Loose sights....

[elk_chaser1]

I am nearing completion on my GPR kit and noticed that the primitive sight is rather loose in the dovetail on the barrel. It just slides back and forth!

Any ideas on how to increase the "friction" in the dovetail so the sight stays put? Thanks!

 

[Roy]

Front sight or rear? You can float a bit of soft solder in the dovetail or lightly peen the metal on the dove tails to make a tighter fit. If it is the rear sight I have heated the base of it to red and smacked it with a hammer to sread it out a bit. Any way you choose there will be a little clean-up work to be done.

 

[elk_chaser1]

Rear sight...

 

EC1, I lightly tin the bottom of both sights and also lightly tin the bottom of the dovetails. Any access solder with shave off when you drift the sights in. After I get the gun sighted in, I take the barrel off and take a torch and sweat them in place. No more worries.

Cody

BTW once it's sighted in and before leaving the shooting bench i center punch a small dimple right on the edge of the dovetail so half the dot is on the barrel and the otherhalf is on the sight. Before applying the torch I check this dot to make sure the sight didn't move.

 

[paulvallandigham]

YOu can use a 1/4" cold chisel to do the same, or use a scriber to make a line across the joint that will be less conspicuous. The witness mark is used by all kinds of craftsman to make sure two parts that fit together are aligned properly on completion. Carpenters use pencils to make witness marks, for instance.

If the base of the sight is made of brass, it can be easily spread by hitting it in the dovetail with a hammer and drift pin. If it is steel, do the solder trick described above, or if it only moves a minute amount, then you can get by with raising dimples with that center punch.