Drill through for shotgun beads?

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  • Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Jan 21, 2011
    1,781
    48
    Hey, I've got a Classic Arms kit gun that I want to add beads to for front sights. It's the little "Twister" cap and ball derringer. I bought a little kit with a drill bit, a tap and two beads for this purpose. So......... Do I drill through into the bore and then file off the butt end of the bead from inside the bore? Or should I stop short leaving a blind hole and then fit the bead to the desired height before using threadlock on it? The barrel is pretty thick and I think a blind hole is doable, but what is the standard procedure, if any for this? Bear in mind that this is a toy gun. It should be as nice as possible but the actual criteria is pretty low.
     

    Double T

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    15   0   1
    Aug 5, 2011
    5,955
    84
    Huntington
    Measure the thickness of the metal you're going to drill into, then file down the bead less than that and install would be my guess. Or spot weld a bead on. Either way.
     

    russc2542

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    24   0   0
    Oct 24, 2015
    2,111
    83
    Columbus
    patience. some people have day jobs that don't allow them to be on forums and hobby's other than sitting at the computer all night. Sometimes it's a matter of how you phrase your title to keep people that would be helpful from passing by.

    The one shotgun I have with a bead has it drilled through the barrel because the barrel's not even 1/16" thick at that point.
     
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Jan 21, 2011
    1,781
    48
    Yes I was being impatient. Sorry to all.

    I have seen shotguns drilled through as they are so thin. What I am uncertain about is drilling through a three inch barrel, how much shock/pressure is at play there? Remember this gun runs on blasting powder instead of propellant! I don't want to start a crack. What is proper? Is a blind hole drilled short of the bore worthwhile? or would a skilled and experienced gunsmith just drill it through and dress it smooth from the inside?
     

    DangerousDave

    Marksman
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Jan 3, 2014
    212
    18
    Cayuga
    If it was me, I would drill a blind hole and silver solder the bead in place. I have also seen shotgun barrels drilled through but that was because of the thiness of the barrel. Since you have plenty of thickness on your barrel I would definitely go with a blind hole.
     
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