I recently bought a new Grade I SA-22 and really like it. However, after shooting it with the standard open sights, I decided it really needed (for me) a scope. So I bought the SA-22 scope base and rings. Of course, in order to mount the base, the rear sight has to be removed. So I got out my brass drift and rawhide mallet and proceeded to frustrate myself for the next half hour trying to drive it from the dovetail (left to right) -- that half hour included letting some Kroil soak into the dovetail. The rear sight will NOT move! I whacked it pretty hard and could see NO movement. Is it typical for them to be so tight? Any suggestions (besides just staying with the iron sights)?
There is one option if you want to shoot a scope and still leave the rear sight in place and that is the Leupold SA 22 scope base. Fits right over the rear sight when folded down. That's the good news. The not so good news, though not terrible news, is that the Leupold base allows for very little forward and back placement of a scope, so you'll need to find a rimfire scope with enough eye relief or a rimfire scope with a long tube.
Okay, may not be fitting for such a fine rifle, but the Simmons 22 mag 3-9x actually works pretty well for me with the Leupold mount. The classic Leupold 4x Rimfire works, too.
Suggest you use a brass or metal hammer rather than your rawhide mallet and hold the barrel securely in a padded vice. The rawhide mallet may be absorbing too much of the impact force. It will not hurt to let the joint soak in Kroil overnight.
Not sure WHY they need to be so dang tight! After all, they are supposed to be drift-able for windage adjustment -- good luck! I ended up ordering the Leupold base and hope it works OK with a Leupold 4x rimfire.
They're tight...same goes for the BL-22. I have found both of them difficult to remove. As BBlount said, you need something a little more solid to hit your brass punch with. My little Lyman brass hammer wouldn't do it on either of these rifles, even in the vice.
With my SA, I was able to use a ball pein hammer, but still had to wack the punch pretty hard. On the BL, after giving up on the little Lyman hammer, a couple of light swats on the punch with a 2lb hammer slid it right out. I know it sounds excessive, but a little more weight and a solid hammer will make all the difference.
For punches, I cut my own from aluminum or brass rod picked up at Home Depot...cheap, effective, and available in various diameters.
I have 2 -SA 22 the Leopold scope base works well on both. fits over the folded down rear sight. good luck you will enjoy your SA22 they are superior 22 rifles!!
The SA-22 manual says you can drift it left-to-right or right-to-left to adjust for windage so it should move in either direction for removal. I would soak the sight with my mix of 30/70% ATF and Acetone. This acts as a very effective penetrating oil. Let it soak for an hour or so and repeat until it moves.
It's not rusted or gummed up. I don't think lube or solvent will help at all.
I would do the same thing-try the Leupold mount,rather than fight it.
However, if you must fight it, and a metal hammer with brass drift won't free it from the left, try it from the right side, just to see if you can get some movement. Otherwise, get a bigger hammer!
(or try to chill the sight, heat the barrel)
btw, I happen to know a young man who wasn't too mechanical or patient at the time, and only had a steel punch.
For over fifty years, he's been looking at two dings on the left side of the barrel, just below the sight. ...he looks quite a bit like me.
Heavy layers of tape in the surrounding area, aren't a bad idea
Cam, that was exactly my thought. I don't want to risk marring the rifle and if I use the Leupold base with the Leupold 4x scope, no need to remove the sight and easy enough to go back to original. This ain't no benchrest rifle, but I think a 4x scope will allow me to shoot it more accurately (and maybe as important, be able to adjust it to hit where I'm aiming).
Doug,
I haven't used a Leupold base on mine, but I have used a Leupold 4x rimfire special.
I suspect that you'll find the scope position to be too far forward for proper eye relief with that base.
I installed the Leupold mount on my SA-22 and fitted it with the Leupold FX-II Ultralight 58450. Reasons for choosing this scope was that a scope with a front bell would not fit in the Browning fitted hard case. Also, the 2.5X scope provided adequate eye relief.
Good point. I have a Leupold VX-1 1-4X on another rifle. If need be, I'll use the 4X on it and move the 1-3X to the SA-22. In fact, I may do that anyway as the "petite" 1-3X might just look better on the SA-22.
The SA 22 would be a great rifle for someone to make a small platform for the various small pistol-sized red dot sights, like the Bushnell Fastfire. Especially if you could use the existing mounting holes, without removing the rear sight.
I imagine the market size is way too small to make it economically viable though; them's the breaks.
Hmmm... if Leupold were to modify their existing base (the one I just received but haven't tried yet) -- delete the holes for turn-in rings and instead have an 11mm or 3/8" rail, or alternatively a picatinny-style rail, either would work well for a red dot.
Update: So I got the Leupold Base and Leupold Rings and put it together this morning. (Man, are those turn-in rings TIGHT!) After getting the base and rings set up on the rifle, I tried the Leupold FX-1 4x28 Rimfire scope (a neat little scope) but it was a No Go. The objective bell would not allow the scope to be moved as far rearward as necessary. Plan B was to use the Leupold VX-1 1-4x20 that I had on my CZ452 FS. So I took the 1-4x off the CZ and mounted the 4X in its place and then mounted the 1-4x on the SA-22. With a straight tube over the objective, I was able to move it rearward far enough to make it viable. I need to crawl the stock a bit, but the forgiving eye relief of the 1-4x saves the day. Pics below.
Doug, nice set-up. Looks almost identical to what I used - Leupold FX-II, 2.5X.
Phil
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