Dovetailing a Front Sight on a Round Barrel

[QuanLoi]

In the May, 2017 issue of MuzzleBlasts Magazine, is a photo of a beautiful rifle built by Dennis Priddy.  One of the images shows a .45 cal Colerain octagon to round barrel with the front sight dovetailed in.  Currently I'm building a rifle with a .54 oct to round barrel and since I've never soldered anything before, I was wondering if the thinner .54 barrel is capable of being dovetailed for a front sight.  I realize I'll have to solder the underlugs.  Would filing a dovetail a couple of inches from the muzzle be an issue?

Thanks for any replies...

[smylee grouch]

How thick is the barrel at the muzzle? Slot placement will be harder IMO to place on a round barrel if you dovetail. If you solder the sight on and it's placement isn't top dead center you can take it off and re-solder but if you dovetail and your slot is off it might be harder to correct.

[QuanLoi]

Good answer... Thanks

[B.Habermehl]

Finding top dead center on the muzzle end of a octagon to round barrel is pretty easy. Set the barrel top flat down on a flat surface slip a thin file under the muzzle end. Slide the barrel across the file while holding the breech end down. You will now have a scratch mark at top dead center of the barrel. Reverse this method and you can find bottom dead center just as easily for your underlugs. BJH

[Old Ford2]

Finding top dead center on the muzzle end of a octagon to round barrel is pretty easy. Set the barrel top flat down on a flat surface slip a thin file under the muzzle end. Slide the barrel across the file while holding the breech end down. You will now have a scratch mark at top dead center of the barrel. Reverse this method and you can find bottom dead center just as easily for your underlugs. BJH

Now, why didn't I think of that.
So simple and so obvious.
Thank you for a great suggestion.
Fred