Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Gunsmithing Filling holes on an 03-A3

I picked up a beater Remington 03-A3 today. It has a few extra holes, front ring for Weaver 45 that look pretty straight, peep holes on right rear bridge, sidemount holes on the left rail, and two holes on the dovetail, side by side. Those two hole are what I am concerned with.

They are 8-40 and I put plug screws in them. I intend to install a Weaver 59 base, which will require a 6-48 D&T on the rear bridge Dovetail. I am not wanting to invest much money into this gun; I want to know if I should Red Loctite those 8-40 plugs in or use epoxy? I know I should normally have them tigged, but am going cheap and easy here. Opinions please.

My experience is only with welding a bead
on an extension to make a Super 14 Contender
barrel into a legal 16 incher
Used a run-of-the-mill flux mig
Not a full circumference bead, just approx 1/2"
for legal stuff

Filling small screw holes shouldn't be much
of a chore

One trick is to cut a tiny chamfer on the screw hole, swab the hole and the new screw clean and red loctite it in. Peen the shank of the screw to fill the chamfer tightly/completely, file/polish flush, and touchup the finish. Can be nigh invisible if done carefully.

gnoahhh good technique that can work very well in the right hands. It’s an old method that’s been used for years as in early 1900’s maybe earlier but when done right is as good or better than any.

Rick

Yeah I know that method and may do it. The repair doesn't have to be invisible as it will be covered with the base. It has to be flat is the main thing so that the base is tight against the Dovetail.

If they will be hidden why bother to fill them, you may choose to use them at a later date...

I need to fill them because I am going to be drilling a new hole between them.

I know you want to go cheap but if it were me i'd tig weld them.

Weld It, all of the extra holes. The cheapest way to do things is always, 100%, the right way.