Raising a front sight...

[Hobie]

I am finally back to pursuing my real obsession, shooting. I took the 1876 SRC repro out and was reminded that it shoots way too high with the sights to be much good hunting, at least the way I shoot. I need to add some height to the front sight.

Back when we started with these one shooter tried a brass roll pin cut to the proper length pinching the front sight blade. He said that it gave adequate height but came off after a while. I'm interested in the ideas you guys might have for experimentally raising the front sight.

[TedH]

For a trial you can slap a gob of JB Weld on it and after it sets up file it to your liking. I've done that on a little 22 of mine and it worked so well I just sprayed it with some flat black krylon and left it!

[J Miller]

Hobie,

I've had several taller front sights custom made and installed on my revolvers. And one I silver soldered an extension to the top of, then filed it to adjust the elevation.

If your 76 has a dovetailed front sight, I'd do the calculations for the height needed then contact Skinner Sights and have him make you a custom sight for it. That's what I did for my 94AE Trapper. He duplicated the factory front sight for me.

If it's not a dovetailed front sight then, well, you got a picture of the it?

Joe

[Sixgun]

For a trial you can slap a gob of JB Weld on it and after it sets up file it to your liking. I've done that on a little 22 of mine and it worked so well I just sprayed it with some flat black krylon and left it!

+1 But I used PC-7. I used it on a 10" Flattop Ruger 44 mag. and added a good 3/16" on an inch. I probably shot 4-500 rounds out of it before having it professionally replaced.

It pays to use a fresh tube of epoxy and then scratch & degrease the top of the sight blade you are gluing it onto for better adhesion. After a couple of days drying, I smeared clear smooth epoxy all over the whole sight blade for added strength. Then I painted it flat black--could not tell. -------------Sixgun

[1886]

XS Sights offers plastic front sights that can be trimmed in order to determine proper front sight height. Is a call in order? 1886.

[Blaine]

Could you get a silver dime soldered into place? I think that's really cool.

[COSteve]

Deleted

[Blaine]

I used a combination of Hobie's and TedH's first two posts on my Henry 22lr when I first added a peep sight. I filed a grove in the std sight and then JB welded a brass rod in the grove. It's held during some rough handling.

I've done that with a fibre optic rod...super cheap way to duplicate FireSight.

[Hobie]

No, it isn't a dovetailed sight. I'll post a pic this evening.

I thought about JB Weld, although that kinda irks me to do something like that. Then again...

[rimrock]

Hobie,

Hears how Marshall Stanton of Beartoothbullets.com does it--

http://www.beartoothbullets.com/tech_no ... tes.htm/59

scroll down the page about 3/4

rimrock

[Hobie]

The various views. Crappy photos done in a hurry which do give an idea of what I'm working with.

[AJMD429]

Wow... THAT is a strange sight to deal with.

How is it even held in place, if it isn't 'dovetailed', as you indicated?

I'd look at it like this. FIRST decision point is:

1. "Is the sight that's there held in place

• a) VERY securely, or
  b) NOT securely

If the answer is "a" then I'd consider building-up that existing sight, either by the 'brass-rod' techniques mentioned above, or if it needs higher elevation than possible that way, use a file or whatever to 'mill' it and form some sort of an engagement-surface. Perhaps a dovetail, perhaps a simple notch or groove, perhaps a flat surface with a threaded hole.

If the answer is "b" then I'd remove it and either file a dovetail or drill and tap a hole for a screw to fit a sight or sight base.

In either case, taylor your specific approach to the sight or ramp you like best.

[jhrosier]

Hobie,

I would cut the blade down until it is about 1/8" wide and then cut a 1/16" slot about 2/3 of the way through the remaining blade and base to hold a pinned in blade.
That would be similar to the front sight on the 1895 SRC.

Jack

[Hobie]

The goal was a TRIAL improvement but all the suggestions aside from the JB Weld are permanent. BTW, the JB Weld failed. There just isn't enough for it to adhere to...

Somebody used a nail to create a post which was soldered (silver solder) to the front FACE of the sight after modifying that a bit. I suppose one could also raise it with a bit of weld.

The sights are intended to enable the shooter to hold on a belt buckle and hit a man out to some ridiculous ranges and they do work for that!

Cutting down to the point where it would be about 1/8" wide would be about down to where the base is. That blade is VERY thin. I've considered it for a permanent alteration.

Oh, and the barrel is NOT thick enough to allow for a dovetail cut. This is why the sight is as it is.

[jhrosier]

The goal was a TRIAL improvement but all the suggestions aside from the JB Weld are permanent. ....

I saw one temporary front sight made from a heavy paper clip bent so as to locate on the front sight base .
A piece of black plastic wire insulation was used to build up the diameter and allow for easy trimming with a utility knife.

Jack

[Ben_Rumson]

It looks like you maybe have enough room from the sight forward for something to clamp on.. Maybe a clamp on sling hanger can be modified... I've also seen clamp on sleeves made that have a block on them for target sights lock onto..

[J Miller]

I'd mill or file the blade off of the square block, then cut a grove lengthwise in the block and fit a tall blade into it. That's the way the 92s and 94s were done.
Once fitted, drill a hole crosswise and pin it in. Then file to what ever height you need.

Joe

[AJMD429]

It looks like you maybe have enough room from the sight forward for something to clamp on.. Maybe a clamp on sling hanger can be modified... I've also seen clamp on sleeves made that have a block on them for target sights lock onto..

That's a good idea; a barrel-mounted sling swivel or a 'laser-clamp' or something could be mounted and used to determine ideal sight height. For that matter, even an electrical conduit clamp or something could be a starting point.

On the other hand, if you know you're going to re-do the sight, you may as well do something like Joe suggested, then just work with your final blade...

I'd mill or file the blade off of the square block, then cut a grove lengthwise in the block and fit a tall blade into it. That's the way the 92s and 94s were done. Once fitted, drill a hole crosswise and pin it in. Then file to what ever height you need.

[Hobie]

I'd mill or file the blade off of the square block, then cut a grove lengthwise in the block and fit a tall blade into it. That's the way the 92s and 94s were done.
Once fitted, drill a hole crosswise and pin it in. Then file to what ever height you need.

Joe

I call that both the BEST and a PERMANENT way to do it. I don't want to commit for the moment, hence my avoiding permanent changes.

I like Sixgun's suggestion in his separate follow-on topic. I'm going to dig in my parts box for a suitable blade to piggy back on the current front sight.

[Ben_Rumson]

Please excuse my lousy illustration skills of a clamp idea....a drill press and files will get you something like below...Everything can be rounded off & smoothed up... Go a step farther and have a dovetail milled on the top for sights of your choice and windage adjustment...If made from steel and slimmed and smoothed up and blued you might be able to abide it on the rifle as long as you have it...I made something like it out of some bronze years ago that fit on three old rifles I didn't want to alter....

[Chas.]

My gunsmithing skills are null so I'll just say, shoot a heavier bullet slower.

[Hobie]

My gunsmithing skills are null so I'll just say, shoot a heavier bullet slower.

This is a .45-75 1876 copy. Not exactly what I want to do. In fact, I'm betting that some BP loads will go faster than some of the ammo I'm shooting now.

[Griff]

Taking Joe's idea one step farther; make the upright rectangular, when pinned in on the short side ir\t matches your factory height, when pinned on the tall side make it tall enough that you can file down to desired height. Eh?

EDIT: Use a "rollpin", keep it's length hort enough that it's recessed in the base and it sould be re-useable.

[jhrosier]

This might be a bit overkill for a temporary solution.

I didn't want to alter my 1881 Veterli so I made this front sight.

As you see, I needed some serious extra height.

Jack

[Ben_Rumson]

Or send it NKJ and have him mill it down.. Cut a slot for the sight width you want.. and have him pin it in and leave it long..

[Griff]

I believe that'd interfere with the mag tube; and he wants a temporary solution. I don't think it's doable, leastways w/o altering the original sight.

Hobie what IS the wall thickness (o.d.-i.d./2)?

[Nate Kiowa Jones]

Or send it NKJ and have him mill it down.. Cut a slot for the sight width you want.. and have him pin it in and leave it long..

Hi Hobie,
This is what I build for the Browning B92's. They have the same style sight block soldered to the barrel. The one pictured here was originally too high so the block was also milled lower then slotted. Then the blade was soldered into the slot. This was all done with the block still attached to the barrel. I used copper wire coiled around the barrel on both sides of the block about an inch wide to act as a heat sink and to protect the barrel as I shaped the blade with the dremel after it was soldered in. The touch up was with Oxpho cold blue, then the bead was added.

[Ray]

Deleted.

[Sixgun]

I did this to an original Sharps. It will not alter the originality of the gun and like white aspirins, it works.

[Hobie]

I had the idea of using a folded sheet of shim brass JB Welded to the front sight and shaped at least semi-correctly. Otherwise Nate's fix (which is pretty much what J Miller et al suggested) would be the thing to do.

[OldWin]

I also wondered if you could mill/file it to a flat block then cut a slot in it. Drill a pin hole and re-create a 92/94 etc. carbine sight base. I have made many sight blades for these from old Master Lock keys.

[foxtrapper]

Hobie you said it's a reproduction, you also said you want to shoot it alot, why the hesitation to permanently alter the front sight so you could hit what your shooting at NKJ solution is just that, a great solution. Common get it out to him!

[Hobie]

Ok, so after much consideration and reasoned examination of the various options for permanent, semi-permanent and genuinely temporary fixes I decided to try the JB Weld method. After all, it has the seal of approval from the local red-neck crowd (some actually suggested using carefully applied and folded duct tape!).

The end result was higher front sight that resembles a mid-19th century bayonet lug more than a front sight HOWEVER I took it out today and I was able to bust head size rocks at about 90-80 yards with it and the TEN-X ammo I took with me. FWIW, 2 Pyrodex loads I also tried seemed to strike about 2-3" lower at the same range. Kinda hard to see through the smoke though. As long as the sight stays on, it is good enough for this years deer hunt!

So I put the rifle up and went squirrel hunting with a .32-20 revolver (sorry Mike) but was skunked except... I had a single doe come down the trail and past me. I did nothing (not in season here) and enjoyed watching her trying to figure out what I was. It does bother me that there were no others around.

[CEMENTHEAD]

Flat top the existing sight and cut a 3/8" dovetail in it. Then your options are limitless.

Thanks, Tom

[adirondakjack]

If yer not enamoured with the front sight, and not sweating wrecking it, you could simply use it as a BASE for a taller blade.

Just last night I finished up a new sight for a C&B revolver, and in that instance I machined away the original, dovetailed the barrel, and made a new sight base that I slotted for a coin front sight.

Adapting that to your situation, first ya gotta know how much more sight ya need, but once that is established, what if ya simply filed the top off the existing sight, rendering it into a flat-topped block as a base, slotted that and installed a coin or other blade in the base. If the slot and blade fit fairly well, good ole JB Weld will work fine to hold the blade and won't show.

Here's what I ended up with on the revolver, and yes, the sight base was shaped and slotted, and the blade installed while on the gun (though I did dovetail the base in place)



This same idea could work for you.