Hey Panhandle, you really don't have to worry about going too deep with the hole. It will be in the meaty part of the breech plug, about 1/8" from the very rear end. As far as alignment goes, it shouldn't be too difficult. Mount thebase in place using the two screw holes for the rear sight rearsightand mark your drill point by inserting a small punch throughthe rear hole on the base.

Also, if you call TC and ask they will send you an offset hammer at no charge - at least they did for me. You may not need the offset hammer, depending on what scope you use, how big the ocular bell is, how high your rings are, and how far back the scope ispositioned in the mounts.