How to dovetail in a round barrel?

[Bob Gerard]

I have a round gun barrel for a British .62 rifle. I am wondering the best way to locate the top and bottom and cut dovetails for the front and rear sights (and underlugs) into it. Any tutorials and /or videos would be appreciated. (I remember Dave had at least one but cant locate it)
Thank you.

[rich pierce]

Hold the barrel with the tang lug and side flat where the lock plate fits vertical. Get a fine file and place a level on it. Keeping it level draw file a single bright line. There’s top dead center or bottom dead center. Work from there. 

[Bob Gerard]

Thanks Rich.

[45-110]

Since CNC flintlocks seem all the rage, why not set up the barrel in a milling machine? Use the flats at barrel breech for index. A stout drill press might work.....maybe, light cuts for sure.
kw

[Bob Gerard]

Ummm… I don’t have a milling machine. I have a workbench with a vise and some small power tools. Lots of files, though, lots of files 😉

[rich pierce]

I mark where the body of the sight or underlug will be with a scribe and cut side by side cuts with a hacksaw using the same number of strokes with each cut. If need be rig a small bubble level on the hacksaw if not doing these things often enough to have that reliably built in. Then sometimes I chip out the remaining short “teeth” with a small cold chisel then file the dovetail mortise with a flat file almost the right width. Safe edge files are best of course. It’s pretty common to have a minuscule hump in the middle because humans are not machines and we might not hold the file level throughout each stroke. I use a marker to blacken the mortise then go more lightly with a finer file or even draw file with a needle file to really level it. Then I use a 3/8” triangular file with a ground off safe edge to get the corners. I double check that my mortise is square not wider at one side than the other as I try for fit, file, try more till it just goes.

For underlugs and rear sights one can also use a cold chisel to lift the edges instead of using a safe edge triangular file. Can’t use this on a front sight dovetail and I don’t recommend it on a round barrel.

[Bob Gerard]

II appreciate your guidance on this Rich. I am mulling over how to begin, and think I should start with the lugs first. After doing those three I may have a bit of understanding on what I am doing.
I was wondering, after getting the lugs in, if they need to be soldered in for strength as well?

[rich pierce]

I’ve been amazed by the shallow dovetails on the bottom of round barrels. I’ve not seen solder yet but it surely could not hurt.

[Bob Gerard]

This is a rifle barrel (a .62 Bess-type barrel for a fusil) and will need both sights dovetailed in as well. Going to be tricky!

[mikeyfirelock]

For a round barrel I usually just fold up some sheet metal, form a tab on the. fold end, and solder to the bottom of the barrel.  Then drill for pin or drill holes and cut out for wedges.

[Long Ears]

I also only solder on round barrels. Especially thin ones. Bob

[Bsharp]

https://www.kimballarms.ca/articles/categories/building-from-a-kit/the-rifle-shoppe-baker-rifle-part-iii/

https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/cutting-dovetail-slots-for-under-lugs-and-sights-baker-rifle-build.159260/

I hope these can help.

[Bob Gerard]

Very helpful, thank you Bsharp!

[Scota4570]

I did a TRS Baker kit too.  I installed the breech plug and tang.  The side of the tang has a flat for the lock.  The tang has a vertical extension through the stock.  I corrected both to be parallel and to agree with the top of the tang.  They were all different as cast.     

For the various dovetails I went off the vertical surfaces of the tang and lock flat.  I made double sure the sights looked correct before I  finalized the dovetails.  I used a machinist's square to get my horizontal off the tang surfaces.    Yes, I use a milling machine. 

To make sure one flat is the same as the other use parallels.  Sight down them.  You can see a few seconds of angle that way.