Help- Mounting peep and front sight on Puma 92

[saz]

I just bought a Williams 94/36 reciever sight for my 454 Puma. I read an article by Marshall Stanton explaining how to drill and tap the reciever and it seems pretty straight forward. I do have a couple of questions though.... I use this rifle primarily for heavy boolit shooting, and the factory rear sight is pushed WAY up and catches a lot on brush, clothes etc... Also the factory rear is a little flimsy and moves around. Here are my questions-

1. When I drill for the reciever sight, what should I be cautios of inside the reciever, and do I drill all the way through?

2. Being that the rear is so high, how much shorter of a front sight should I use to bring the rear down? The factory fiber optic is .365" from the top to the bottom of the dovetail.

I have never drilled and tapped a reciever sight before, so any advice is welcome! Thanks everyone!

[Jeff H]

I just bought a Williams 94/36 reciever sight for my 454 Puma. ................

1. When I drill for the reciever sight, what should I be cautios of inside the reciever, and do I drill all the way through?

2. Being that the rear is so high, how much shorter of a front sight should I use to bring the rear down? The factory fiber optic is .365" from the top to the bottom of the dovetail.

I have never drilled and tapped a reciever sight before, so any advice is welcome! Thanks everyone!

Someone posted (cannot remember where) a pic of that sight on a Rossi and I believe that I was told it was drilled through but don't remember for certain. If you want to do a blind hole, buy at least one extra tap and break it off, grind it flat at the point where the threads are full-diameter for uses as a "bottoming tap." You would run this in after the regular tap to open full threads to the bottom of the hole. This is the one you would likely break and takes some effort to remove.

To quote my Dad, who retired several years ago as a tool & die maker of 40+ years, "it's all in the setup." Take your time and make sure everything is set up perfectly and don't fret if you spend an hour setting up to drill a single hole perfectly. That hole will be there forever (if you don't have to weld it shut) and that hour is nothing in comparison to a buggered hole in a rifle. ANyone who looks at the completed project will not know you fussed with it for so long - they will only see the finished product - good OR bad.

Relax, work slowly, make sure you have time so that you won't be interruppted, use a good lube and don't force the tap. Back it off a half turn when it feels tright to break the chip. That may only be every half turn on some steel, more on others.

If you use a drill press to tap, it is VERY helpful if you can remove the up-return spring so that you don't have to work against that to exert what little downward pressure you need. The spring ruins the tactile feedback ("feel") that is imprtant in threading. Don't use the motor! Remove the drive belt and turn the chuck by hand.

"Gluing" the sight on with a very thin layer of silicone caulk and spotting the first hole with a drill that JUST fits the mounting hole will help get you off to a good start. Then, using the tap drill, drill that hole, tap that hole, mount the sight with that one screw and then spot the next hole and get another screw in it. You will lwant to stop and clean up the chips and oil each time you drill or tap a hole but the time is worth it in the end.

If you cannot use the sight mounting holes as drill guides (as described above), then spot the holes with a center drill because it is much stiffer.

I know I didn't answer specific questions about your sight on your rifle, but maybe the tips will help you sort the rest out. I am almost certain someone here has used that sight on a Rossi. I would be interested to see your end results as I have not had the time to pick out my own rear sight yet and am still considering my options.