Fixed sights - sighting in

[Doc Shapiro]

Left/right generally requires that the barrel be turned just a hair.  And that's usually all that's needed.  Then most likley, the ammo will be hitting low.  File the front sight a little, shoot a group.  Repeat until it's where you want it.

Pretty straight forward process.  I have a gunsmith turn the barrel, and do the filing myself.

Doc

[gophergrease]

You can also have the front site removed and a dovetail cut. With a dovetailed front site it can easily be drifted for windage, and filed for elevation. This method makes it very simple, if you do change loads or (god forbid) need to sell it.

[Doc Shapiro]

True.  But a dovetailed front sight will move you to modern.  At least, I'm pretty sure it will.

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[Delmonico]

Makes sense to me, just cause it's historic, it's "Modern".  Delmonico shakes his head again in disbelief and goes of wonderin' why no one "Really" studies history.

[Aces and Eights]

True.  But a dovetailed front sight will move you to modern.  At least, I'm pretty sure it will.

Kinda makes sense. It seemed like such a simple answer when I first read it but - there are rules - and some rules have a basis. At first one would think, what is the difference between twisting a barrel (high cost and never certain in the future) from a dovetail? Then one thinks, adjustable sights are adjustable sights, front or back, so why not back adjustable too.

I did not know the rule and, as said, it seems to be logical. Maybe I will just get a barrel vice (to with other vices I have) and frame tool and go at it - or call my friendly gunsmith - or go modern - or change loads - or file the right side of each bullet to make it go left - or ----- crap, just blast away at 20 yards and worry not at all. 

[Delmonico]

Many of the conversions from cap and ball used a dove tail front sight. 

[gophergrease]

From the SASS shooters handbook ‘Sights may be altered to allow the gun to shoot to the point of aim, so long as the resulting sight appears to be “period”.’

As Del said many of the cap and ball conversions used dovetailed front sights. Dovetailing has be used for mounting the front sight as far back as handguns. Most of the flintlock pistols that I have seen have the front and the rear done this way. 

The front sights that we are used to seeing are very difficult to set in to place, with out  tooling meant for the job. They are slightly over sized and then pressed in to the barrel, the barrel then has to be crimped to the sight. This tells me that if you needed one replaced in the 1800’s by other than the most skilled gunsmith, a dovetail would be the best way. In modern times as well as the past after sight is fitted to the barrel it will need to be staked in place. After the windage has been adjusted a small center punch is used to push a bit of the barrel down on to the sight base preventing it from moving under recoil.

[Doc Shapiro]

That's interesting.  When I had new barrels installed on my Vaquero's, the gunsmith indicated that the prevailing method (and the one he used) for attaching a front sight is silver solder.

Doc

[Hemlock Mike]

When I got my RV 45 years back, it hit low and left.  I removed only 0.020" off the front sight and it brought it right up.  I also FILED the rear sight slot with a needle file having a safe side.  That moved me over and gave me a better sight picture.  Many have shot my gun and like the sights and accuracy.  I shoot a 255 gr cast over 7.5 gr of Unique.

Mike

[gophergrease]

Yes, silver solder is very common now. Historically speaking  its was expensive and hard to deal with. Silver needs apx 900 degrees f. to melt and bond properly. Without the use of a  torch and heat sink, you will heat the entire barrel and frame removing a good bit of the hardness of the steel. I have not seen much of it used until after the turn of the century. Silver came into wide use with post WWI African game rifles to affix the three and four leaf rear sight. Prior to that you will find it mostly used to mount the rib on shotguns, as they did not need hardness of cartridge guns.

[Delmonico]

Another reason that shotguns ribs are the more likely one to be seen silver soldered is that with the lenth you are soldering a gunsmith/blacksmith forge can be used where a torch capable of any kind of the fine, intense heat needed did not come around till after 1900.  Before that any welding had to be down in a forge and was a forge or hammer weld.  This is demonstrated by period blacksmiths all over the country.

The stick type arc welding did not exist befor the 1930's and helped win WWII for the Allies. (us as in US, and Britian)  Wire feed does not come in till the late 1950's.