Metal Chisels for Front Sight Installs

[Rasch Chronicles]

Fellows,

I was wonderig if you all make your own graver/chisels for cutting the sight mortice or buy them. Seems to me they could easily be made in a variety of widths in O1 or A2.

Best Regards,
Albert “Afghanus” Rasch
The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles™
Custom Gunsmith Student, J Chan Interview

[Telgan]

Sights are usually inlet using files and a hack saw blade.

[AndyThomas]

My "dovetail" chisel is a standard 1/2" cold chisel , which has been ground to about a 60deg angle. Nothing special. In this case, one size fits all, since it's moved back and forth across the dovetail with succesive hits until it's what I want.

Actually, I only use it on the rear sight. All the other dovetails are cut with a trangler file with a "safe" side. The file cuts quite fast. I leave the chiseled cut humped up, like a lot of the old guns. I'm concerned that the chisel may deform the bore some, at least at the small end of the barrel. The rear sight is at a thick place on the barrel.

Hope this helps,
Andy

[Acer Saccharum]

For front sights, a hacksaw, small chisel and triangular file will suffice.

For rear sights:

What you want by chiseling the dovetail is to raise a lump on either side of the sight so that you can form it and file it to shape.

To make the pocket, I cut down with a hacksaw, cuts as close together as I can, which leaves a little web of metal sticking up between cuts. Use a new blade. Watch the depth of cut carefully. One deep line makes all the others have to come to that level. Then I take a small chisel, and chip the fins down to the floor level. Then the area gets filed flat and true.

At this point I use a big cold chisel, driving into the little vertical wall on either end of the cut down dovetail area. I pound a little, then look to see if the chisel started right. if not started right, like the chisel is hitting too high on the wall, file with a triangle file to flatten out the very inside corner. then reset the chisel and pound some more.

I end up filing the pocket anyway, so I don't worry about the chisel being EXACTLY at the right angle, or exactly square to the barrel.

If you raise too much metal, it can be filed off.  This chiseling of the sight lumps is really a cold forging operation. you can tap it back down, or shape it a bit with the hammer and punch to get the effect you want.

this lump was raised only on the back of the pocket because of the extension on the front of the sight.

[Don Getz]

This is meant as a warning, be careful how you use those chisels.   I have seen more than one barrel with dimples in the
bore made by those dovetail chisels, some by some very good gunbuilders.   When you driving that chisel in there to raise
a lip for the sight, you are also exerting downward force on the barrel.    If you're doing it in a portion of the barrel that has a lot meat on it there should be no problem, but, on a thin barrel, be very careful............Don

[Cory Joe Stewart]

Are we refererring to tools advertsied for this specific purpose or just Cold Chisels?

Coryjoe

[Acer Saccharum]

You can make any chisel that is wide enough work for this purpose.

Don G is spot-on with his warning about dimpling the bore.


The commercial dovetail chisels are made to exert more lateral pressure than downward pressure. A cold chisel will, by geometry, exert equal lateral and downward pressure. If you have a thin bore, be careful.

A couple of things that help the metal move more easily:

Polish the chisel highly.

Use cutting oil.

Mount barrel securely to prevent end motion. Even when squeezed as tight as possible in a vise, the barrel will move, wasting the hammer blows, causing chisel bounce, etc. Place the end of the barrel against a heavy block of wood, or some such heavy object. If you use a concrete block or anvil, put a piece of wood between barrel and block.

[Rasch Chronicles]

Again fellows, really good stuff!

I was actually asking about the little thin chisels to cut a mortice for a front sight bade. I tried to find the picture and post that brought the question to mind, but of course, I can't!

Now, on that cold chisel for raising the dovetail, I can see making a specific one just for that task. The The correct angle of the chisel established, bottom flat ground and polished, maybe even relieving the the chisel a bit right behind the bottom flat to allow it to set lower when striking. Great ideas!

Thnaks again my friends!
Albert

[KNeilson]

A while back I had a post entitled "barrel wear"    

http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=13468.msg126589#msg126589

Thru further examination I can attest to what Don Getz has said

This is meant as a warning, be careful how you use those chisels.

as I have done what is stated. The spots I was "feeling" were the ripples created in the bore at the points I chiseled the web of metal between the saw cuts. They appear somewhat corrugated, like a negative image of the pic I am posting. I havent cut the barrel yet, but plan to. And will post pics when I do. No more of this particular method for me... Kerry   PS, fwiw, I made the chisel, O-1 steel hardened and tempered to a light straw. 30 deg angle, its very,very sharp, stropped on 2500 SC paper. The metal cut like warm butter.....K