Author Topic: piks of rear sights  (Read 3548 times)

Offline hortonstn

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piks of rear sights
« on: April 13, 2019, 08:45:52 PM »
somewhere i saw a pik of a rear sight being made now i can't find it
if you have any piks please post i've got to make one, always bought them but i don't know why
thanks
ph

Offline deepcreekdale

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Re: piks of rear sights
« Reply #1 on: April 13, 2019, 11:17:26 PM »
I know you asked for pictures but just take any sight you might have for reference, then take a piece of mild steel of about 1/4 inch thickness and hacksaw and file away until you have a sight that looks like you want. It only takes a few minutes. Your first one or two might not be exactly what you want but so what, it didn't cost anything and you will quickly get the hang of it. I have a piece of steel I got from a trash pile at a hospital undergoing remodeling in the 1970's where I worked and I am still cutting sights out of that same piece. I bet I  have cut out at least 125 sights. I take a perverse pleasure in making as many gun parts as possible out of discarded trash and scraps. Other than locks, barrels/breechplugs, screws and bolts and  buttplates and triggerguards if you like castings, there is no reason to ever purchase any other part to build a rifle. Much more fun to make them yourself and you won't end up with a rifle that looks like everybody elses as well. Things like ramrod thimbles, simple triggers and so on take less time to make yourself than it does to find your credit card, turn on your computer and order from a supplier, plus you get to tell your wife that your hobby doesn't cost as much as it really does.
”Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.” Theodore Roosevelt

Offline hortonstn

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Re: piks of rear sights
« Reply #2 on: April 13, 2019, 11:52:51 PM »
That's a great point,,,,,

Offline Kevin Houlihan

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Re: piks of rear sights
« Reply #3 on: April 14, 2019, 12:19:41 AM »
 Try this.  It's by Curtis on making a sight from a railroad spike.
Kevin

http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=28998.msg292919#msg292919


Offline hortonstn

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Re: piks of rear sights
« Reply #4 on: April 14, 2019, 12:39:59 AM »
Thanks that is what I was looking for.

Offline Greg Pennell

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Re: piks of rear sights
« Reply #5 on: April 14, 2019, 01:43:33 AM »
I’m with Dale...love making as much as I can. Here’s one I made recently from a scrap of channel iron. It’s a pretty quick job with hacksaw and files.

Greg





“Let your gun therefore be the constant companion of your walks” Thomas Jefferson

Offline Marcruger

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Re: piks of rear sights
« Reply #6 on: April 14, 2019, 02:04:32 AM »
",,..love making as much as I can. Here’s one I made recently from a scrap of channel iron. It’s a pretty quick job with hacksaw and files. "

Easy for you to say Greg!   Not so easy for this Goober.  You remind me of Bob Hill.  Lots of talent, and don't realize that others aren't as talented.   :-)   Nice work by the way. 

God Bless,  Marc

Offline deepcreekdale

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Re: piks of rear sights
« Reply #7 on: April 14, 2019, 09:52:26 PM »
Always remember, hard work takes no talent. If you are doing this for fun, so what if it takes you a few tries to get right. Talented people are usually those that just stuck to it until they got it right. I am proud of my work and feel it stands up well to most of the work done by members of this forum. That doesn't mean my first efforts were all that good, but to quote the fellow in Monte Python who was turned into a Newt, "I got better!" Don't ever sell your ability short, you will surprise yourself if you try and be even more proud of your work knowing it is YOUR creation and not just a bunch of parts from suppliers thrown together.
”Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.” Theodore Roosevelt

Offline JCKelly

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Re: piks of rear sights
« Reply #8 on: April 15, 2019, 02:54:39 AM »
You really do not have to own a CNC machine, nor have appenticed years to some Master.

My own first rifle was a railroad tie w a barrel instead of a rail

The deep, dark well-kept secret is just Do IT.
It may help your pride to discard the first one, maybe two, widgits where they can't be seen.
After that you may become one of these guys with amazing (to the guy who's done nothing) "talent"

Lotsa guys have talent. Most of us just rely on JUST DOING IT a few times.

Offline Kevin Houlihan

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Re: piks of rear sights
« Reply #9 on: April 15, 2019, 03:19:10 AM »
I’m with Dale...love making as much as I can. Here’s one I made recently from a scrap of channel iron. It’s a pretty quick job with hacksaw and files.

Greg



Greg,
 What do you use to make the round cut-out in front of the sight slot?
Kevin

Offline Jerry V Lape

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Re: piks of rear sights
« Reply #10 on: April 15, 2019, 04:07:52 AM »
Don't know how Gregl makes the cutaway in the back of the sight blade.  I make mine by making a thick blade and drilling a vertical hole in the blade; followed by cutting and filing away the forward portion of the blade to expose the hole.  I also file the back of the blade to reduce the thickness of the sighting slot.  If the wall for the slot is too thick it will do weird things to how you see the silhouette.  It just needs to be thick enough at the slot to prevent being easily damaged.

Offline smylee grouch

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Re: piks of rear sights
« Reply #11 on: April 15, 2019, 04:31:58 AM »
I have used a Dremmel tool with some success to expand that round cut out backwards.

Offline Greg Pennell

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Re: piks of rear sights
« Reply #12 on: April 15, 2019, 06:26:56 PM »
Kevin, I used a round burr in my Foredom tool to cut that groove, then a hacksaw blade to start the notch. I’ll adjust the sighting notch with a needle file after the front sight is made, and the sights are mounted...I like just a speck of daylight on either side of the notch.

Greg
“Let your gun therefore be the constant companion of your walks” Thomas Jefferson

Online Daryl

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Re: piks of rear sights
« Reply #13 on: April 15, 2019, 07:58:41 PM »
Here's a copy of an original Hawken sight that Taylor made for his .62 S. Hawken








Daryl

"a gun without hammers is like a spaniel without ears" King George V

Offline Marcruger

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Re: piks of rear sights
« Reply #14 on: April 16, 2019, 02:13:10 AM »
Yes indeed, I spoke too quickly.  Hard work, patience, practice and persistence get the job done.  A lot of what I might call talent is really a blend of these traits. 

That said, I have met some folks who come straight out of the box with amazing talent.  My ex-wife's aunt was crazy talented on piano and concert harp.  Never took a lesson.  She climbed up on the piano stool at two (yes two), and began playing recognizable songs with two hands.  Never touched it before.  If I had been there, I think it would have stood the hair up on the back of my neck.  Kind of scary. 

Some people are blessed by the Lord with talent with no practice. I on the other hand can work hard at something (with patience, practice and persistence) for a long time and get to be just a little better than average.  Just the way I am made. 

I love to see fine work no matter how the maker develops it. 

God Bless,   Marc

Offline alacran

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Re: piks of rear sights
« Reply #15 on: April 22, 2019, 01:40:26 PM »
Here's a copy of an original Hawken sight that Taylor made for his .62 S. Hawken

[Darryl that looks like a very effective rear sight. You say it is an original that Taylor copied. No reason for me to doubt that.
I must say that is the ugliest rear sight I've ever seen.
A man's rights rest in three boxes: the ballot box, the jury box, and the cartridge box.  Frederick Douglass

Offline Eric Krewson

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Re: piks of rear sights
« Reply #16 on: April 22, 2019, 04:12:18 PM »
Another angle iron sight, lots of filing but came out OK.

 




picture to url



Offline David R. Pennington

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Re: piks of rear sights
« Reply #17 on: April 22, 2019, 04:40:07 PM »
This was forged from WI to rough shape then filed.


VITA BREVIS- ARS LONGA

Online Daryl

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Re: piks of rear sights
« Reply #18 on: April 22, 2019, 09:47:16 PM »
Daryl

"a gun without hammers is like a spaniel without ears" King George V

Offline coopersdad

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Re: piks of rear sights
« Reply #19 on: April 23, 2019, 02:44:44 AM »
I've done a few, and Curtis's tutorial is right on.  Mark out the size, drill the hole for the round cut-out, then hacksaw the rough shape.  File it up from there.  If you mess one up, do another, they don't take that long and practice is good!  I keep telling myself that...

This thread Chowmi started also has a lot of good photos.  http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=48053.msg475610#msg475610

Holding them when filing is an issue. I put a photo in that thread of a jig I made to hold onto them that's been working pretty well. 
Mike Westcott

Offline Curtis

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Re: piks of rear sights
« Reply #20 on: April 23, 2019, 07:34:28 AM »
PH, here is another one of making a folding leaf sight.... http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=52057.msg518539#msg518539

Curtis
Curtis Allinson
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Sometimes, late at night when I am alone in the inner sanctum of my workshop and no one else can see, I sand things using only my fingers for backing

Offline D. Taylor Sapergia

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Re: piks of rear sights
« Reply #21 on: April 23, 2019, 11:32:25 PM »
I built a folding leaf sight for my .40 cal. Jacob Kuntz rifle, based on one in the MET in NY City.  I recently found out that the second leaf is just a tad high for 200 meters.  A little filing and it'll ring 'em at 200 m.







D. Taylor Sapergia
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Art is not an object.  It is the excitement inspired by the object.

Offline alacran

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Re: piks of rear sights
« Reply #22 on: April 24, 2019, 02:29:51 PM »
Now that is a good looking sight.
A man's rights rest in three boxes: the ballot box, the jury box, and the cartridge box.  Frederick Douglass