Epoxy for Peep Sight

[terryt]

Hi:

Has anyone epoxied a peep sight on the receiver of a Model 94 Winchester center fire instead of drilling and tapping it?

If so how well did it work?

Thanks,

Terryt

[LAGS]

No I have not.
But.
I do Crazy Glue on front sight ramps to a barrel to check their alignment , and test fire at 100 yards before I mark and drill and tap the barrel or mark the ramp location for soldering it in place.
I have yet to have a ramp fall off durring the test firing and sighting in of the rifle.
I tries Epoxying them on, but they fell off as soon as the barrel got Hot.

[fouronesix]

I have "glued" sights to quite a few guns that deserved to be left unmolested. JB Weld is strong and works well for the purpose. Not quite as durable or resistant to direct impact shock as a good solder or D&T, but usually plenty strong enough if done correctly. The receiver ring I assume? Should work OK if the radius of the sight base matches the curve, thereby adding more surface area.

[country gent]

I have used superglue to mount and test sights epoxy should work if every thing is cleaned well and roughed up for it to bond good. One mistake people make when gluing things is they clamp to tight pushing all the glue out of the joint. We had an epoxy for holding a material on to press crossheads. It gad a .010 grit in it to maintain a bond thickness when clamping gluing it together. If the sight mount has enough surface area epoxy should work. On an aside it used to be popular to "Bed" the slides in service rifle sights to the base with JB weld or other hard epoxy. This took the play out of the slides joint and lessened the spring covers need. Worked good and hled up well.

[Hardcast416taylor]

I have had 2 experiences with epoxy affixed sights. The first was on a `bubbaed` 1917 Enfield peep sight. It was a Lyman peep that was meant for a different style rifle reciever. It snapped off as I was taking the adjustment slide out. The other incident was on a Rem. 721 rifle that I wanted to change the Weaver sight scope bases out and put a 1 piece mount on. I couldn`t move the bases after I had removed the mounting screws. I finally got the nylon mallet and a nylon piece for a drift punch. I did pop them off and discovered that the bases had been epoxied to the reciever besides being screwed on, must have not wanted that scope to move around.Robert

[flounderman]

I used Marine tex to attach a Weaver J scope to a jap action and it held until I removed it. The weight of the item you are epoxying on, the size of the contact area, the roughness of the surfaces, and how clean you prepare the surfaces, determine if it will work or not. Something like the Williams aluminum sight would probably not be a problem, properly installed. The heavier the item, the more inertia applied with the recoil.

[pietro]

Has anyone epoxied a peep sight on the receiver of a Model 94 Winchester center fire instead of drilling and tapping it?



Why would you need to D/T a Winchester 94 for a peep sight - was it made between the 1,350,000 SN range and the 1,790,00 SN range ? (the only pre-64 M-94's that had NO prep for anything other than barrel sights)

Winchester 1894/94's, made prior to the 1,350,00 SN range, were factory-prepped (drilled, tapped & plugged) for a tang peep sight.

Winchester 94's, made from the 1,790,000 SN range were factory prepped for a side-mounted receiver peep sight.

Winchester 94AE's, made starting in the 5,300,00 SN range, used the two rear-most factory scope mounting prep for a receiver peep sight prep.


In any event, I would be loath to use epoxy to mount a sight, on any Winchester levergun.


.

[scattershot]

I used JB Weld on a front sight ramp, but it came off the first time I shot the rifle. I still think it would work, I just did something wrong.

[terryt]

Thanks for all of the information.

[stu1ritter]

Loctite 380 "Black Max".
Stu

[fourarmed]

I grooved the top of the front sight of my Commander and epoxied in a large optical fiber rod. It came off during the first firing. I got another one and put it on with cyanoacrylate (super glue). Before it set up, I took a tiny bit of baking soda on my fingers and touched the joint. It solidified instantly, and has been on for almost a year. I think I will have to file or chisel it off if I decide to remove it.

[Ballistics in Scotland]

I can imagine a person preferring a receiver sight to the tang sights for which early Winchesters were tapped - or vice versa - and being reluctant to drill and tap a valuable old rifle for one.

I've had an epoxied front ramp come off a single shotgun barrel at the first shot, and it was an extra wide one, with a radius that was close to correct. I wouldn't use it for a scope, for a number of reasons - greater inertia, thermal expansion between the bases, greater leverage if something hits it, and the greater damage likely to occur if it does fall off. I think, nevertheless, that there is a good chance epoxy would work with a receiver sight on a moderately recoiling rifle. The important factors are a metal to metal fit good enough to leave only a thin film between them, careful degreasing, and warming the parts to avoid condensation on the metal. I would use one of the really strong slow setting grades of epoxy. If a space in any part of the joint was unavoidable, I would reinforce it with finely chopped glass fibre, and colour the epoxy with lamp-black or Brownells epoxy black. A little, too little to cause weakening, goes a long way.

Cyanoacrylates can be very strong, but they don't fill gaps as well as epoxy, and they don't resist heat as well. You should be able to loosen it with the heat which just about any metal parts will stand without impairment, although an optical fibre rod might not survive.

[M-Tecs]

On a metal to metal joint I am not sure how freezing will affect the joint but I do know that gluing in actions on bench guns is common. To break the joint you put them in the deep freeze.

[Tedly]

Clean degrease prep: acetone , next use Accra-Glass...done deal. Removal in the future ? heat with hobby torch

[porthos]

if you MUST; tedly said the magic word . acraglas from brownells

[Tedly]

Poly Choke for years glued on their ribs with a special blck , shinny epoxy they used during the 1970's...

[Wolfer]

Accra-glass.

[Win94ae]

Bazooka Joe bubble gum. :guntootsmiley:

[Col4570]

I have Glued on a few Ramrod Ferules on Muzzleloading Shotguns and they do,nt come off.As follows :- clean and roughen surfaces,mix two Part epoxy resin,collect Steel Filings with a magnet from around your Vice,mix in with the resin,apply to both surfaces,clamp the Ferule on,clean off excess when set.Reasons for doing this :- Double Shotguns and Rifles usualy have the Barrels and fittings Soldered on and it is unwise to apply heat around the Rib areas unless doing a complete re ribbing job.The resin tends to darken with the addition of the Filings.

[ironhead7544]

I used the glue Simmons makes for installing shotgun ribs to put a TC Contender scope mount on the barrel of an SMLE. Added a scope for a quick scout mount. Worked fine and I had a number of scopes on it of different weights. I was building a "cheap" scout to test out the concept.

[oldred]

Loctite 380 "Black Max".
Stu


+1 on the Loctite Black Max!!!! If a person wants to attach a sight with adhesive this is the way to go, the stuff's a bit spendy but it works. It will be stronger than any epoxy or superglue and can take a lot more heat. The Black Max has even been used to mount scopes!

[Hick]

If you have one of those 94's in the vintage with no D/T holes you can also buy a Marbles Bullseye sight for the dovetail and mount a peep aperture in the sight ring. It works and does not mar the originality of the rifle.

[bigdog454]

remove blue paint etc from both, making it metal to clean metal. I've done a few this way and they[ve held. if not clean metal to metal I've had them shoot loose.
BD