Help!! Mosin Nagant ATI Scope mount

[701]

I have a m44 Mosin Nagant which I purchased with an ATI scope mount (the one drilled into the reciever), and having finally shot it, I would like to attempt to get rid of the scope and mount. Does anyone know if I need to fill in the holes from the mount screws? I am assuming so, since they go into the reciever and would constitute a weak spot at best and a horribly placed gas port at worst, but this is the first time I have dealt with either a Nagant, or a scoped rifle other than a .22. If I do need fo fill them in, should I use the mount screws cut down? or try to find shorter replacements, etc. I am lost here and dont want to hurt myself by having done the wrong thing.
I would just sell it and buy another but I am in love with the refinishing job the previous owner did on the stock, and could never surpass it myself.
Thanks for the help!

 

[gb6491]

Properly installed, the ATI mount screw holes should present little reason for concern (other than crud getting in/thru them) if left unplugged. If you want to plug them, Brownells sells plug screws or you could look for the appropriate size set screw (the ATI installation instructions call for a 10-32 tap) at your local hardware store. The screws need to be short enough that they do not interfere with the operation of the bolt. Loctite them in place.
Regards,
Greg

 

[701]

Thamk you so much! So, just to be clear, I shouldn't have to worry about gasses shooting through the holes? Or a case rupturing because of the holes? Maybe a dumb question, but as I haven pulled it off yet, I haven't seen exactly what I'm going to be dealing with, other than at least the rearward screw does go all the way through the reciever. Thank you again for your time and wisdom!

 

[rcmodel]

If you do have gas shooting through the holes, a plug screw isn't going to slow it down much.
And they will be the least of your problems anyway!

Don't worry about it.
Plug them with screws if you want, but if you don't, nothing bad is going to happen.
Except for spider nests in the holes.

rc