Re: Removing stock picatinny from TRG-22
Well, the deed is done. It was a lot like making love for the first time: you're all nervous and excited before, not sure if you're doing it right during, and feel great and relieved after, wondering what all the fuss was about
Anywhoo, I tried the iron idea, and that got one of the screws out but the others wouldn't budge even after 10 minutes of "ironing." Then I got ballsy and took my propane torch to it. The screws came out with minimal effort. I used a Forster 3/16" x 0.32" hollow ground scredriver. It fit like a glove.
As advised, I then tapped the rail upward with a brass punch till it came off. There was only one unforseen snag. Besides the screws, the rail had two little pins (recoil stops?) loctited in. One of these came out with the rail, but the other stayed in the receiver. I was horrified at first since it offered very little length to grip with pliers or the like, but then I calmed down and clamped a small vice grip onto it. With a little more heat and a gentle twist, the thing came right out.
I managed to do the whole procedure without a single scuff on the finish of the gun and only one tiny scratch on the rail. I did end up with a lot of residue on the receiver. While the screws were definitely loctited in, it looks like the flat surfaces were epoxied. The stuff is clear and shiny, not ashy white like loctite. From what I've read online, the stuff comes off with acetone (nail polish remover), so I'm going to try that tomorrow.
Some tips if you're going to do this:
1. Make sure to get the hollow ground screwdriver. Even with the proper driver, it was touch and go on some of the screws. I am convinced that I would have stripped the screw heads had I used a regular tapered driver or even some of "gunsmithing" drivers you can find. The Forster fit the bill exactly. A lot of products claim to be hollow ground, but really aren't. You can tell a real hollow ground screwdriver by the fact that it gets just a bit thinner just north of the very tip before thickening out into the shaft.
2. Apply plenty of downward pressure WHILE you apply torque to the screws. I gripped the driver in one fist and then rested my cheek on top of the fist and pressed down as I turned. This keeps the tip in good contact at the bottom of the screw slot.
3. Wrap the brass punch in a towel or other thick cloth before tapping on the rail. This kept the finish on my gun spotless.
4. If you get a pin stuck in the receiver once the rail comes off, just put a pair of small vice grips on it parallel to the receiver and twist back and forth while applying upward pressure and heating with a torch. This sounds a lot more complicated than it really is. It's not that tough. You just have to make sure to attach the vice grips a milemeter or so above the receiver so you don't scuff it.
I finally got my Sako mount on there and did a trial fit of my Nightforce 5.5-22. Looks scary!
That's all I got for now. Will update on getting the residue off. Thanks for all the advice!
) new Sako TRG-22. I absolutely love almost everything about this weapon, except the picatinny rail that came glued to the receiver. I was planning to use Sako's 3-ring mount, but it won't fit with the picatinny on.
