not much of a job once the prior steps are done right.  Do your gun a favor and have a gunsmith do the job.