PPS Kar98k scope mounting options? (any gunsmiths?)

[Impulse]

Hello collective forum! I come to you in a time of great need, and as usual it's a weird, very niche question because I love being difficult. As I now have a Tanaka G40 (on the way!) to set up as a 1.1J bolt action, I want to turn my full length PPS Kar98k into a 2.3J sniper rifle with a scope, so I am looking at mounting options and also buying more mags so I can take it to more games and not be limited to 40 BBs as I only have 4 mags at the moment and they're 10rds each). However, the scope mounts that I would like to fit require some precision drilling and tapping of the receiver.  I am just a layman with a hand drill, so that's not going to happen, so I was wondering if anybody here knows a gunsmith or someone who has access and experience with precision tools, as the scope has to be centred for what I hope would be obvious reasons. I'm not looking at historical accuracy, as I'll be covering it in scrim anyway for Vietnam filmsim games, but I am looking for it to not give me a headache, a nice sight picture to observe my prey (go home GI!) and I haaaaaaaaaaaate the side mounted ZF scopes because they're awful. Ideally I'll just be mounting my Vector Optics 3-15x scope which I use on my m700s because it's lovely to look through!

 

These are the scope mounts I'm looking at:

https://www.patrolbase.co.uk/vector-optics-kar98k-steel-scope-rail-mount

 

Starting to weigh up my options though, as there's a LOT that could go wrong with that method. This looks like it might be a better solution and *should* fit as the Tanaka / PPS Kar98s are 1:1 replicas and my rear sight base is exactly the length they describe:

https://www.badacetactical.com/products/low-profile-mauser-k98k-ndt-scope-mount-picatinny-rail

 

And failing that, I can always use a Vortex Crossfire II 2-7 scout scope on a small picatinny rail on the front sight post, which is by far the cheapest option, but also the worst option I think

https://www.opticswarehouse.co.uk/vortex-crossfire-ii-2-7x32-sfp-scout-scope

https://www.ebay.com/itm/404725964946

 

Let me know thoughts, suggestions, experiences etc. I'm starting to lean towards the Bad Ace Tactical mount, but if someone suddenly knows a reliable gunsmith, I may start to drift back towards the Vector Optics ones...

 

(Also as a complete side note, if anyone knows where I can find either a replacement PPS hop unit or a Zeta Labs hop unit for the Kar98, let me know)

[LMKipper]

Cor drilling and tapping the receiver precisely is going to be a very hard job.

 

The basic tools needed would either be a specialist jig that centres and aligns everything, or the ability to lock the rifle into a fixture on a mill that allows you to centre and true everything, then traverse the bed to keep everything in line. Personally, I would only take this to an armourer - I wouldn't fancy my own abilities to do this on a mill and I've got a rough idea of what I'm doing with precision tools 🤣

 

A bit of consideration needs to be given to the thickness of the receiver in the points you want to drill and tap. There needs to be quite a lot of spare material to be able to screw the mounts down tight without interferring with the bolt/breech area. 

 

Basically what I'm saying is, if you don't care about accuracy get the Bad Ace mount.

[Impulse]

3 hours ago, LMKipper said:

Cor drilling and tapping the receiver precisely is going to be a very hard job.

 

The basic tools needed would either be a specialist jig that centres and aligns everything, or the ability to lock the rifle into a fixture on a mill that allows you to centre and true everything, then traverse the bed to keep everything in line. Personally, I would only take this to an armourer - I wouldn't fancy my own abilities to do this on a mill and I've got a rough idea of what I'm doing with precision tools 🤣

 

A bit of consideration needs to be given to the thickness of the receiver in the points you want to drill and tap. There needs to be quite a lot of spare material to be able to screw the mounts down tight without interferring with the bolt/breech area. 

 

Basically what I'm saying is, if you don't care about accuracy get the Bad Ace mount.

 

Haha, good to know that someone who actually knows what they're doing has the same thinking as me. Definitely leaning more towards the Bad Ace mount; it's pricey, but it puts the scope where I want it and doesn't require me to drill any holes in this lovely gun.