So, I've seen some goosenecks that would appear to be more 'retro' within the confines of GWOT builds because they have a hole in them for a C-Clamp that goes around the front base of the A2 CH:



My question is simple: for those poors like myself with a more modern gooseneck mount that doesn't have the hole, what measurement and what size drill bit could we use to make that hole, and then use a c-clamp we source separately for it?

Are you trying to say that the gooseneck mount with the hole and clamp is earlier than the type with no hole?

I believe that the original design had no hole (and is therefore older). Later, they decided to strengthen the mounting with the hole and clamp.

Also I just realized that I don't exactly understand what you're trying to accomplish. As far as I understand, finding a gooseneck mount with the hole (but no clamp) is quite easy - it is the clamp itself that is rarer.

Are the mounts with the clamp particularly hard to find nowadays? I have two mounts (one with no hole/clamp and one with the home/clamp) and I did not pay much for either unit.

If you really want the gooseneck mount with the clamp, you should probably be able to hunt for an original unit.

Actually, your intimation is correct: mounts are getting harder to find as-is, with a clamp they are particularly hard to find. I haven't found any myself; one guy here on the EE told me he had some but didn't reply afterwards. Anyhow, I thought erroneously perhaps then that the clamp design was older. If that's true then, that makes sense why clamps are scarcer & harder to find.

I would guess that there was a lot of use of both types of mounts throughout GWOT. Maybe someone can offer more information on when the clamp was introduced, but I have definitely seen pictures from GWOT of mounts used with the hole but no clamp - often you’ll see the optic dummy-corded to that hole too.

I do not think that one is more correct than the other, but the one without a hole is definitely the older design and was certainly used on rifles of the era.