Dovetail help on smr.

[Larry (Omaha)]

If a dovetail is cut into a barrel it is 60*. When you buy a sight for that rifle it is 60*. If you wanted to do a little filing on the gun's dovetail you should keep it the same angle, 60*. It makes for a better fit so the sight wedges into place with the most surface contact when fit properly.

I used a 60* file just the other day. I was fitting a new Marbles brass bead to an 1866 lever action (Uberti). The way the sight was made I could rest the file's safe edge on it and file the male dovetail. If I had used a 65* file instead it would not have filed the surface evenly.

I like to keep the angles the same. If I decide to get another sight I know it will be dovetailed at the same angle. I'll probably only need to take material off the base to fit it.

Thanks, Now I understand. I have always made my own sights so did not know that.
Larry

 

[pacanis]

Thanks, Now I understand. I have always made my own sights so did not know that.
Larry

That's cool you make your own sights
If you are filing and making things to your own angle there's no worry.
But if you ever sell the gun and the new owner wants a different rear or front sight... and he or his smith doesn't know its a custom made sight... they might have a what the heck moment when they go to install the new one, lol.

 

[stephenprops1]

Yep, mess up #3 on my first rifle build. My rear sight dovetail is messed up. To wide and the sight pops right up. I tried shim, peening under and neither helped. It looks like I will have to cut a longer dovetail and get a longer sight. So who sells a longer sight and a quility dovetail file? I made a safe file out of an old file and this is probably how I messed it up! I'm pretty sick over this. It's a kibler srm.

Try Dixie Gun Works. In their last catalog they did list several files for sale.

 

[M. De Land]

Yep, mess up #3 on my first rifle build. My rear sight dovetail is messed up. To wide and the sight pops right up. I tried shim, peening under and neither helped. It looks like I will have to cut a longer dovetail and get a longer sight. So who sells a longer sight and a quility dovetail file? I made a safe file out of an old file and this is probably how I messed it up! I'm pretty sick over this. It's a kibler srm.

I've repaired several with a narrow shim under the shoulder angle of the female rather than the base of the dovetail cut. Make it extra long so it's draw in with the sight then scribe both sides underneath the shim and break it off flush. You won't be able to see the repair if done correctly and touch up blued.
The shoulder angle shim draws the base back own into the female cut and the under-ledge (if present) of the sight down on the top barrel flat.
I cut all mine in a mill with a dovetail cutting tool which makes them very precise and level. The typical depth is .090. Most sights have an under ledge that needs to be fit to the top barrel flat along with the dovetail angles. A properly fit sight will not show any gaps that light can be seen through from the side view.
I like to final fit them with blue loc-tite which seals the underside against moisture as well as locking them in place.