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Thread: Advice on drilling and tapping frames for optic mounts?

  1. #1
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    Advice on drilling and tapping frames for optic mounts?

    For you handy gunsmithers out there, I’m looking to drill and tap a few CZ steel frames for optics mounts.

    Gunsmiths are busy with deer season and I am always game to pick up new skills.

    I have a Makita cordless drill and I bought a drill press adapter thing and a bench vise.

    I ordered a boatload of drill bits and a couple tap sets with some cutting oil.

    I’ve heard tips that include mounting the taps in the drill and then hand spinning back and forth so that it doesn’t shift or wobble.

    I plan on trying to “punch” a divot to set the hole to start the drilling and using small bits and increasing slowly. I’ve heard these frames are pretty stout.

    Any general words of wisdom or advice for me? Things to watch out for? Tools that are handy?

    Thanks in advance!

  2. #2
    What type and material of drill bits did you buy?

  3. #3
    Wood burnin' Curmudgeon CSW's Avatar
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    It's always been my experience to measure 2x, before you start.
    Center punch your marks to be drilled.
    Start slowly, with a small bit, lube it as you are drilling.... You don't want to break it, nor overheat the bit or the material.
    Determine how undersized you have to drill to establish the proper diameter hole to be threaded.
    A "x" diameter hole won't take "x" diameter threads:
    The hole must be undersized.
    When tapping, go slow, small cuts at a time, lots of cutting fluid, and clean the hole after each cut, with brake clean or compressed air.
    Go slow.
    Don't put the tap in a drill.
    Removing a broken drill bit, or tap, is a PIA, and can ruin what your workpiece.
    "... And miles to go before I sleep".

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by MickAK View Post
    What type and material of drill bits did you buy?
    Titanium coated HSS4241?

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  5. #5
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    I am an avid do-it-yourselfer, but given the job you want to do, and the equipment list, I wouldn’t. This is coming from the guy who drilled, taper reamed, and pinned the front sight on an AR barrel for fun. The difference being the cheap table top mill i used is about 10 times better for that job than your hand drill in a fixture. Plus I had a pile of gage blocks and indicators to get everything lined up perfectly. And I’ve been around machining my entire life.

    But if you’re going to, you want premium drills and taps. And good work holding. And…and…and… You will get a ton of advice if you mock up your intended setup and post a picture before you do anything irreversible. And your tools.

    I don’t work on anything I’m not willing/able to replace, but I have removed metal from receivers before. The satisfaction of doing it by myself was the reward for taking the risk to do the job. I’ve probably spent more on tools than I would have spent to have a real gunsmith do the initial jobs. I got into the amateur gunsmithing thing after I paid a professional for a 1911 trigger job and got screwed. That professional was not a real gunsmith. Good luck, it can be a deep hole.

  6. #6
    I would buy a piece of bar stock in about the same diameter and get your mojo working.
    A center drill is also a good thing to have, especially if you are drilling into a round surface.
    I recently put peep sights on my shotgun, but it was aluminum and pretty easy.

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by JCN View Post
    Titanium coated HSS4241?

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    When teaching people to tap I prefer cobalt. They will work though. A lot of small Ti coated bits are garbage.

    Finding a piece of material to do practice holes in that is similar to a CZ slide in material would be a great idea. Practice extracting broken bits and taps in that. It's a lot of feel. Making a jig would be preferable to measuring. Pretty small tolerances for error here. Your punch can be a go/no go gauge in your jig hole and as long as it is clamped securely your divot will end up in the right place.

  8. #8
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    I like the idea of practicing first on a piece of scrap steel. Use a center drill first to guide and center the drill bit used for final diameter. Use a tap handle with centering in the handle. After drilling the hole to final dimension replace the drill bit with a tap guide center and use it. The tap guide center will chuck into your press and keep your tap centered as you cut threads. Also use tap magic tapping solution. While cutting threads, routinely blow out the hole with compressed air and reapply tap magic solution. Turn the tap slightly just enough until you feel a little resistance cutting a chip then back off again. Patience. Lots of patience. MSC has it all: https://www.mscdirect.com/ Good luck!

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Toonces View Post
    I am an avid do-it-yourselfer, but given the job you want to do, and the equipment list, I wouldn’t. This is coming from the guy who drilled, taper reamed, and pinned the front sight on an AR barrel for fun. The difference being the cheap table top mill i used is about 10 times better for that job than your hand drill in a fixture. Plus I had a pile of gage blocks and indicators to get everything lined up perfectly. And I’ve been around machining my entire life.

    But if you’re going to, you want premium drills and taps. And good work holding. And…and…and… You will get a ton of advice if you mock up your intended setup and post a picture before you do anything irreversible. And your tools.

    I don’t work on anything I’m not willing/able to replace, but I have removed metal from receivers before. The satisfaction of doing it by myself was the reward for taking the risk to do the job. I’ve probably spent more on tools than I would have spent to have a real gunsmith do the initial jobs. I got into the amateur gunsmithing thing after I paid a professional for a 1911 trigger job and got screwed. That professional was not a real gunsmith. Good luck, it can be a deep hole.
    Thanks! I like gaining skills and I don’t mind cost.

    Would something like this help?

    https://smile.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B09...KIKX0DER&psc=1

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    An excuse to buy tools is like needing an excuse to buy guns…

  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by Toonces View Post
    I am an avid do-it-yourselfer ... I got into the amateur gunsmithing thing after I paid a professional for a 1911 trigger job and got screwed.
    This... I would rather screw it up myself than pay UPS/FedEx.

    Quote Originally Posted by Toonces View Post
    The difference being the cheap table top mill i used is about 10 times better for that job than your hand drill in a fixture.
    Sort of a hijack, but which one did you get?

    Quote Originally Posted by Toonces View Post
    I’ve probably spent more on tools than I would have spent to have a real gunsmith do the initial jobs.
    The shipping is what pisses me off. And the typical lead times.

    Quote Originally Posted by Toonces View Post
    I don’t work on anything I’m not willing/able to replace, but I have removed metal from receivers before. The satisfaction of doing it by myself was the reward for taking the risk to do the job.
    I am also getting more realistic about quantifying the risk. The first thing I drilled into myself was a 870 to mount a Trak-Lock sight. I was nervouse and apprehensive and had some fear of failure, then I reminded myself I was working on a cheap-ass 870 Express like could be bought (at the time) at Wal-Mart for $350 and I charged ahead. It wasn't perfect, but it was perfectly fine.

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