Making sights

[shawn_c992001]

Has anyone made their own sights, and if so how did you do it?

 

[stuartg]

Kaintuck has a post or two showing some of the sights he's made. Give him a PT and I'm sure he'd share some knowledge with ya :thumbsup:

 

[S.Kenton]

front sights I've made from a silver dime and soldered it to a piece of flat keystock. The Keystock was pre-filed and fitted to my dovetail. The rear sight I've made out of step-key stock and filed to the shape I want...I'm sure others do things different..but this works for me.

 

[Patocazador]

Kaintuck made me a nice peep sight.

 

[kaintuck]

:applause: thanks fellas!
i use just any old metal...flatbar stock is easy to do....drill a shallow dimple, then hacksaw the excess to off to leave that dimple as a 'shadow' prventer on the face...then file file file..the rear face(needs to slope)and the front, and the dovetail edges.....ust a regular site as a guide....
takes me about a hour per sight, longer if its a peeper like procastinaters'''' :wink:
you can make any design you want....and you can use anything you want...i started with a railroad spike....but flatbar is just as easy and my buddy lets me cut it to sized on his bandsaw....saves my tired-old-arms in hacksawing!!!
marc

 

[Vaino]

Have made 2 piece front sights in both steel and brass....the bases are slotted for the blade and then a hole is drilled in the base and a corresponding dia. boss is filed on the blade. The final assembly entails peening the blade boss into the ctsk hole in the base.

Actually rear sights are easier to make...just hacksaw the excess off and file to whatever shape is desired. The thinned down area for the notch can be done 2 different ways. Drill when the steel isn't shaped or as I do it....use a shaped stone in a Dremel.

Sights are nice short term easy projects and although I previously made them, no longer do....the purchased ones do the job, are suitable for the LRs I make and are less time consuming.......Fred

 

[wulf]

I most always make my own. The front sight I make
so that when I aim and something dark it shows
light and in reverse when I aim and something light it shows dark.
Wulf

 

[ohio ramrod]

Before retiring as a tool and die maker I made many, many, front, rear and folding peep sights. While I had access to much equipment then, You can make sights with only a small vice, sharp files, and hacksaw blades for tools. For material light angle stock sold at hardware stores works easily. Old copper pennies or any sheet brass will file easily and can be soft soldered. :hmm: :idunno:

 

[shawn_c992001]

How do you do that?

 

[shawn_c992001]

That makes alot of sence. I will try that with a dime.

 

[wulf]

I make the front sight out of cow horn,,,
Wulf

 

[Vaino]

Depending on the length of bbl, a dime might be too thin and hard to see. My super accurate squirrel LR has a 42" bbl and the front blade is .100 thick and most of the squirrels have been head hit. Also...a wide enough notch in the rear sight for plenty pf "daylight" on both sides of the front blade when aiming......Fred

 

[shawn_c992001]

Barrel lenght is 28" so a dime should be plenty. Hopefully I can find one made before 1964 so it's mostly silver.

 

[shawn_c992001]

I did buy some 1/2" angle stock today at the local Tractor Supply, $4.99 for 36". I am going to try my hand at this.

 

[crockett]

The rear sight is more difficult. Metal salvage dealers will have cheap chunks of iron/steel. I drill straight down and then use a dremel tool to make a round bottom hole, then I hack saw/file away the rest to obtain the sight with the dished area for the notch. The rest is easy- just file to shape.
The front sight, as stated a silver blade. I think copper bases were more common than brass but I could be wrong on that.

 

[kaintuck]

anyone can do it....just need a:
1.piece of metal
2.vise
3.files and hacksaw
4.elbow grease
5.stinking shop cat to keep your ego down when your done with it!
:haha: :youcrazy: :stir:

 

[MSW]

anyone can do it....just need a:
1.piece of metal
2.vise
3.files and hacksaw
4.elbow grease
5.stinking shop cat to keep your ego down when your done with it!
:haha: :youcrazy: :stir:

too true ... everyone should have a cat, if for no other reason to moderate the dog's belief that the human is a deity.