Author Topic: dove tailing sights (Read 2938 times)

curly · « **on:** February 03, 2020, 03:30:45 AM »

How do the members here cut in their dove tailing for under lugs and sights. Be interesting to find different ways to do it.

Thanks for chiming in Curly

mikeyfirelock · « **Reply #1 on:** February 03, 2020, 04:01:49 AM »

Well, I’ll bite on this. I take my vernier calipers and measure the width (front to back) of the TOP of the sight base, and the depth of the sight base. I then Know how wide ( front to back) and how deep the dovetail should be. I mark (scribe) these on the barrel ( depth of cut will be approximate...be conservative.). Then using a hacksaw I kerf between the marks to depth, both at right angles and diagonally to remove as much material as possible. Control the depth by counting your saw strokes...makes for uniformity. Clean up with a file with safe edges. I clean out the angled ends by using a jewelers saw to put a horizontal kerf across both ends, then use a safe edged triangular file to finish ( 2 safe edges on this file so you only cut one surface at a time. Make your slot VERY slightly tapered to ease the entry of the sight base. This allows you to have a good fit without damaging a soft copper base. Be careful and keep trying and fitting and it will come out nice.
Mikeyfirelock...Hoosier hammergunsmith

Scota4570 · « **Reply #2 on:** February 03, 2020, 07:32:21 AM »

I use a milling machine and a 60* cutter. It is do-able but tough without a DRO. Dove tails are very difficult to get exactly right. You are trying to get a tight push fit. That is under 0.001" tolerance.

It can be done by cruder methods. I never could make it look perfect with a safe side triangular file. It bothers me to see gaps and peened edges. Even worse is center punched staking, it looks terrible to me.

smylee grouch · « **Reply #3 on:** February 03, 2020, 08:24:01 AM »

I have a pair of parralell(sp) sided three corner files that have safe sides and they help to keep things straight.

flehto · « **Reply #4 on:** February 03, 2020, 08:28:52 AM »

I use the hacksaw as described above , cold chisel the "ribs" off and file the bottom level. Then a file is used to increase the width and then I use a 60 degree dovetail chisel to raise the metal on both sides and cleanup w/ a safe sided triangular file. The dovetail chisel is not used on the front sight ….it's completely filed in.

The raised metal at both sides of the bbl lug dovetails is peened w/ the bbl lug in place for a very tight fit...the area is then filed flush. The raised metal on both sides at the rear sight dovetail is filed into a molding resulting in approx. .07 of bearing w/ only .035 of depth from the top bbl flat. All the dovetails are .035 deep from the top flat of the bbl except the front sight dovetail....it's approx. .04-.05 depending on the front sight. …...Fred

Jim Evans · « **Reply #5 on:** February 03, 2020, 01:33:51 PM »

This is what I have used as a guide to cut my dovetail.It has served me well.

Tim Ault · « **Reply #6 on:** February 03, 2020, 02:25:22 PM »

I use the hacksaw and file method and raise the front and rear slightly with a cold chisel . File and try the fit often

Algae · « **Reply #7 on:** February 03, 2020, 06:42:21 PM »

Ditto's on the MSM guide.

Al J.

longcruise · « **Reply #8 on:** February 04, 2020, 03:07:11 AM »

Can the MSM be moved up and down the barrel to make any length of dovetail?

Jim Evans · « **Reply #9 on:** February 04, 2020, 04:46:18 AM »

Quote from: longcruise on February 04, 2020, 03:07:11 AM

Can the MSM be moved up and down the barrel to make any length of dovetail?

Yes you can move it to make a wider dovetail.

yellowhousejake · « **Reply #10 on:** February 04, 2020, 05:01:20 AM »

Be warned, if there is any taper in the barrel the guide will give you a perfect dovetail that is square to only one side. You will need to shim the guide to get the dovetail cut properly in a swamped or tapered barrel. That may be why I had a tapered barrel with a 7/16 dovetail cut... But I'm not confirming anything.

I cut them by hand now.

DAve

T*O*F · « **Reply #11 on:** February 05, 2020, 10:22:03 PM »

Quote

I cut them by hand now.

I've got 10 of them to do (2bbls, 6 lugs, 4 sights) and now I remember what a PITA they are. Three are done. I may fire up my Lindsay with a flat graver and remove the material with it. At least I can sit and save wear and tear on my back.

elkhorne · « **Reply #12 on:** February 07, 2020, 05:58:42 AM »

I always had problems getting all my hacksaw cuts the same depth even with the depth scribed on the side of the barrel flats. Another technique, to alleviate inconsistent hacksaw cuts, that I think someone on this forum mentioned a couple of years ago, was this. Take a piece of 1/2” x 1/16” brass bar stock and cut it to fit inside the clamps of your hacksaw. Then get some Johnson Stair Gauges, got mine from Amazon. Lay the brass bar against the hacksaw blade and lock in place with the stair gauges. Now set your vernier caliper to the depth you want your hacksaw cuts to be and adjust the brass bar above the edge of blade to the depth you set your caliper to be. Tighten the stair clamps and try some practice cuts. This is a little more involved but if you are putting dovetails into a thin barrel or the waist of a barrel like one of Rice’s squirrel barrel. I have some barrel lugs I made from this cold rolled stock I got a a big box store and should be good for holding a thin forend onto a barrel! Good luck.
elkhorne

Bob Roller · « **Reply #13 on:** February 07, 2020, 04:33:36 PM »

Quote from: Scota4570 on February 03, 2020, 07:32:21 AM

I use a milling machine and a 60* cutter. It is do-able but tough without a DRO. Dove tails are very difficult to get exactly right. You are trying to get a tight push fit. That is under 0.001" tolerance.

It can be done by cruder methods. I never could make it look perfect with a safe side triangular file. It bothers me to see gaps and peened edges. Even worse is center punched staking, it looks terrible to me.

Scota4570 has the right idea. I doubt if I could do a decent job with a safe
sided triangular file and I am certain I have at least ONE good one.
A milling machine with a proper dovetail cutter is my way now.I have also
used home made dovetail cutters made from reground drill bits of various
diameters.'

Bob Roller

Eric Krewson · « **Reply #14 on:** February 07, 2020, 05:06:38 PM »

I bought the above dovetail jig and found it worked pooly for me. Too much shimming to get it the right depth and you will wear out your files quickly on its super hardened frame.

Could be I am not bright enough to use it properly, it sits in my tackle box unused.

Mauser06 · « **Reply #15 on:** February 07, 2020, 05:22:07 PM »

I'm a hacksaw/file (chisel on the rear) guy.

Just struggle a bit with getting them at straight 90s on a swamped barrel. I have to make my cuts much shorter than my target length. Still haven't figured out the trick to that. Otherwise, sawing and filing is a pretty quick easy task.

Pukka Bundook · « **Reply #16 on:** February 07, 2020, 05:25:49 PM »

Hacksaw and cold chisel here as well.

B.Habermehl · « **Reply #17 on:** February 07, 2020, 11:48:36 PM »

I did the hack saw an file method for a lot of years, then I bought a mill. I usually use it just to pilot cut the slot then file the dovetail by hand. BJH

D. Taylor Sapergia · « **Reply #18 on:** February 08, 2020, 12:07:57 AM »

I use layout ink or felt pen, Vernier's calipers and a scribe to mark out the boundaries of the dovetail, then a hack saw with 18 tpi blade to make a series of parallel cuts within the boundaries, a graver and safe sided files to remove the webs of steel left from the saw, and a safe triangular file to cut the 60 degree edges.Each dovetail takes only minutes.

jerrywh · « **Reply #19 on:** February 08, 2020, 06:52:35 AM »

I use a milling machine. Jacob Dickert never had one but he always wished he did.

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Author Topic: dove tailing sights (Read 2938 times)

Jim Evans

Jim Evans