Cutting a front sight dovetail

Good morning. I’ve picked up some knowledge and tips from reading the forum, and i have a belt pistol without a front sight bearing the name Dikar.

I’ve read about determining the width of the slot, cutting many times down to the almost-final depth and then using a cold chisel to snap the little “teeth” (as in a comb) off. I’ve got a triangular file with a safe side ground off... what am i missing here? Besides a front sight (need to order that, plus a new tumbler for that old Richland flintlock like i been forgetting).

Thanks in advance!

don

Multiple cuts with a hack saw blade, down to the sight base depth.

Thanks, Mulebrain, and i finally just recognized your avatar! Good choice!!

don

Chisel those out, and use the triangle file safe side down to cut your bevels

Just move slow. Five or ten cuts with the hack saw. Then file. Four or five wipes at a time.

There's got to be a YouTube video on doing this ---

im no expert but have done a few, there is probably better ways but this what I would do.
don't even start until you have the sight or the part you are fitting to the barrel in hand.
you can do the whole job with your triangle safe file but it takes a while. I don't use a hacksaw. I used small files then use the safe file when the work is close. I do the depth first because the length of the dovetail is your enemy, making the length of the dovetail shorter than what it needs to be. once I have the correct depth then with the file, safe side down, file the ends of the dove tail slowly. a lot of test fitting.

I've done some with and without a hacksaw, but the saw does speed up the operation a lot. The biggest worry on my part is getting the dovetail cut where the sight will be correctly vertical, and not canted somewhat. Even a little cant makes the whole operation out of whack. When using a saw, I don't cut all the way down, and leave more work to be done with the file....so a guy can keep a closer eye on the level of the dovetail on each side. For octagon barrels, there is actually a hardened steel guide a guy can use that helps a lot. I've used them and it really speeds up the operation. They just attach to the barrel and and leave you a section to file out.

I would cheat and put in a post front sight.

Also knock the sharp edge off the dovetail corner on the sight base, as it is impossible to really file that sharp and edge.
Also helps to have a slight bevel to start the sight in.
Don't force it. It is easy to file too much in the final fitting.
Just take it easy.
If you go too far then you can lightly peen the lip of the dovetail in the barrel to tighten the grip.
I think everything else has been covered.

The dovetail guide mentioned is the best method, and avoids going too deep or off-level. Another way is to place the barrel in a vise with the vice With the top of the flats level with the required depth of the sight base. I use a hack saw with cuts about 1mm apart, then finish with a file. I then cut the bevels with a small triangular file, testing with the sight ever few strikes as I get close. Works well.

Measure at the top of the sight's dovetail not the bottom, then make the two width cuts a hair narrower than that just to be safe. Make your other straight cuts to just before final depth. I use a small file to file the "teeth" down. I honestly don't see how a chisel would snap those teeth off as they're very shallow anyway. Once the depth is finalized then use the triangle file to do the dovetail cuts.

I spent the money on a dovetailing file from Brownells. It's got one cutting edge and two flats. It's also straight to the end. Most triangular files have a small angle at the front. The purpose built dovetail file does a much better job of cutting dovetails IMO.

I might get buttons torn off my waist coat an whipped from camp with a ramrod but I gots to say it.
How many dove tails do you expect to do?
Do you plan on building a gun every year or two? Or is this a job you might do every five years.
Buy the best tools you can if you think you will use them.
If your cutting one go to a hobby shop and get you a pack of model makers file, cheap, they will wear out quick but serves for one job.
Be mindful that after you finish this job you might start thinking of the next.
min a year or two your buying pig iron and sheet brass for the next rifle your building

Make SURE YOU HAVE THE FRONT SIGHT IN YOUR POSSESSION BEFORE YOU START CUTTING THE DOVETAIL!

A quality dove tailing file is only $50. Not cheap but not something most people couldn't afford.

If you're spending many hundreds of dollars, or more for the kit, $50 is cheap. Those cheap files will produce cheap results trust me.

I know they didn't have Dremel tools back in 1835 but anyway....

At gunsmith school many moons ago we learned to use a Dremel tool with the 1" diameter thin cutoff discs, put several of them on a mandrel and after Scribeing a line exactly perpendicular to the top of the barrel and then one at 90% of the depth of the cube part of the dovetail and carefully start cutting. I use a Dremel drill press now to speed up the operation. I also get the slope side of the dovetail started with a single Dremel cut off disc and then finish with the safe side triangle file. I messed up several starts but worked carefully and came out with a good slot.

I forgot to say but I also use a right angle drive on my old Dremel tool It is a big help to mae

Seeing I was a tool and diemaker, I tend to be fussy w/ the gun work....dovetail slots included. After the hacksaw cuts and chiseling off the "fins", a fairly coarse file is used for the bottom surface of the slot and the depth is measured w/ a depth mike and {2} 6" straight edges are used....one on the top flat of the bbl and the other on the bottom of the slot. If the slot bottom isn't parallel w/ the top flat , it's quite apparent and is corrected. The slot depth should enable both ends of the front sight blade's bottom surfaces to be on the bbl. w/o daylight showing.

Once the bottom surface's depth is correct and flat, the one safe sided triangular file starts the angles.....and once the angle is in on both sides, but not to the correct width as yet, 2 very small dia pins {2" lg} are held against each angle to see if the angles are parallel and at right angles to the bbl. I now use the cutting surfaces of the file to flatten the areas of the bottom that are under the angles. This is done a couple of times and prevents daylight showing under the sight. When the width is very close to the sight base, the bottom corners of the sight base are slightly rounded and the sight is tried for fit. When a tap fit is achieved, the job is done.

I use a dovetail chisel to raise metal on both sides of the dovetail for the rear sight and bbl lugs....this isn't done on the front sight dovetail. The dovetail chisel is used early to raise as much metal as possible but the final fitting of the sight and bbl lugs is done w/ the triangular file ....as well as the front sight. The raised metal on both sides of the rear sight is filed into a molding which increases the dovetail depth w/o going deeper into the bbl. The raised metal at the bbl lugs is peened down for a tight fit and then filed smooth w/ the bbl.

I make the dovetail depth of the rear sight and bbl lugs at .035 and the depth for the front sight at .045deep. Of course the functional depth for the rear sight is approx. .07 because of the moldings.

The poster inquired about installing only the front sight, but perhaps the info on both sights and the bbl lugs will be helpful.

This post is fairly long, but the actual time to install sights and bbl lugs is short.....using the above procedure.....Fred