drilling/installing an A2 front sight base

[Boolseye]

Can this be done with a drill press at home, or is it a machine shop job?

[nicholst55]

I suppose you can do it at home as long as you've got a good, secure setup. I would actually recommend drilling straight (as opposed to the tapered holes the pins require) holes through your sight base, then tap them for setscrews. Ideally, you need to mill 4 flat spots on the barrel for the setscrews to bear against. This allows you to turn the entire sight base slightly to center your windage adjustment on your rear sight. A lot of guys set their match rifles and service rifles up that way.

[Boolseye]

Thanks for your reply. That sounds straightforward–I still don't quite have the whole thing visualized, but I have the basic idea.
On my current rifle (w/ A2 sights), I notice that the taper pins appear to pass through the bottom of the barrel. Taking material off a barrel is definitely above my pay grade, whether it's the side or the bottom.

I would like to try this on my future build, a 300 AAC w/ a Wilson SS barrel (or possibly a Brownells). I'm trying to decide whether it's sensible, or whether I need to just get a picatinny gas block and call it good. I welcome anyone's experience with this, as well as the benefits vs. the effort involved.

...just went on youtube and found the one video that shows this. The guy has a serious shop, high-end drill press and lathe, etc. A little intimidated at the moment. It's very informative, but I don't know that my tools are quite up to snuff.

[country gent]

My match ars are all set up with the set screws and flats makes having no wind zero / mechanical zero much easier. A heavy wind at 600 yds can be trying at times. Having as much wind each way as possible is a big plus. On the M1A M14 and garand the front sights dovetail mount allowed for this.

[Boolseye]

this is some pretty advanced stuff (for me)–I can see the advantages of the method, however.
Did you have your match ARs done by a shop, country gent? Do either of you know the method for cutting the flats/determining exactly where they are? Also–are you shooting 600 yds. with open sights?!

[country gent]

My krieger barrels were done by a local gunsmith. He simply spotted the points and cut the flats with an end mill. The flats are easily spotted thru the front sight . Some barrels come cut for this set up now.
Yes we shoot 600 yds with iron sights in NRA High power matches. Service rifle competitors even use the "standard" sight radious. Match rifle shooter use a much longer sight radious since the barrels are longer and the front sight is at the end of the barrel. We also shoot prone with only a sling for support. No rests benches or sand bags. We even shoot out to 1000 yds with Iron sights in Long Range matches. Keep in mid the targets are 6 foot square paper and aiming black at 600 yds is around 48" in dia, X ring is 6". A good well tuned service rifle with a tuned 1/2 min sight is capable of cleans all day long, providing the shooter reads the wind, holds and does everything correctly. Keep in mind also at 600 yds we used 80 grn bullets loaded long ( wouldnt feed thru the magazine) and single loaded with a special magazine follower.

[Boolseye]

That sounds really enjoyable–my kind of competition. So, I'm hearing that the FSB was drilled first, then lined up and the flats spotted that way. What kind of depth into the barrel & length are we talking–1/16" depth x 1/4" length or so?
I've bicycled through your neck of the woods on a x-country ride a few years ago...went along the lake, through Vermillion and down to Fremont, then back up toward Toledo and into MI. Also have friends that shoot at Perry sometimes–greetings from VT

Also–how well does an A2 FSB work with set-screws and no flats? respectable, until such time as flats can be milled?
-BE