Cutting a Rossi front sight dovetail?

[TedH]

My 92 Rossi 357 has the front sight integral with the front barrel band. I have never liked that set up and want to convert it to a front sight that is dovetailed in the barrel. I've cut dovetails with files before, but they were always for mag tubes not sights. How do I ensure that the cut is perfectly on top of the barrel so the front sight isn't canted to one side or the other?

[86er]

Put a bubble level on your receiver (tape or magnet). Get the gun set in your vise - level. Use a bore sighter or make a dowel that fits in the muzzle and has a flat spot on it. Use a level on that piece there too. If both levels are equal you can see where the top is and you can then check to see that your flat spot is level after very shallow depths, adjusting it accordingly if necessary as you go deeper. This is one way that works but someone will probably chime in with another one.

[TedH]

Thanks Joe, that's about what I had figured on doing, except I was going to remove the filler plug from the rear sight dovetail and use that as my level reference. That jig that Midway advertised looked like just the ticket, but it's been discontinued for some reason.

[AJMD429]

I clamped mine in a vice with a block of wood on either side, making sure the barrel was level, and the wood also level, and about as far below the top of the barrel as I wanted to cut. I cut the main part with a small coarse square file (spraying debris away with WD-40 frequently) without hitting the wood (much). Then as I got 'to depth' I started checking with a metal 'T' brace like you'd use for a (poor) wood chair repair. Widened and cut the undercuts with a 45 degree (not 60) file, then smoothed out the bottom with a flat small doublecut file and checked for level constantly.

[Wind]

Hey there TedH – IF you have a drill press… You’ll need to be able to clamp a vice to the drill press table. Pad the vice jaws, then you can clamp your rifle barrel in the vice jaws. Use a square pressed against the side of the receiver to square the rifle to the table which should them be square to the drill press quill. You can check this before hand by checking that the table is perpendicular to a long-ish drill bit with a square. You can adjust the bore to breech angle in the vice fairly close by eye and fine tune it as the end mill just touches the top of the barrel. Or use a level and go from there. Use a small end mill and start a flat on top of the barrel. This should give you a good starting index point. As you complete filing the dovetail, you could reset the barrel in the vice and true up the bottom. I attached a couple of pictures to give you an idea, just from stuff laying around. The last one is for Ysabel Kid! Hope this helps. Wind

[Gun Smith]

A very simple tool is two pieces of 1/8" square stock about 3-4" long. Set one in the rear barrel dovetail and the other in the slot you are cutting. Simply sight between the two to parallel each other as you cut. No need to be perfectly level in your vise.

[Chuck 100 yd]

What Gun Smith said +1.
Also if you use a drill press for a Milling machine, BE CAREFUL , The quill has no draw bolt to hold it in and,due to vibration, can come loose. That would make a mess out of the barrel for sure.

I have a mill so dovetails are not a problem.

[TedH]

A very simple tool is two pieces of 1/8" square stock about 3-4" long. Set one in the rear barrel dovetail and the other in the slot you are cutting. Simply sight between the two to parallel each other as you cut. No need to be perfectly level in your vise.

Sometimes the simplest solutions are the best. Can't believe I didn't think of that.