Shimming dovetail?

[mahkagari]

The front sight blank I got with my Pecatonica rifle set is too tall and needs to be cut down. I have a front sight on a Kentucky pistol that is too short for it and needs to be replaced.

Logic says swap 'em. But the pistol dovetail is much smaller than the rifle and the sight base has already been filed down to match. I reached for my favorite metal shim, strips of aluminum soda can. It ain't pretty at first go, but I can work with it.

Before I continue down this path, is there another solution I'm overlooking?

 

[BrownBear]

I prefer brass shim stock cut from sheet brass I get from the hobby shop in various thicknesses. Otherwise, I'm on the same path as you.

 

[bubba.50]

a proper sight for the dovetail would be the first choice but, for shimmin' I also use either brass or copper shim stock in appropriate thickness.

 

[Vaino]

Another solution would be to make a front sight. They're not that hard to make and you'd obtain a shim free dovetail. Shown below is a nice looking all steel sight w/ a soldered silver insert. This sight is on my squirrel LR and has head hit 100s of squirrels. The blade and base are two pcs w/ a rivet body on the blade which is peened to the base from the bottom. The base has a groove for the blade. An all brass sight is made the same way.

A salvage method is to melt some hi temp silver solder on the bottom of the base and file to fit. No shims......Fred

 

[Col. Batguano]

How much does it need to be raised? If just a little bit, you might be able to tin it with soft solder to fill the gap.

 

[rafterob]

Front sights on new rifles should be too tall, to allow for sighting in. The sight is then filed down as needed. I have never heard of a sight being "Cut down". Or are you saying the base is for some reason too tall for the rifle?

 

[mahkagari]

Front sights on new rifles should be too tall, to allow for sighting in. The sight is then filed down as needed. I have never heard of a sight being "Cut down". Or are you saying the base is for some reason too tall for the rifle?

Filed, cut, ground, truncated, trimmed, shortened, snipped, clipped, curtailed, pruned, pared, lopped, sheared....it's this |____|* tall and needs to be this |__|* tall. :wink:

*Illustration not to scale

 

[M. De Land]

I always use the appropriate shim stock thickness made of mild steel which will take blue readily.
Also I shim from the dovetail shoulder rather than the bottom as this will draw the sight down to the bottom of the barrel dovetail and close unsightly gaps when viewed from the side.
If done well in this manor it is very hard to tell the sight has been shimmed.
In practice I will check fit with the corner of a selected shim stock material before cutting off what is needed.
I cut a strip of shim material the width of the dovetail shoulder leaving it longer than needed.
I place the strip on the sight shoulder and bend it sharply at both sides over the edge of the sight shoulder. This makes a tab at each end to keep the shim in place while driving in the sight.
Once the sight is in place the tabs are bent out and scored on both side with a sharp drywall knife point. Bend the tabs back and forth several times and they will break off flush with the sight shoulder.
Now for a little trick I picked up; apply some blue loc-tite to the shoulder and bottom of the sight while holding the gun side ways and let it penetrate into anywhere it will.
Wipe it off and it will blend perfectly with blueing or browning job plus it will lock the sight in place and seal out moisture.
Wipe off any excess with a rag before it drys.

 

[necchi]

Com'on, :youcrazy:
Dude, long story short,, Don't shim the sight,, get or make one that fits.
It's not that tough,, just think a little.

 

[MSW]

I concur ... unless there's some compelling reason to shim the sight, you should have one that fits properly without a bunch of fidgeting about.

having said that, when i need a shim, i score some from the scraps at work, where they throw away more than half the shim stock out of pure laziness.

Just one guy's opinion ... free and no doubt well worth the price.

 

[nchawkeye]

Yep, file the front sight down to hit where you want her to after working up a load...There are plenty of sites that sell sights with different size dovetails if you don't want to make one...

 

[AZbpBurner]

Ahem ..... Duct tape, JB Weld, epoxy, super glue, chewing gum, dirt, tree sap, spit.

Be authentic, our forebears had to often be innovative, so why can't you :idunno: