Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Modifying Leupold DD bases

Thought I'd share a little project I just completed. My main (only) deer rifle is a Miroku M-Bolt .270 with Leupold 2-7x33 and weaver rings & bases. Now these weaver rings have done the job perfectly well for the last dozen years, but just didn't quite look the part IMO. Which is more than enough justification for a rifle loony to spend a reasonable amount of time and money for little reason other than cosmetics.

Leupold make a dual-dovetail set of bases for the Browning A-bolt, which is the correct screw spacing but the wrong radius for the receiver on my M-bolt. Cue some very careful measurement, setup and re-machining of the two bases to the new contour by a mate with a CNC mill.

I also took the opportunity to grind a couple of shallow angles on the front base before re-bluing, to ensure the ocular clears and to make the ejection port overhang look better. I replaced my old Vari-XIIc 2-7x33 with a new VX-2 2-7x33 while I was at it - I would have liked to go VX-3 2.5-8x36 but there was no room. That scope is about as low as it's possible to go!

Worth it? Probably not to anyone but myself. But there's something about nicely contoured blued steel that was missing from the old alloy Weaver setup. And the scope height and position is exactly in the right place for me when I throw the rifle up.

Thanks for looking.

Before:



Base machining:


New setup:


Not a lot of clearance:

Very nice!

+1

That Miroku action looks sweet. About as streamlined an action as I have seen . I wonder why Browning didn't go with that design versus the X or A bolt?

That is a beautiful rifle!

Very nice, you did a great job!

Good question - I don't know the answer. Browning appears to have offered that action in some versions of the Eurobolt (along with the stock having a cheekpiece and schnabel forearm tip), but then other Euro-bolts seem to have the standard faceted A-bolt action. Maybe the rounded design just didn't sell well?

Thanks for all the comments. I always enjoy reading about others projects and rifles, and it's nice to be able to share things like this with a group of people that get what it's all about.

Stock looks A-Bolt and action looks BBRish.

Nice job on the mounts.