doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion German & Austrian Sporting Guns @ doublegunshop.com First Try But I Cheated a Little...

Well, I finally tried my hand at making claw mount rings to fit the bases on a pre-war Simson drilling. Probably would not have attempted it, but Cabelas Bargain Cave had several sets of Durasite Dead-On base and ring sets on sale. These are high muzzle loader bases made of Z2 alloy, a special vanadium steel mix. (Not the lighter weight aluminum type) The height and width were adequate so that once I filed off a bit of the bottoms, I had in essence a "blank" with fitted rings attached. "All" I had to do was spend about 35-40 hrs. filing and smoking in the fit which is just as tedious as others have testified that it is! To add to the difficulty, the front claw had been soldered in off-center to the rib. I am sure it was a factory foul-up which required someone to file and fit to overcome the flaw, which is also what I had to do in order to line it up so that the scope was pointing straight with the bore. What a pain! It was about 1 mm off center, and the tunnel needed to also line up for the iron sights. It all came out good and tight. I espouse both mounts be tight of their own accord--not just when the scope is mounted as I have seen some. This was my first try, and of course there is a real learning curve. One must truly grasp what makes a claw mount work. Blacking things in with a smokey lamp is a godsend, as was a six foot sections of one inch dia. aluminum tubing to help check the alignment of the rings--longer sight radius is better. Otherwise, I only had a lot of fine files. a starret micrometer, and a straight eyeball. (Take your time--some mistakes are not correctable)Alignment is not completely perfect but there was very little of the adjustment used up in sighting in the scope. Many of you with machining experience would probably have an easier go of it all. The only drawback to the z2 alloy is that it is stainless. The ring set comes painted, and one has to paint it to touch up filing and polished areas. Otherwise it seems to be a good way to "cheat" a little. Of course it comes one piece, but a hacksaw soon gives you what you need. I will let you all know if there are any durability issues. Sorry I need my daughter to help with pictures in the future, but really, the important details would be almost impossible to portray by pictures anyway. Since it is a standard tip off arrangement, I have placed a Leupold 1-4x20 Vari-x ii straight tube scope on it. Just in time for Fall festivities! Waidmannsheil...Steve

Oops, I meant to say z2 is a tungsten alloy. (not vanadium) In any case, the whole point of the post is to suggest that the Durasite base might be a suitable "blank" for making claw mounts...Steve

Steve,
Since it took 35-40 hours, it doesn't seem like you "cheated" to me. Post photos when you can.
Mike

Mike, you are partly right, but remember the "first time" factor and the off center front claw plus a bit of "thinking about it," and you have the answer to the time. Went beyond bore sighting today and shot it at the range. Only fifty yards on this indoor a/c range, but it performed well! Steve

I did the same thing only I used a set of Weaver Grand Slam High QD rings, they had enough steel to carve out the hooks. Also took many hours to get it done. I was lucky I had the original set of mounts only they were too tall for me to use quickly, I wanted the rig to handle more like a DGR for calling bear and mountain lion out here on the coast. The Weaver K-1.5 works perfect.

oskar,
I remember that project, nice clean work.
Mike

Great work, Oskar--nice and low. I think the Weaver Grand Slam may be superior since they can be blued. Looks great. Steve