Dove tail to large

[hortonstn]

I've got a barrel that has the dovetail filed to large any ideas how to shrink this for a regular sight to fit

[whetrock]

If it was me, I think I'd either make a new sight or make a sight base. If you have a sight you want to use, you can file off the base. Then make a base that will fit the current dovetail. Make that separately. Then pin the two together with a small rivet and silver solder the joint. If you don't use to much solder you will be able to file off any excess without a problem.
A small finishing nail will work for a rivet like this. Just soak it in vinegar for couple or three days first to remove any zinc coating.

[smylee grouch]

Depending on how much too large the dovetail is but if its not a lot you can stretch the base of the sight longer.

[Daryl]

You could also pick up a sight from trackofthewolf with a longer base, whether the front or rear sight.

[David Rase]

You can add a shim between the underside of the sight base and the bottom of the dovetail.
David

[Eric Krewson]

This was a constant problem when I started building guns, I would take one too many swipes with my three corner file when i was cutting a dovetail. A ball peen hammer and light strikes on the sights under side edges will often stretch a sight base enough to fill any gaps and make the sight a tight fit to the dovetail.

[T*O*F]

Depending on how loose it is, you can take a pointed punch and make a series of dimples on the sight base and the bottom of the dovetail.

[mikeyfirelock]

Try some shim stock in the bottom of the sight   ( if the slot is not to long) to bring the angled sides of the base into contact with the cut.

[taterbug]

yes, like everyone has mentioned, make 'adjustments' to the sight.  Or make (buy) a new sight.  Sights are cheap, and relatively easy to change without serious damage or consequence. 

Barrels, on the other hand, are not cheap.  And once past a certain point of 'work', can become unusable or unsafe. 

The things we learn...

[Scota4570]

A very simple approach is to use a paper shim under the sight.  Color the edges with black sharpie marker after trimming. Once you know it will sight in you can add a little Loctite. 

IMHO, dimpling and staking ends up looking bad, ........MHO.  I have owned guns with staked sights.  I sold them all because they looked bad and it bothered me. 

DO what ever makes you happy. I am not going to tell anyone they are having fun wrong.   

[Sidelock]

A lot of good suggestions on this one already.  There is one trick I have used when the dovetail is just large enough that the sight won't lock in position.  With a graver, or chase engraving tool, put the graver point into the bottom or base of the dovetail on the barrel.  Holding the graver at a higher than normal angle, a few light taps on the tool will raise a sharp little tooth of metal.  Knock up several of these in the base of the dovetail and get a couple raised teeth of metal under the lip of the dovetail in the corners.  Typically after doing this, a loose sight will now have to be driven in to the dovetail with a punch. 

[hortonstn]

Thanks I have a plan

[smylee grouch]

When not too bad I have " tinned " the bottom of the dovetail and sight to take up the slack. I used soft solder and it worked.

[kutter]

I usually clean off the underside of the sight base.
Then clean off a piece of shim stock and then 'tin' it with an elec soldering gun.
The piece of shim stock is oversize for easy placement in the next step.

Then flux both the bottom of the sight base and the tinned surface of the shim stock.

I clamp the two surfaces together tightly with a small C-clamp. Use a copper penny on the top surface of the sight to avoid marring it if it's already finished polished.

Now heat the entire assembled pieces and clamp with a small propane flame till you see the solder on the tinned surface of the shim stock flow. The piece is oversize so the surface can be seen outside of the sight base outline.

Let it cool, unclamp it and trim the excess shim stock off.
If you have used good ol' lead/tin soft solder, the hair line solder joint if even visible will somewhat cover with cold blue. Rust blue will even darken it as will the natural oxidation of the alloy.
The newer Tin/Silver soft solder likes to stay brite white and shows up easier. But even then the line is so razor thin as to be nearly invisible if the parts are assembled as sweatsoldered as above.

The trimmed to the  outline base is now thicker than before and will likely take some fitting to set firmly into the over size dovetail in the bbl.

It actually takes very little time to do it this way and you don't have to fiddle with a loose shim trying to insert it along with the sight when remounting it.
It always stays inplace directly under & with the sight base when doing any adjustments as well.

It makes a neat repair of it instead of just an okey dokey quick fix

[Dphariss]

I have expanded front sight bases by clamping them tight enough to “make them bigger” but this also thins the base.