i just got a old westernfield bolt action 12 gauge. it has the poly choke on it and i dont actually need the gun for anything. I was thinking about cutting it down and drilling and tappin it for scope bases. anyone tried this?

smooth bore? It may drastically affect accuracy if the bore size increases too much at exit. You could have it threaded for chokes afterwards if it does suffer.

I personally have never done it to a bolt gun, but I did it to an Auto-5 slug barrel and ended up shooting buck shot out of it for HD purposes because accuracy was so bad.