I guess if you put this and Eric's front sight tutorial together you would have a set......
![Cheesy :D](https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/Smileys/default/cheesy.gif)
I needed a rear sight for a rifle I am working on and taking some inspiration from Buchelle's book I decided to make one. I didn't have any properly sized steel stock but rummaging through the scrap pile I picked up a Railroad spike and thought hmmm.... this may work. All the work was done with files and hand saws except I cheated and used the drill press for the hole. The pictures pretty much show how it was done.
Sawing Spike... use a few drops of oil and your hack saw blades will last longer.
![](https://i.ibb.co/5KPMPZ8/PC150481.jpg)
Sections of spike - I cut the back of the sight at an angle:
![](https://i.ibb.co/vJLzwXH/PC150484.jpg)
3/16" hole drilled with center drill, eyeballed approximate angle to match slant of sight back:
![](https://i.ibb.co/hFmmQ29/PC150485.jpg)
Bulk of stock removed with a hack saw:
![](https://i.ibb.co/gP5sZqX/PC150488.jpg)
Design doodles:
![](https://i.ibb.co/C6XL5NR/PC150489.jpg)
Using round file:
![](https://i.ibb.co/QYcHD9R/PC150490.jpg)
![](https://i.ibb.co/crtwSzF/PC150493.jpg)
Using triangular file with safe edge:
![](https://i.ibb.co/cgmVwdd/PC150494.jpg)
Cutting dovetails with triangular file with safe edge:
![](https://i.ibb.co/MSRbdYv/PC150495.jpg)
I filed the sides of the sight body with a mill file, also cleaned up edges and did some contouring with the mill file and shortened sight back:
![](https://i.ibb.co/5Yt5r2N/PC150500.jpg)
Cut slot with jewelers saw and then a file, polished with some emery cloth:
![](https://i.ibb.co/B2XwYZZ/PC150503.jpg)
Here it is pretty much finished:
![](https://i.ibb.co/hCY86ZC/PC150505.jpg)
![](https://i.ibb.co/gm8fbWn/PC150507.jpg)
I will have to do some touch up and final tweeking when I get ready to put it on the rifle barrel, but the hard part is done. Glad you took the time to look!
Curtis