Making shims for weaver #45 scope base mount

[Geofois]

I made some from a tin can but thinking less but thicker material might be better. Has anyone made some from material from Home Depot? Is steel better than aluminum? I probably need longer screws to mount it also. Its for my 1903a3 that is scoped. I took off the scope and mounts and noticed it got loose. I'll probably need to blue loctite it next time. I'll have to take it off and measure how thick the diy shims add up to.

[Ki6vsm]

Do they make cans out of tin anymore?

What sort of thickness do you need? "but thinking less but thicker material might be better" doesn't make much sense to me. You looking for thicker or thinner than whatever that can was?

FWIW, you can buy brass shim pieces like this from many hardware stores. Very easy to work with.

https://www.amazon.com/Brass-Assortment-Length-Thickness-Pieces/dp/B09WJ6Y9YL/ref=pd_lpo_1?pd_rd_i=B09WJ6Y9YL&psc=1

[Geofois]

Do they make cans out of tin anymore?

What sort of thickness do you need? "but thinking less but thicker material might be better" doesn't make much sense to me. You looking for thicker or thinner than whatever that can was?

FWIW, you can buy brass shim pieces like this from many hardware stores. Very easy to work with.

https://www.amazon.com/Brass-Assortm...9WJ6Y9YL&psc=1

The question was aluminum vs steel so sounds like you don't have a preference. I did read lots of posts where aluminum was fine. My concern is the can I used seemed really thin so I think I used 8 diy shims and hard to make them exactly flush with each other. I wonder if so many shims absorbing vibrations would lend itself to more easily get loose vs one piece 1mm thick for example. A brass shim or 2 would be nice also. 1mm thick aluminum would probably be fine also I bet. Less pieces and more solid might be better but I'll let others chime in.

[Ki6vsm]

Thought I'd offer the idea of brass since it's easy to find in assortments. I've made shims with soda/beer can material before. I don't recall the thickness of it though. Nice thing about Aluminum can material is it's coated/anodized on both sides so likely won't corrode/gall when placed against steel... even though you'll probably leave an oil coating on all surfaces anyway.

Steel-on-steel won't create a galling issue either. Can you find steel shim stock in small quantities in your area? I only found steel shim stock in rolls 25' long in my town. Though I only checked one industrial supplier.

BTW, I think I deduced what you meant by "but thinking less but thicker material might be better" LOL. You were saying that fewer layers of a thicker material material might be better. I'd have to agree.

Do you know what thickness you actually need, more or less? It helps to own a dial/digital caliper for this kind of job.

[Geofois]

I'll take off the front mount and use my digital caliper to check. It seemed thicker than the kit available on Brownells for all 7 shims or I'd just order than for $12. All 7 shims in that kit was .047". I'll found out after work.

[Ki6vsm]

I'm kind of curious. Why the shims? You said, "I took off the scope and mounts and noticed it got loose." By "it" I assume you meant the Weaver mount. So I assume it has something to do with that.

[Geofois]

I'm kind of curious. Why the shims? You said, "I took off the scope and mounts and noticed it got loose." By "it" I assume you meant the Weaver mount. So I assume it has something to do with that.

From what I've been told when i asked in the 1903 builders forum it's common to need shims. They said even the 1903a4 had to be shimmed so I don't feel so bad. But yeah normally you'd think you buy the correct weaver mounts and that's it. I put weaver mounts on my howa and it's dead on when I dropped the Leopold on.

Not sure if that was your question but without the shims the scope was pointing so low I couldn't adjust to get it on target.

Yes the weaver mount was loose. Maybe if I tighten again with blue loctite I'm fine but I'd like to make it more solid so if I can do 1 or 2 shims instead of 8 thin ones I'll do that. I also need to get longer mount screws.

Edit: Measured the shims. If I squeeze the caliper to help it seems .039" but I think I need a tiny bit more since that did get it within scope adjustment but was still toward the end. The kit that adds up to .047" is probably fine but ideally would like one shim if I can. I like your idea of brass shims. I'll check Home Depot next time I go there. What about a 308 case? That's probably then but thicket than a can I bet. Just not sure if it's consistently the same thickness.

[Ki6vsm]

Not sure if that was your question but without the shims the scope was pointing so low I couldn't adjust to get it on target.

I can't picture why this is happening, but I don't know '03 Springfields very well at all. So, the mount isn't going on a surface that's inline with and parallel to the bore? And also, the Weaver mount's base doesn't match the shape of the surface it's going on?

[Geofois]

From what the people that knew what they were talking about said was that it wasn't so much the front mount on the ring but more the "rear deck" where the rear mount sets has some variation with the different receivers. So in my case the rear mount is sitting like .050" higher than it should. When I look at the weaver site these mounts are used on many rifles. My front mount is used on Mausers also. Not sure how exact the curvature is but it seems pretty darn exact for that part. I did get a kit so when I mount the rings I can use the round file and make them hold the scope perfect since they were also not perfectly in line. I forget the name for doing that. "Wheeler Scope Ring Alignment and Lapping Kit Combo, 1 Inch and 30mm". OK looked up what I ordered. Ideally a single piece rail would be perfect but since it's already tapped for these mounts I don't want to retap it.

[Geofois]

It just occurred to me copper supply line piping is the right thickness for just one shim. The thinnest one maybe not enough but they are right around the .050" range. I found an aluminum washer in the washer bucket that is .046" thick which should do the trick.

[Ki6vsm]

Sounds good then. FWIW, I'm surprised that Randall hasn't chimed in. He usually has something to say in these situations.

On lapping the rings, I have the same kit. Or similar. Mine's just for 1". Did the rings on an old Winchester Model 54 deer rifle in 30-'06 that my dad gave me. From what I remember of the lapping process, don't go too far with it obviously and take too much off the rings. When finished, you should still have a fair amount of 'black' showing on the inside surfaces. Just enough to take off the "high spots" and make the holes round. Or at least, rounder than when you started.

[Geofois]

I wish I had the kit when I did the mount for a Winchester 1894. The scope kept sliding and I couldn't figure out why till I read about lapping. I got an old 1" scope and some sandpaper and worked it a little with the sandpaper facing outward and it worked but damn that was a lot of time.

[VictorFranko]

Are you still looking for shim stock?

[Geofois]

Are you still looking for shim stock?

I would like brass shim stock vs the washer I have so yeah. The washer seems really rigid so maybe hard to bend.

[VictorFranko]

I would like brass shim stock vs the washer I have so yeah. The washer seems really rigid so maybe hard to bend.

I have some .060, .050, .040, .032 thickness but in 6061-T6 alum, unsure of any brass at this time.

I have to pull some bigger sheets out and shear it to width/length, kinda of a PITA but if you think you will use it, I can do that for you and mail it to you.
Please don't say yes just to take it and throw it in your material box, okay?

I have no idea what your needed start dimensions would be, and will this shim have a bend? If you bend 6061-T6 with the grain it will crack.