Old world sight removal

[Ajohns]

Have a question for guys that have experience with European firearms. Im goofing around with customizing an old Dutch Beaumont and am wondering if the rear sight assembly would be soldered on? Seems that way. If so, how hot do I have to get the barrel for that to come loose? I dont wanna mess something up. I tried my propane torch and some tapping with a punch but no luck.
Thanks.

[Cap'n Morgan]

Your rifle's rear sight are no doubt "sweated" on with soft solder but will most likely have a screw for aligning/locking the assembly with the barrel which must be removed first.

Most soft solder will melt at 200 °C (or about 400 °F). When heating the barrel, look for tiny drops of solder to emerge in the joints between sight and barrel.

[pietro]

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I'm guessing that the rear sight guts are removable, but not the larger/winged sight base (which may have been hard-soldered/silver-soldered to the barrel).

Witness this Beaumont barrel F/S @ Numrich, being sold as having no sights:

[Ajohns]

The barrel above is what I have. Ironically I bought the pictured barrel from Numrich for a spare, but the chamber was drilled out so I sent it back. I found another on gb. I see no screw holding anything to the barrel, just the screw holding the moving meter wing. I may have to coat this bore and try the wood dowel trick also in the bore and use the acetylene torch. Whatever it may be, its on there good but there is a parting line, its not machined on the barrel.

[Cap'n Morgan]

Seeing the picture I'm no longer sure the sight is soft soldered to the barrel. It looks as if the sight is not made with a "tube" around the barrel, and combined with the lack of screws it could indicate that the sight is brazed in place with a copper/zinc alloy. If this is the case you will need a lot of heat to remove it (red hot, actually)

[Dan Cash]

I have not taken a sight off of a Beaumont but have several other Euro military rifles. All were soft soldered. Heat the sight and band uniformly with a torch; when it is about 500 F. tap the sight toward the muzzle with a non marring mallet and it should slide off. Get some Temp Laq from your local welding shop to help gauge the temperature.

[Ajohns]

This has no band around the barrel. Its a top mount. But, I believe to be on pretty good as propane would not budge it when hot and tapping it with a soft punch. Im gonna see what I can come with, thanks for all the replies. Other than that I may do what Ive seen done, milling the top of those side wings as low as possible. I just had an idea (havent finalized it yet) for making a peep on the bolt for a rear sight. Well see. Im in the first stages of laying out what all Id like to do with this. Ive cit the barrel to 22" and going full length forearm to match. Have a couple other things with the stock like some brass tacks and muzzle loader trigger guard Id like to add to dress it up. The initial firing of the gun proved well as it has a good chamber and put the two rounds I fired well together at 50 yds. So, Im going to pursue this.

[samari46]

Just a thought, there may be a hidden pin that goes through one side of the base, through a hole in the barrel and outside the other side of the base. Maybe cleaning up the sight base with some sandpaper or wire brush will reveal the hidden pin if there is one. Frank

[Ajohns]

Well with a little oxy/acetylene torch action the rear sight came right off. And it didn't have to get too hot either. But, now I have the ribbon of silver left on the barrel. Can I heat it up again and get that off without much trouble? What's the best thing to use to get that off with a torch?

[Ajohns]

Well whatever I thought was a ribbon cut of silver, may not be? I heated it up pretty good and nothing bubbled or peeled away. Barrel started to get blue so I quit, I didn't want anything to even get towards dull red.

This rectangle area is the place where the rear sight was soldered on.

[ulav8r]

Silver solder gets to almost red hot during installation. Silver bearing solders work at lower temps. Soft solder was often used on firearms that then had to be rust blued, as hot caustic bluing would loosed soft solder.

Since you were able to remove it at a fairly low temp, is is not silver solder. Try heating it again, staying just below blue, and scrubbing the solder residue with steel wool to remove most of the solder. It is likely you will have to sand the barrel and re-finish it.

[Ajohns]

This model were in the white, not blued. I did try remove whatever is there by scraper, wire brush, and steel wool. All at about a dull blue. Nothing even bubbled, or whisked away. I put it in the lathe to polish it up and the whole barrel looks the same finish now. I will see if cold blue works in.