Ugly Front Sight

Cosmoline · Post by **Cosmoline** » Sat Jun 13, 2009 4:17 pm

I just finished doing a rough fitting of a patridge style front express sight for my Win 94 BB. The old ramp sight had been screwed on poorly and was popping off. It was also at a cant. This one looks *perfect* through the aperture and gives a wonderfully clear picture. But I have to admit it kinda looks like hell out front. Even when I spruce it up it's still going to look like hell, I fear. Any ideas on what can be done to make it look less like a surgical slash apart from cleaning it up and rebluing it?

dkmlever · Post by **dkmlever** » Sat Jun 13, 2009 4:29 pm

Cut off the front two inches of the barrel!

Looks ok, cold blue it?

bsaride · Post by **bsaride** » Sat Jun 13, 2009 4:43 pm

I picked up a cold blue touchup pen from my local candy store.
You could get one and work over the dovetail to help hide it.
I use mine to touch up small parts.

markings on pen:
Birchwood Casey PRESTO Gun Blue Pen, instant black touch-up for steel
www.birchwoodcasey.com 13201 PSP

bcp · Post by **bcp** » Sat Jun 13, 2009 5:35 pm

Looks like a narrow sight width intended for a ramp instead of a wide sight intended for a barrel.

Bruce

Pete44ru · Post by **Pete44ru** » Sat Jun 13, 2009 6:19 pm

What I'm sure Bruce is referring to, if that the same height front sight blades are generally available in three different widths of their dovetail bases - not the width of the sight blade itself.

The sights of various heights are usually avalable in a narrow base width (N - .250") for thin ramps like the Williams Shorty & Streamline ramp; a medium base width (M = .340") for most other ramps; and a wide (W= .531") base for direct installation in a wider barrel dovetail.

.

mescalero1 · Post by **mescalero1** » Sat Jun 13, 2009 7:32 pm

I use a formula called RB Bluing
It invloves heating the ( to be blued ) part mildly with a torch, applying the RB solution, and then wiping with household toilet paper, the toilet paper is made with a chemical that reacts to the solution.
I have not seen it for sale for some years but I still have the original bottle.

Cosmoline · Post by **Cosmoline** » Sat Jun 13, 2009 7:42 pm

I know it's not exactly the proper sight, but it's what I could get at the moment. My primary concern was sight picture and this sucker is a perfect "I" that lines up very naturally in the aperture with no extraneous crudola in the picture from a ramp or hood. Problem is I underestimated how bone ugly it was going to look on the barrel. I wonder if anyone sells a sight of these exact dimensions with the wider base. Maybe Buff. Arms would have it buried somewhere. Most of the wide base rifle sights have beads which I detest. I may just file this under "you can't have everything" and take the bluing pen to it. I undersized the dovetail cut a bit (though I know it doesn't look like it) so if another better sight comes along I can fit it in.

victor · Post by **victor** » Sat Jun 13, 2009 7:56 pm

check this fella out
http://www.skinnersights.com/

AJMD429 · Post by **AJMD429** » Sat Jun 13, 2009 8:35 pm

Cosmoline wrote:Problem is I underestimated how bone ugly it was going to look on the barrel. I wonder if anyone sells a sight of these exact dimensions with the wider base. Maybe Buff. Arms would have it buried somewhere. Most of the wide base rifle sights have beads which I detest.

If the only one you can find with the wider base (which you could blend into the barrel contour more aesthetically) has a bead, you could always remove it and file a new 'face' on the front of the sight.

Pisgah · Post by **Pisgah** » Sat Jun 13, 2009 9:01 pm

Here you go:

http://www.dixiegunworks.com/product_in ... ts_id=7450

A bit of time with a file and it will be shaped to your liking and blended in perfectly. It will fill the slot nicely. Looks great, great sight picture.

iceman · Post by **iceman** » Sat Jun 13, 2009 10:12 pm

I second the skinner sight. I put a brass one on my 356 looks and works great. Dr. Skinner is a pleasure to work with.

Wind · Post by **Wind** » Mon Jun 15, 2009 1:18 am

Hey there Cosmoline - I like post style front sights too. This is a sight I took off a Japanese Browning '86 carbine. It looks and works slick on my 1909 Winchester '92. I've never tried to find one to buy (this one came with a rifle attached!!) but if you like the look enough to go searching, some of the parts houses may have one. It fits a 3/8's inch dovetail. Hope this helps. Watch yer top knot. Wind.

click on the photos to enlarge

Cosmoline · Post by **Cosmoline** » Mon Jun 15, 2009 1:39 am

That is a nice one! There's a fellow who has a bunch of parts who comes to the annual gunshow in town. I'll check his inventory in a month and see what can be found.

Post by **Ysabel Kid** » Mon Jun 15, 2009 6:05 am

Maybe I'm strange (Okay, I know I am), but I don't see a thing wrong with that sight that a little bit of blueing won't fix. If the sight picture is exactly what you want, I say blue the dovetail and take her shooting! If she works like you think she will, smile and call it a day!

Griff · Post by **Griff** » Mon Jun 15, 2009 10:46 am

Ysabel Kid wrote:Maybe I'm strange (Okay, I know I am), but I don't see a thing wrong with that sight that a little bit of blueing won't fix. If the sight picture is exactly what you want, I say blue the dovetail and take her shooting! If she works like you think she will, smile and call it a day!

Ditto.

Old Shatterhand · Post by **Old Shatterhand** » Mon Jun 15, 2009 12:05 pm

That sight just needs some blueing to look good. Try to heatblue it with some nitrate and a little propane torch.

Pete

Buck Elliott · Post by **Buck Elliott** » Mon Jun 15, 2009 2:05 pm

It's a dad-gummed '94, fer Petesake... and a Big Bore to boot.

Considerin' the wide hips on that ol' gal, Who's gonna notice an ugly front sight?

Just reblue the scratches & divots & enjoy. The SIGHT PICTURE is more important than the beauty picture anyway...

Cosmoline · Post by **Cosmoline** » Mon Jun 15, 2009 7:35 pm

Considerin' the wide hips on that ol' gal, Who's gonna notice an ugly front sight?

Hey! She's just big boned.

uncowboy · Post by **uncowboy** » Tue Jun 16, 2009 1:02 pm

Mix up some epoxy and mix in some talcome powder and a dab of black paint. Fill the dovetail around the sight and smooth over .Let dry. If you ever have to remove the sight,The Epoxy will chip away. Get a Large Hood and mount it up. Then take that big boned girl to the Dance. J.Michael

Travis Morgan · Post by **Travis Morgan** » Wed Jun 17, 2009 9:01 pm

WTH did you use? A BENCH GRINDER?

Kansas Ed · Post by **Kansas Ed** » Thu Jun 18, 2009 12:00 am

Ysabel Kid wrote:Maybe I'm strange (Okay, I know I am), but I don't see a thing wrong with that sight that a little bit of blueing won't fix. If the sight picture is exactly what you want, I say blue the dovetail and take her shooting! If she works like you think she will, smile and call it a day!

+1 Personally I think a little bluing will go a long way to what you want. The only problem I see, is that after bluing your sight picture may not be what you're after. I think you are pleased with the ability of the "in the white" sight picking up reflective light, and the bluing may interfere with that. But as for craftsmanship, I think it's top notch.

Ed

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