barrel holes repair

hello. years ago i purchased a cva bobcat, think i paid $50 for it just to have something for primitive arms season in oklahoma. not having a clue about how to go about it i decided it would be cool and a good idea to put a scope on it (wish i hadnt lol). drilled and tapped four holes all the way through. never finished the "project". had shoulder replacement surgery recently and not being able to do much and being extremely bored, saw it in the closet and dug it out, thinking maybe i could "fix" it. found 4 screws, cut them the right length, and put them in the holes. having recently joined this fantastic forum, i started to question if it would be safe to shoot. opinions or experience on this? oh, and go ahead and feel free to

I wouldn't shoot it. That's just my thoughts.
I've had to learn some lessons that cost me way more than $50
I'm SURE others will have different thoughts.

It is safe if the holes are plugged with tight fitting screws. We screw in nipples, liners, "clean out" screws and breech plugs.

However the holes will catch the patch and cause accuracy problems, loading problems, and cleaning problems. Four through holes make the barrel scrap.

Scota@4570 said:

However the holes will catch the patch and cause accuracy problems, loading problems, and cleaning problems. Four through holes make the barrel scrap.

Click to expand...

Exactly, the bore holes could easily have become "obstructions". Were the exit points of those holes smoothed? Could there be a tiny "burr"?
Even if the screws where capped with a spot weld, it's the bore that's the scary part.
Not worth the risk for me or others standing near, or worth it falling into the hands of children/grandchildren decades from now.

That wasn’t a repair, just some external plugs. The bore is the important part. Find a different barrel.

I stated in another thread that there is no way to repair something like that other than to cut the barrel off and make a short-barreled muzzleloader or a pistol out of it. I stand by that statement. Others have different opinions. For fifty bucks? Discard the barrel and part out the remainder of the gun. You'll likely recover the costs you have incurred. Now, if you "repair" it, you run the risk of injury, getting sued and just generally incurring bad karma.

Those screw holes will be places for rust and crud. I doubt they would make the barrel burst if the screws do no protrude down into the barrel, but just generally they don't belong and I'd say it's worth getting a half descent Pedersoli kit and becoming a black powder nut.

Only way I'd even consider shooting that gun is if it was bored out and or relined to a smaller caliber. Nothing against the Bobcat but, really don't think it's worth all that. Find another barrel or part it out & buy another gun.

Apply Red Loctite to the screws. Snug them down. Cut them flush. File them. Sand them. Blue them. Just make sure the screws don't protrude into the barrel. In the words of Kacking Kamala Harris: That's basically bad.

Then shoot that thing and not give it a second thought.

Those screws are not going to move. Ever. And I don't believe accuracy will suffer either. Oodles and oodles of military rifles have holes drill into their bores. For gas systems to operate.

A small 45 degree chamfer will allow you to torque the screw heads down some.

not real fond of it as it has the plastic stock, but i like the idea of trying to shorten it just for something to do as i am a tinkerer, which sometimes works against me lol.......

I was drilling for a touch hole liner, had a senior moment and drilled all the way through one side of the barrel and out the other side. I was using my pilot hole drill bit so the hole was small. I tapped the exit hole to 10-32 and found a screw to fit it.

I asked the question here if my fix would be safe to shoot. The late Lonnie was an expert about such things and did the math, he said my plug was ten times stronger than the strongest charge I would ever shoot in the barrel. I put the screw in with red Loctite, I pulled the breech plug and I made sure the screw didn't protrude into the barrel. I countersunk the entry hole and peened the excess screw into the countersink, draw filed the now invisible plug smooth and rust browned the barrel.

I have shot the rifle quite a bit with no problems.

I have two TC rifles where for manufacturing simplicity the breeches were drilled from one side through the other, then plugged with a pin or screw- can't tell which. Both have survived many heavy hunting loads.

I'm inclined to say give it a try. Measure and cut the screws with great care, including testing with a rod and patch to be sure there is no protrusion inside. Rather than thread adhesive, consider anchoring the screws with silver solder.

Screw or micro-welding will work but you will still have to draw file the barrel to make it look good.

Plugging those holes by whatever means will look good on the outside of the barrel BUT what about the INSIDE? Those holes will be an issue catching debris and creating places for rust. The person that suggested to reline the barrel to a smaller caliber is a good one in my opinion

If it was drilled/tapped for a scope mount, I wouldn't think shortening the barrel would be an option either. Bobcat barrels weren't overly long to begin with, cut another 4 or 6 inches off, rebreach it, and drill for the drum. A lot of effort, even if you do it yourself. And you still get a pretty short barrel, probably under 18 inches.

I wouldn't be concerned with the plugs blowing out. I'd plug and shoot it and see if it'll shoot. At this point you have nothing to lose.

Lots of nice TC rifles on online auction site that someone (qualified??) had drilled and tapped for scope mounts. That is a deal killer for me. No extra holes in the barrel. A shallow dovetail that is neatly filled in may be OK.