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fitting dovetail sights?

mcdangdangmcdangdang Member Posts: 107 ✭✭
edited March 2013 in Ask the Experts
hello-when the dovetail of the sight is wider than the dovetail it is to fit which is right? to dress the sides of the dovetail on the sight till it fits or dress off the flat surface on the bottom of the sight till it fits the dovetail? i am thinking that takeing it off the bottom will effectivley decrease the width of the dovetail without a chance of changeing the angle,any thoughts?
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Comments

  • rufe-snowrufe-snow Member Posts: 18,650 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    What ever way you decide to do it, taper the cut at one end of of the dovetail. This will allow you to start the tapered end in the dovetail. Then carefully tap it in with a brass or wooden drift so that it will be a tight fit.
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  • slumlord44slumlord44 Member Posts: 3,702 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Always file the sight to fit. If you mess it up it is much easier to get another sight than another barrel.
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  • Ned FallNed Fall Member Posts: 662 ✭
    edited November -1
    Commercial dove tail sights are tapered, both the slot in the barrel and dove tail on the base of the sight. They are tapered to tighten up the more the sight is driven into the slot. The sight is designed to be inserted from right to left. Be very careful with that file. Once you have removed metal, you can't put it back. If the sight is a loose fit, it is possible to tighten things up by preening, punching dimples in the bottom of the slot in the barrel with a sharp center punch or slightly penning over the lips of the slot but do it carefully
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  • FatstratFatstrat Member Posts: 9,147
    edited November -1
    Remember, looking down the barrel from the receiver, left to right is OUT. Right to left IN.
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  • pingjockeypingjockey Member Posts: 1,879 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I've found that if you come across a wobbly sight on an antique
    and are trying to keep it all original, a drop/layer of solder
    on the bottom of the sight itself can tighten them up without
    being visible to the untrained eye. Good luck with it.
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  • 11b6r11b6r Member Posts: 16,584 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    ALWAYS work on the cheapest part.
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  • rufe-snowrufe-snow Member Posts: 18,650 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    The older tapered dovetails are a thing of the past. To machine them required the working surface where the barrel is mounted to be reset and two passes with a dovetail cutter.

    The modern dovetails I have encountered are machined with just one horizontal cut, with the dovetail cutter. Because of this the dovetail portion of the sight is left oversize, so that it can be fitted to be tightly held by the dovetail in the barrel.
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  • pingjockeypingjockey Member Posts: 1,879 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I have a new production low wall by Uberti that has small set
    screws bearing against the bottom of the dovetail.
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  • machine gun moranmachine gun moran Member Posts: 5,198
    edited November -1
    Depends on whether or not the sight has a base or a blade above the dovetail which extends forward or rearward over the barrel from the dovetail cut. If it does, the bottom flats may have to be modified for clearance, too.
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