RaymondMillbrae

Look here and be amazed. SWFA SAMPLE LIST In Christ: Raymond

FB3GDQ, I ultimately decided to place the SMALLER fiber optic rod onto my front sight. Why? Because the larger fiber optic rod was big...and actually, after some thought, it was a little larger than I wanted. On top of that, even the smaller fiber optic rod glows like you wouldn't believe when outdoors. Remember, the fiber optic rod is not used for sighting. The sole purpose of that fiber optic rod was for super-quick front sight acquisition. This is why a rear fiber optic sight is not needed. (In my opinion). I also do not use the fiber optic rod to sight-in on a target. For the close "in your face" targets...yes. I point it a touch high of dead center, and go BOOM. But for the longer distances, I will only use the fiber optic rod to find my front sight quickly, and then I will use the TOP OF THE FRONT SIGHT to aim for the center of the bullseye. (Or target). And very lastly...I have not tried any 50-yard shots yet. I am working-up two different low recoil slug loads at the moment, and they will be tested-out on Saturday after practice. (We have a USPSA match Sunday morning at the Richmond R&GC). I will post more feedback on this a tad later. Shoot with a purpose. In Christ: Raymond

Hey folks, I have a buddy who is contempleting installing a GPU (Gas Piston Upper) drop-in to his AR rifle. I am not sure if it is a full length AR rifle, or if it is a carbine or mid length rifle. I guess I just wanted to pick your brains for good manufacturers, and we can go from there. Thanks. In Christ: Raymond

Brother, you need to check the EARRPRO SIZING CHART. How in tar-nations are you going to have questions about your ear size...and ask someone else about OUR ear sizes?! That's like saying you are not sure what size shoes you wear...so what size shoes are WE wearing? Go to the above link and have someone measure your inner ear. Or do it yourself. (I did). In Christ: Raymond

Way ahead of you, VespidWasp. Once I installed the fiber optic front sight, and ghost ring rear sight on my Remmy 870P, it will not get further additions. I will be 3-gunning with it for now...and then (in the near future), I will be purchasing the FN SLP (or maybe the Mark I) to play with. In Christ: Raymond

Ohhhhhhh...my...gosh!! This new set-up is incredible. I went to the indoor range with my wife Saturday night (JACKSON ARMS) and test fired the sights. Needless to say, they were "spot on"! The rear LPA sight has 10 elevation adjustment notches. And when I went there, I had it set dead in the middle. (Notch number 5). The windage sight was also centered dead in the middle. I went there with 60-rounds of 00-buck, and 4 rounds of slugs. (Those were the only slug rounds I could find in my office). The first slug round was 4" inches high and 1" inch to the right at the 20 yard range. A quick adjustment put me dead center. These sights are the absolute bomb. When I went to the range, there was that lingering thought in the back of my mind that the front sight height would not co-witness with the rear ghost ring sight. But I figured that with an ADJUSTABLE rear sight, it would all be OK. My gamble paid off...they were spot on. The 00-Buck was great, and presented nice patterns at 7 to 15 yards. (I didn't try shooting them out to 20 yards, as they are primarily home defense loads). Bottom line, I got home and proceeded to pump-out 100 low recoil slugs on my shotshell press. I used two different "low recoil" formulas, and I am ready for the next dry day at the action range. Sorry about not having pictures, but the wifey forgot to bring the camera. And after we were done with the target (with 00-Buck loads), there was no use bringing them back home to photograph. More later. In Christ: Raymond

Just wanted to end this thread with a final note: I installed the HiViz FO front sight myself, and while I was at it, I also installed an LPA ghost ring sight as well. CLICK HERE TO SEE THE INSTALL TUTORIAL I MADE (Or go to the GUNSMITHING FORUM to check it out). I test-fired it last night with my wife, and I am grinning from ear to ear!! Bottom line...I made the right choice! Thanks again for a great thread. In Christ: Raymond PS: JSNeff, I did take a look at the sights you posted (MidwayUSA), but they were not to my liking. I wanted a rear sight that was adjustable, and also with a narrower ghost ring. (Most ghost ring sights are thick and beefy). On top of that, the front sight needed to be brazed on, which I am not profecient enough to do. (I could braze it, but I do not know enough about refinishing the barrel to match the existing finish).

OregonShooter, I agree...those MALKOV drop-in's are the bomb. Expensive, but worth it. Hard to find those Malkov's sometimes, as they are always on backorder. In Christ: Raymond

Cool thread, and good info. And just in case you're interested...there's a fellow CalGunner who is selling-off a bunch of 20-guage presses for dirt cheap. Check em out. CLICK HERE In Christ: Raymond

Really? No one? No one knows who sells one, or no one owns a mainspring tester? Any info on compression rates if I were to make one? Hmmm... In Christ: Raymond

I agree, the test is in the pudding. You have to weigh-out the cost/time of reloading shotshells, verses the benefits. If you can make shotshell slugs that group very well, and have very manageable recoil...then you are ahead of the game and reloading shotshell is worth it. But if you get no added benefit, then I hear ya. As for target shot...it's the same. Make loads that are strong enough to take down the steel plates at specified distances, yet still have manageable recoil. It's all a balancing act. Just be able to justify what you are doing...and all is well. Shoot with a purpose. In Christ: Raymond

Whoops... sorry for never geting back to yall. The AR-style sight will not retrofit onto the Benelli shotty. The threads are too large to fit into the hole of the existing Benelli base. But someone did mention that this AR-style post can be "trimmed down" to fit into the hole of the Benelli base. Then it's just a matter of rethreading it so it can have a screw hold it in place...like the stock Benelli one. Someone even mentioned drilling the exsting post on the Benelli, and then slipping a FO rod into this hole. Hmmmmm...not THAT is an idea. More to come. In Christ: Raymond

Hey folks, I would be interested in finding-out what a mainspring tester looks like. A while back I made a recoil spring tester...but I would like to see if I can concoct a mainspring tester. I would also need to have the compression measurements. Any links, or pictures, would be appreciated. Thanks. In Christ: Raymond

If yall wanna see how I did the installation myself...CLICK HERE. Enjoy, and thanks. In Christ: Raymond

OK, now it is the next morning, and it is time to show the finished product. Below is a pictures of my Remington 870P, and the new front and rear sights. All I can say is “WOW”! The LPA rear ghost ring sight is fantastic. It is solidly constructed, and looks Neanderthal stong. But what really caught my attention was the HiViz front sight. That thing glows like you wouldn't believe. The fiber optic rod is long, and has a set of ears on either side of it to protect it. And because the fiber optic rod is so long, it gathers light like you wouldn't believe. Just take a look at this beasty. (See below picture). Below are a few more pictures to see the sights from my eye's perspective. (I got a solid cheek weld, measured the distance from my eye to the rear sight, and placed my camera lens the same distance). Both of the sights are great, and I cannot wait to try them out. I am a very excited and happy camper! Let me close off this tutorial by saying that the HiViz customer service was exceptional!! I did something stupid while I was waiting for the drill and taps to arrive (I accidentally snapped my original fiber optic rod), and called HiViz for help. Not only did Christine (chief financial officer) send me out a few extra fiber optic sights for free...but I also got to speak with the owner. Oh my gosh...those guys are cool as heck, and super helpful. And to put the cherry on the sundae, they even told me they have a new, smaller-sized, fiber optic rod for my TACM1001-M...and sent me a few of those for free as well. (The original FO rod was .168", and the new, smaller FO rod was .135" - as per my Dillon calipers). Bottom line, I think this job of mounting sights can be done if you are mechanically/tool inclined, and have worked on metal before. But if you do not know how to work with metal, and you have no experience grinding very small parts, then take it to a gunsmith who can do this for you. (And who will also accept financial responsibility for any damage to the weapon that they may cause). You can do this...I did. Enjoy, and continue to educate your fellow shooters! In Christ: Raymond

Now I'm done, right? All that is left for me to do is clean-up the burrs from the inside of the receiver…right? Nope! I was lazy, and was hoping that I could reach through the ejection port to do this job. But I quickly realized that it was not going happen without causing un-necessary marks on other parts of the receiver. So now I had to remove the trigger housing to access these spots. Softly punch out the two pins on the receiver and...POP...the trigger housing is out and in your hand. Once the trigger housing was removed, I got a ¼" inch drill bit and countersunk the holes to clean everything up. This was done with a drill bit and my Herculean fingers. No electric drill was needed for this job. (See pictures below). That was the very last step. Now that everything was done, I placed a drop of blue Loctite on each mounting screw, screwed them snugly in place...and I was finally done. (See picture below). And since my Remington 870P was still disassembled in pieces, I took advantage of this fact and thoroughly cleaned my weapon. Now it was time to put it all back together, do a functions check, and sit back and admire my work. Cont’

Now the second thing we need to do is remove the barrel and bolt assembly. We will be drilling through the receiver, and you do not want to drill into the inner workings of your Remmy. So now that the barrel and bolt assembly are removed, lets start drilling the receiver. And like the front sight, I always use a smaller drill bit to make a pilot hole. Once the smaller pilot hole is finished, I switch over and use the included drill bit. Once you start tapping the hole, make super sure to use cutting oil. The receiver is a bit meatier (thicker) than the barrel, so go very slowly. Let me reiterate...very slowly!! (The included drill bit seemed kind of small, and I had to use a bit more oil and caution when tapping these holes). Make sure you proceed slowly, or you run the chance of snapping-off the tap in the drilled hole. Once the mounting holes are drilled and tapped, place the LPA ghost ring site into place, screw in the screws, and make sure all went well. (See picture below). Now I want you to notice something. Did you notice that the elevation screw in the middle of the LPA sight had been removed? This is because the elevation screw protrudes out of the bottom of the sight and would hit the receiver, not letting you make the adjustment to bring the point of impact downward. (See picture below). So what do I do? This is a question I had before starting on this project...which was ultimately answered by a person whom I trust. He told me, "Go ahead and drill the receiver to allow the screw free access to move". So in the below two pictures, you will see me marking the place where the hole will be drilled, and you will also see me countersinking the mark to start the pilot hole. I also used a drill bit that was SLIGHTLY larger than the screw itself. (No need drilling larger than you have to). cont’

This next phase is probably the most detailed. You will need to have a very steady hand, and the proper grinding and polishing heads. Place a medium-grit stone into your Dremel tool, and VERY SLOWLY start to grind away the screw threads that were protruding into the barrels bore. (Make sure you have very good lighting illuminating your work area, as this is very small, detailed, work). Once you are just about to touch the barrel, switch over to a fine-grit polishing stone. You want to make sure that you do not dimple the surface of the barrels bore. Use your fingers periodically to check for smoothness. (Sorry…I have no pix of this process). Once it is done, switch to a polishing wheel on your Dremel, and use some Flitz polishing compound. Polish carefully, continuing to use your finger to check the smoothness. Make sure you do not overdo it, as Flitz is an abrasive compound…and it will grind away your barrel if you are careless. My barrel came out really nice. It is glass smooth on the inside, with nary a dip into the barrel. I tried to take a close-up picture, but the camera does not do it credit. It looks kind of scratched in the picture…but in actuality, it is as smooth as glass. I guess the camera picks-up every little detail. (See picture below). So now we flip the barrel over to look at the finished front sight. It looks awesome, and it is very secure. The front sight is now done, so let's mozey-on-over to the receiver end of this project. The first thing I do is grab the second drill/tap packet. It contains the drill and tap for the LPA-included 8-40 screws. (See picture below). cont’

OK, now that I am toasty warm and inside, let’s continue. First, lets get that front sight finished, so we can let the adhesive start to cure while working on the receiver. The first thing I did before starting this project, was to look around for a good adhesive. I came across a few good products (Black Max being one of the best products out there, because of the elasticity that is included in the formula), but decided on Acraglas Gel. (See picture below).This stuff is an epoxy that will not budge, and it is only being used to give the front sight screw some added support. It will not be the sole support for the front sight. On top of that, it was free. (I had some left over from a bedding project I did for my Volquartsen .17HMR rifle with a carbon fiber barrel). The tools for this job will be a Dremel tool (with the long, flexible, shaft), and various bits. These bits will range from medium, to fine, to a polishing tip to be used in conjunction with Flitz polishing compound. (I did not use the course one in the picture). First we needed to scratch-up the underside of the front sight to remove some of the black finish. Then I scratched-up the upper part of the barrel, making sure it was on the parts that would be covered by the sight itself. This will give the Acraglas Gel some rough metal surface to adhere to. (See pictures below). Once that was done, it was a few minutes to pull out the ole Acraglas gel, mix it up (with a touch of black pigment dye), and scoop a bit of it onto the underside of the front sight. Make sure not to place too much of any adhesive on the front sight, as this will build-up under the sight and will actually raise the sight a few millimeter or more above the barrels surface. (See picture below). Now we get a smidgen of Loctite, place it on the HiViz-included 6-48 screw, and we’re almost done. (See picture below). As always, when working with smaller screws, use common sense and DO NOT OVERTIGHTEN THE SCREW! Just enough to keep it nice and snug will do. Let the Loctite do it’s job as well. Now we’re going to move to the fine, finishing, detail work. Follow along, Grasshoppers. Cont’

The next step is to see where the rear part of the receiver starts to curve downward. (The base of some rear sights are curved, and are mounted on the curved portion of the receiver, almost at a 45-degree angle). This LPA sight is flat on the bottom, so we will need to determine how far back we can mount the rear sight WITHOUT it overhanging the part of the receiver that starts to curve downward. Experience has also taught me that the more distance there is from the rear sight to the front sight, the more accuracy I will get. So I am trying to find the rearmost part of the receiver I can mount the sight. So how do we do this? With a straight edge. Get a straight edge, and place it flat on the receiver. Now look to find the spot where the receiver starts to dip away from the straight edge. This is now the point that you cannot cross. Make sure to mount the rear sight slightly forward of this point, just to be on the safe side. (See pictures below). Now that you have this point, go ahead and lay your rear sight on the receiver and get ready to mount it PERFECTLY CENTERED. (Notice that my Remington 870P has grooves on top of the receiver. This helped me to find the center, as all I had to do was “eye it” in the center of the grooves). Once the sight is centered, counterpunch/mark the spots directly through the rear sights mounting holes. Be very accurate, and take your time. I used an automatic center punch to mark all my drill points. (See picture below). OK..it was starting to get dark (and chilly), so I decided to move everything indoors into my office. The next phase will be continued in the comfort of my cozy warm office. Cont’

OK, now that the front sight is perfectly level, you need to make sure that little puppy moves nary a millimeter. (In other words, do what you need to do so it does not move at all). Once it is PERFECTLY in place, use a center punch to mark the spot for the front screw. Once the point is marked, we can now start with the drilling and tapping procedure. Below is a picture of the drill and tap sets I purchased from MidwayUSA. (They cost me something like $9.50 for each set). The top package is the drill and tap I needed for the two HiViz-supplied 6/48 screw. HiViz said that this is the prefect size screw, and thread, for the front sight. It gives the best balance of strength and hold for the size. I also want to interject here to say that I am only drilling one hole for the front sight. (The sight actually came with two holes, and two 6-48 screws). But securing the front sight by drilling two holes was not necessary. The rear part of the front sight will be reinforced/secured using an adhesive. I thought this was most prudent, as it would be difficult getting any tool deep enough into the barrels bore to work on the rearmost hole - if I had drilled a second hole. On top of that, HiViz said one screw was all it really took, and that a strong adhesive in the rear would be more than enough. So now the drilling begins. The first thing I did was drill a small pilot hole. This gives me the best chance for accuracy, and prevents the drill bit from "walking away" from the counter-punched hole I made on the barrel. Once the pilot hole was drilled, I then proceeded to use the drill bit that came with the tap...and then I tapped it as well. (See pictures below). Let me also say that all the holes were drilled by hand. (Nothing more than my huge anaconda biceps barely contained within my shirt sleeve, and a Milwaukee cordless drill). From experience I know that I can drill a very perpendicular hole in thin metals. But it is when drilling thicker metals that I would rely on a drill press or a milling machine. Some of the drill bits and taps in my photos will look crooked - but they are not. All the holes were drilled and tapped very carefully...and then I posed the drill bits and taps for the pictures. Now we can place the screw in the front of the sight and take a look at what we have. Here is a picture of the screw protruding into the barrel. (See pictures below). Wa-La! Done with the front sight...for the moment. We will now proceed to the rear sight Cont’

Now we are going to start with the very first step - leveling everything out perfectly. Why? Because this is how we will find the TOP DEAD CENTER of the barrel. (If you have a vented and ribbed barrel, you do not need to worry about finding this point on the barrel - but you will still need to find the "top dead center" of your receiver). In order to find this point on the barrel, you must first make sure your receiver is perfectly level. Once the receiver is perfectly level, you can now find the "top dead center" of the barrel.. In the next few pictures, you will see the process I took to achieve this result. You must make sure the weapon is perfectly leveled fore and aft, and left to right. (I cannot remember the “technical terminology” for this leveling process, so we’ll just let the pictures talk you through it). Remember...you must first level-out your receiver in order for you to find the top dead center on your barrel. I cannot emphasize this enough!!! cont’

OK, folks, I’m back again with a cool little project. I will be showing you, step-by-step, how to install an LPA rear ghost ring sight, and a HiViz TAC1001-M fiber optic front sight, onto a Remington 870P shotgun. I had a lot of questions before I started this project, mostly in regards to the front sight installation. I was not sure if I should epoxy it into place, or if I should get it drilled through INTO the bore, tapped, and then have the screw end ground flush. In the end, I decided to have a gunsmith make this decision for me. If he could guarantee the work, I would be OK with his decision. But in my search of the San Francisco Bay Area, I called over 15 different gunsmiths, and of those 15...only three or four would drill and tap a rear sight onto my Remington 870P. And that's not even mentioning my front sight. What?! And of those three or four gunsmiths, there was still a two to four week waiting period. (It is currently hunting season here, and the "good smitties" are over their neck in work). By the way, I did a Google search on gunsmith reviews, and I was really surprised how much negative feedback some of the local gunsmiths get for shoddy work. Some of the work (and professionalism) done by these specific gunsmiths border on total incompetence! Hmmm...a two to four week waiting period, and the possibility of shoddy work? Fogitabowdit! I decided to do the work myself. After massive searching and meditating on shooters internet responses, I decided that a large majority of them did not have a clue as to what they were talking about. It sounded like they were just repeating what they had heard or read…but had never really thought it through - especially when telling me NOT to drill through to the bore. (HiViz and Remington, both, verified the legitimacy of this type installation...if done correctly). On top of that, smitty's have been doing this for years and years on shotguns without problems. On a side note - it’s funny how you can ask a question about an installation project, and because no one knows how to do it, you get no response. (Which is OK..I understand that). But AFTER the project is done, everyone sees what has been done, and interjects to add their own “knowledge and wisdom” of the procedure. (Ha ha ha ha…watch and see). Let me also preface this tutorial by saying “I AM NOT A GUNSMITH”! So please don’t take this information as God’s spoken truth and run with it. This is a project I took-on, based on the fact that I am pretty mechanically inclined, and I have a very decent understanding of what I was doing. (If there were any errors, please feel free to point them out in an instructional way, for myself, and for all the other readers to benefit from). Anyhoo…with no further adeu…here is my pet project. In Christ: Raymond Below are a few pictures of the LPA rear ghost ring sight. It is a very solidly built sight, and every single adjustment of the screw has a very audible, and felt, CLICK. cont’

OK. In Christ: Raymnd

LPatterson, I totally hear you. Shotshell loading is SOOOOOOOOOOO much different than pistol or rifle reloading. Every single component you change is a possibility for disaster. As an example: we swap Large Pistol Primers all the time on our pistol reloads. But you cannot do this on shotshell reloading. If you are loading two different shotshell rounds, and everything is EXACTLY IDENTICAL - except for the primer - they may "feel" the same when shot. But in actuality, the pressures of one may be waaay beyond the safe levels. I pretty much stick to manufacturers load data. About the only "tweek" I will do is reducing a charge by maybe 1 or 1 1/2 grains. But even then I keep a good eye out, as reducing it too much may feel nice...but it may actually foul your shotty like you wouldn't believe. Thanks again. In Christ: Raymond PS: Oh yea...by the way...I guess when I reload for shotshell, I don't need discount coupons or sales. I reload shotshell at sale and discount prices every day.