Uberti 1860 Army front sight

[smoothshooter]

Hawkeye2 is correct. Fix the short arbor problem first then check again for how high it is shooting. The front sight on an 1860 Army fits into a semicircular longitudinal cut in the barrel. It can be tapped out using a punch at the base of the sight. Make a new taller one same thickness s old one and tap it into place.

How do you fix the short arbor problem?
I know of one or two methods.

 

[smoothshooter]

There is no dovetail on the Uberti.

8 Bore was right. I shot it again yesterday and it was 4 1/2 to 5 inches high at 25 yards not 10 inches. I shot 3 different powder charges ranging from 22 to 30 and the results were pretty close to the same other than the higher charge shifting things a tad further to the right.

There is very little tension on the wedge. It is a snug fit but I can remove it by hand without too much trouble.

I built up my front sight with the metal set epoxy that comes looking like a putty log that I got at an auto parts store. Filed to height and shape.
Has lasted for 4 years of heavy use and lots of holster carry with no problem.

 

[Riggerjon]

I drilled and tapped the center of the arbor and put a screw in it. I filed the screw head down until the clearance was right. After I did it I found a different way to do it that is more elegant. If I ever do another one I will do it that way. You can find it here in article number 4.

http://www.theopenrange.net/articles/

 

[Riggerjon]

That should be part 4 of tuning Uberti revolvers.

 

[M. De Land]

I drilled and tapped the center of the arbor and put a screw in it. I filed the screw head down until the clearance was right. After I did it I found a different way to do it that is more elegant. If I ever do another one I will do it that way. You can find it here in article number 4.

http://www.theopenrange.net/articles/

I have never seen any need to drill a hole in the end of the arbor. I think a better approach is to lathe turn a slightly under diameter size steel button with the same nose angle/profile (if any, some are milled end flat) as the drill/mill cutter, used to bore the arbor hole. Drill a small hole in the rear of the button and thread so it can be retrieved from the arbor hole while fitting to length.
This maintains the full strength of the arbor slot and utilizes steel against steel to counter the wedge pressure.

 

[DNS]

I built up the front sight as above but used jb weld ten years ago. Still there.

 

[Riggerjon]

I didn't like the screw in the end of the arbor. I don't have a drill press and drilled it a little off center so I used M. De Land's idea and bought a couple washers that fit the arbor hole pretty close and filed one of them to get the correct clearance and epoxied them in place. It worked pretty good and was easy to do. I think in the future I will use epoxy on the front sight as DNS suggested as well.

 

[barracudadave67]

All of my Uberti revolver had short arbors. I had to correct the lenghts any where from .060 to .120. I am so use to it, I don't even take the gun apart to silver solder the to the correct lenght.
Front sights on 1860 Armies can just be tapped out with a small brass hammer. Make taller sights out of brass stock, of the correct thickness. Easy-peasy.
Rebel Dave

 

[Robert William Turner]

I have a Pietta 1860 Army. What is your recommendation on sight heighth?
Mine has always shot high.

 

[Robert William Turner]

"Robert William Turner, post: 1544626, member: 33142"]I have a Pietta 1860 Army. What is your recommendation on sight heighth?
Mine has always shot high.[/QUOTE]

 

[Riggerjon]

I went to a sight calculator I found with a google search. I left it taller than the calculator said and am going to take a file to the range with me to get it adjusted for the sight picture that suits me. Here's a calculator I used.

https://dawsonprecision.com/sight-calculator/

 

[Robert William Turner]

Thank you!

 

[JimCunn]

Do you drive the front sight out to the rear?
Or the front?

 

[Riggerjon]

Do you drive the front sight out to the rear?
Or the front?

I don't remember for sure it's been a while since I did it. Try pushing it out from cylinder to muzzle. I am pretty sure that's what I did.

 

[wiscoaster]

File a deeper notch in the hammer. That would be easier than a taller front sight

Ditto to that recco and how I remediated my own. Actually doesn't take much at all to get that POI down.

 

[TarponStalker]

I need to fix the same problem with my Pietta 1851 Navy. It shoots close to a foot high at 30 feet. I've filed down the hammer notch but that didn't help as much as I need. My front sight is just a bead.
I remember one member on here made a new sight using a brass? screw filed down to size. I haven't tried removing the bead yet to replace it. Not sure if it unscrews or not so I didn't want to break it.
I think I'd rather make a blade to replace the bead sight.

 

[45D]

Do you drive the front sight out to the rear?
Or the front?

Either. It's a semi.
I drifted one out and soldered the base of it to a portion of an 1860 penny.

Mike

 

[Jim in Wisconsin]

I don't completely understand how filing the notch in the rear sight would help. At least for me, it's the top of the sight that counts.

 

[45D]

I don't completely understand how filing the notch in the rear sight would help. At least for me, it's the top of the sight that counts.

Lowering the rear is the opposite of raising the front.

Mike

 

[Jim in Wisconsin]

Lowering the top would be the opposite of raising the front, but lowering the bottom of the notch - how does that help?