Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Pond Boss Old eyes and old guns

As for most of us, I'm not as young as I was a while back.

Eyesight is certainly one of the issues with getting older. With the newer type "progressive" lenses I've had for a number of years, they allow you to see closeup, middle-ways, and far off. You just have to tilt your head a little bit for perfect vision at a particular distance. It becomes instinctive after a short time.

Unfortunately, for shooting a gun without a scope, they don't work very well. You can focus on the the back sight. You can focus on the front sight. Or, you can focus on the target. But, you just can't focus on all three like you could when you were young and had great eyesight.

I've been doing my annual maintenance on my guns this week. My favorite deer rifle is still my 1969 Winchester Model 94 30-30. It is the last rifle in the gun safe without a scope. So, I decided it was time to upgrade it. I reblued it. I refinished the stock and forearm. It looks like new.

So that I could shoot it, I bought a Weaver 3B side-mount scope bracket today. I also bought a reasonably decent Weaver-mount scope that came with standard Weaver-mount rings. The 3B scope mount requires special side-mount rings -- at an additional $40! Nowhere does it say this on the Weaver packaging or Weaver website.

I made a ring bracket that should work perfectly -- but now I can't figure out what size screws I need to hold it to the 3B bracket. They are close to ANSI/ASE #10-32 and not Metric M5 x .08 -- but they don't seem to be either.

Anybody know what size these might be?

Here is what the bracket looks like:



The threaded holes are the two closest to the top/middle of the rail, above the one large hole, and two smaller holes that run across the bottom. Those holes match the rifle receiver holes, and I've got screws for them.

If I can't find a match in the next few days, I guess I'll re-tap them for ANSI #12, unless I can get adequate threads for ANSI 10-32.

Thanks,
Ken

Ken:

Got a set of dial calipers? Measure the ID of the threads in the piece and LMK. That picture is the 3B bracket, correct?

Scott,

Yes, that is a 3B. I should have gotten the calipers out, but just didn't. However, either a 10-32 or an M5 will go in about a half turn.

Ken

Ken, I should have an answer for you tomorrow. (although you might not like it because of the odball screw size/thread pitch.)

Finer pitch screws hold quite a bit better. If it's a #10, probably a UNS Series. Measure the ID like mentioned and see if you can narrow it down on the link below.

Screw Threads

I'm with Scott in that I'll bet it's a tad "unusual"...There's a old hardware store in Bloomington that has an entire selection of gunsmith screws, all of unusual diameters and pitches.

I love Kleindorfer's

And the answer is.....................................

10-40. #10 screw 40 threads per inch.

I'd try calling weaver to see if you can just purchase the screws. I looked in Brownells and didn't see any listed. You also could try calling Brownells and talking to their tech department. I've had luck sourcing some odball screws by calling and talking to them. A few times the tech said "I'm sorry, we don't have them in the catalog. But hold on a minute. ......................................................
..............................................................
..............................................................
........ I found some on another techs desk. Give me your mailing address and I'll get them in the mail to you. No charge."

That's another reason why I use them for a LOT of my gunsmith supplies.

Thanks for unclogging my brain. I was putting a square peg in the round hole. As soon as I put the calipers to the hole, it was obvious. They are 0.159 inch diameter -- thus 4 mm. I don't have any suitable M4s, but a flathead M4-70 screwed right in. I know I can get panhead and cheesehead M4s in town.

Thanks all.

Ken, just because it threaded in, doesn't mean that the thread sizes are exactly the same.

I'd see if I could get the right sized screw and thread pitch. I'd hate to see the threads stripped out due to recoil.

Remember blue loctite is your friend, and don't overtorque them. If you don't have a IP wrench that reads to the low double digits, use an allen wrench, long end in the screw, short end in your fingers. One thumb and one finger to tighten it, and don't bend your fingers over to get more torque on it. Those fine threads strip and deform easily if you put too much oomph on the allen wrench or screwdriver.

Here's some numbers. I realize that without the size of the fastners listed, their grade and whether any lubricant is used on the threads it's pretty worthless, but nevertheless.....

The Wheeler torque wrench kit lists:
Base Screws. 30 in lbs
Windage Screws 30-40 in lbs
Ring Screw aluminum rings 10-15 in lbs
Ring Screw steel rings 15-20 in lbs

FWIW, someone did a torque repeatability test using lab equipment on the Wheeler Torque Wrench kit and found it varied over 30% so I don't recommend it.

I have a tap that size.....I had to special order it to fix a peep site. I also have a 12-40 as well.

I've been thinking about the old eyes and open sights problem and there might be a way to wiggle into something of a solution, at least for target shooting.

Pinhole glasses (stenopaic glasses)could increase depth-of-field enough to be helpful on the range when using open sights. The many pinholes in such glasses would allow the shooter to select one hole to use when sighting in. Further, the problem of diffraction could theoretically be reduced by limiting the wavelengths of light in play by using yellowish or amberish shooters' glasses in addition to the pinholes. Pinhole glasses are available online and shooters glasses are available almost everywhere.

If anyone tries this, let me know how theory relates to practice.

I like yellow glasses for many applications.

Ken what about a pop-up Holo/laser sight. I have one that works real well.

Eric, I believe that Bausch and Lomb developed that tint during WW2 for use by the military in low-light conditions, calling it Kalichrome. B&L also developed another tint called Cosmetan for use in foggy conditions.

Since then, studies have been done on the uses of tints in certain disease conditions and learning disabilities as well as on their psychological impact.

I like persimmons colored shooting glasses, similar to the yellow. Fortunately I am young enough, my eyes are still working well... Give me another decade or so and I may not be so lucky.

Luck applies here only as in "lucky to still be alive", otherwise, it's only part of growing older. Most need help for close tasks as they approach the mid forties, some by their early forties; not needing help at 46 is very unusual. Most likely, at that time, your eyes will still be working well, they'll just need a little help to do it.

I did get the scope mounted on my Winchester Model 94. I had to mount it upside down, which makes adjusting the elevation a little awkward. The windage adjustment didn't have enough range to swap it for elevation.

Except for making affecting the balance, it isn't bad. I can use either the sights or the scope.

I sighted it in at 75 yards. I was concerned about parallax, but I can hold the same tight circle at 40 yards and 100 yards, and I can't even see a difference between 150 vs. 170 grain Winchester shells. I'm pretty happy with it.

I bought a new Marlin Model 60 .22 while here on our visit to Edmond, OK. It is to replace my original 1959 J.C. Higgins Model 31. I like a wood stock and tube feed -- its a lot harder to misplace the tube feed vs. a clip. I was also able to get .22 shells here! Neither have been very available back home. Anyway, I'll get to sight it in with the scope from my old Model 31 when I get home at the end of the week.

Starting to see more ammo on the shelves here, but haven't seen any .22's yet.

Laser eye surgery is down the road a bit. Insurance only covers a small portion of it, because "it's not necessary"!

A guy at the shop went in, and they did a great job. Got the bill and flipped!

He's covered pretty good if he get's electrocuted tho

Several weeks ago I was in the Cabelas in Hamburg, PA. I spotted a bunch of 100-pack CCI 22LRs. I wasn't able to get any. A rather rude group, I'm thinking dad, mom, and two sons over the age of 18, each grabbed two boxes. That was it. No more on the shelf. I said something to the one I assumed was the father. I thought I was going to get assaulted.

People line up at 6:30 AM at our two Walmarts to clean them out every Thursday when they get some. I did get one box of some off-brand at our local Gander Mountain a few weeks back. I'd never heard of the brand before. I just remember it was in a gold box, with black lettering.

I've got enough shells now to sight-in the new 22, plus enough to keep the critters under control for at least a year, maybe more. Most coons and possoms just need one shell. I'm still not taking many squirrels -- only serious pests. It is not worth cleaning the grey squirrels, and I still don't have a big enough herd of fox squirrels to start thinning them -- but every year there are a few more.

I first found that I needed bifocals 20+ years ago. I couldn't believe it.

The Optometrist told me the time comes when the steaks get tougher, the print gets smaller and folks get rude and just don't talk as loudly as they used to.

I still have all of my teeth but now have hearing aids($4,600) and about 20 pairs of cheapo reading glasses. I also have some over priced no lined bifocals around here somewhere.

If I have previously posted this info, I'm also tending to be kinda forgetful.

I just buzzed to the local walmart (after reading your post) to check things out.

The guy said they got their largest shipment they have had in a long time last Friday. By Saturday morning, pretty much everything was gone. They usually have plenty of heavier rifle stuff like .270's, 30-06 and .300 win mag's... Haven't found any 30-30's in a long time. He said if you want anything, be there on Tuesday's and Friday's at 8am or before, when they stock. If they have anything left, they put it out Saturday morning.

A 120 round box of American Eagle .223's is ~70 bucks! I remember when you could get a 1000 round case for just over a hundred bucks.

Limit is 3 boxes per customer in a 24 hour period.

I guess it was fortuitous that over the years I'd buy a box or two of 30-30 shells when I'd see them on sale. I have a number of boxes of Winchester and Federal, in both 150 and 170 grain. Most of them I got for about $10 for the 20-cartridge boxes. I don't use very many,so as long as they stay viable, I've probably got a lifetime supply.

I think I've got a lifetime supply of 12 gauge shells too -- if they don't go bad. Probably at least 10 years ago, Wally World had a center island stack of Winchester steel shot cases of shells. I think there were 10 boxes of 25 shells per box in the case. I think I paid around $20-$25 for the case. I probably only use 5-10 shells a year for pesky varmints I can get close to, or to scare off other critters.

I've found a number of .22 shells that wont fire. I bought brick of Winchester hollow point LR shells a number of years ago. I don't know if it is my old 22 or the shells. I suspect it is the shells. I'll find out when I get home later in the week with my new 22.

That's why I reload. No ammo shortage as I don't wait until I'm empty before buying replacement components.

Can't reload rimfire tho......