Homemade sight dovetail filler blank tips.

[Elroy]

I just ordered a receiver sight for my Winchester 94,and wii need to remove my barrel mounted rear sight..I was surprised at how much they cost. I wonder if any of you make your own..

[NSB]

You can buy them lots of places for around six bucks. It's hardly worth the time to make one. I have seen some guys make them out of dovetail sights removed from other guns. However, those are probably worth more than a new blank would cost. If they cost a lot more than they do, it might be something to consider doing. Just my opinion.

[Kev18]

Do what I did... I went to a gun store and asked them if they have any broken sights. I bought one. The normal blanks which I bought off brownells work, but the one from the sight I made is more ornate. It has the two spade ends.

[country gent]

I make them myself just because I don't like waiting for them. A small piece of cold roll steel 1/8 x desired width. Cut a piece to length and file first angle on edge then flip and file close then its test and fit. It doesn't take long to make one and have it fit. 1/8"X1" and you can cut it slightly wider than the dovetail and work them in. A good protractor to check your angles is handy. when finishing the angles and fitting draw file for more precise cuts

[Elroy]

Thanks..I would not hesitate to pay $6 for one,and Midway has them for that,but I dont order from them till I need at least $50 worth of goods because they run the free shipping on orders od $49 and over all the time..I see them on Ebay,and Amazon for around $10,and I know that an extra $5 aint going to make me,or break me,but there's something distastful about being charged $10 for something less complex than a 10cent washer..

[pietro]

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I've routinely made my own barrel dovetail slot fillers from just about any old longleaf rear barrel sight, which I usually buy a bunch of from a gunsmith who usually has a scrounge box full of them.

[Elroy]

That looks real good Pietro..I was just getting ready to pull one off an old Glenfield 22 I have,but got on Midways sight,and ordered one,and a new case trimmer that was on sale,so I could get free shipping.

[missionary5155]

Good morning
I do like Pietro.. You can buy those old broke sights for near nothing and have a great time with saw and file making it like you want.
Mike in Peru

[redhawk0]

Pietro...that looks great. I really like that look. Nicely done.

redhawk

[cwlongshot]

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I've routinely made my own barrel dovetail slot fillers from just about any old longleaf rear barrel sight, which I usually buy a bunch of from a gunsmith who usually has a scrounge box full of them.

Having many rear sites, this is what I do. It’s easy and if careful much better looking than a blank from marbles/brown elks etc.

CW

[KCSO]

Never bought one always made them from broken sights as shown.

[Elroy]

I wish I would have made one,because they do look better.The one I ordered is just a plain unstyled Marbles.It was just under $6 bucks.It and my new trimmer came in yesterday, and I expect my receiver sight tommorow..I expect I will have to replace my front sight blade with a taller one,but I do have one on hand that should work just fine.

[pietro]

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Be sure to test fit the sight you intend to install, as (if it's not new) it may not fit the female dovetail slot very well - and support the female dovetail's side while the sight is drifted in/out.

If the sight blade goes in too tightly, file (baby steps) only the bottom of the sight's male dovetail

If it's too loose, apply a shim under the sight's male dovetail as you slide it in - make it not readily visible via coloring the shim with a black magic marker pen.

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[Bazoo]

If you watch brownells website, you can catch them with free shipping and no minimum. I've bought several small things at those times.

[Buckshot]

.............I've made them before, but usually it was because nothing else would do.



The above sight was made for Rossi M92 x 357 mag that had the buckhorn/step elevator setup that I swapped out for a carbine ladder type rear sight. The blade had to be tall so I could go to the range and file it down while shooting.



If you think you're going to need more at some time, then just make yourself a 6" blank. Of course THIS blank has a LOT of waste to be removed for most anything you'd stick on a barrel!



The above bank was made for this old Parker Hale insert front sight. Of course it wasn't 'Finished' at this point. In case you'd wondered, the radius was cut on the lathe. This works like a champ for short pieces and is simple to make. Kind of like a fly cutter ........... only different. Take a suitable piece (length & OD) of bar stock. It's OD has to be smaller then the radious you're looking for.

Drill a hole across it's OD for a piece of drill or reamer blank (HSS regardless). Then drill an intersecting hole at 90 degrees, into the first, and then thread it for a setscrew. Wish I had a photo but ..... Grind your cutting tool and also grind a flat for the setscrew to rest on, to retain the tool. I like to use 5C collets in the spindle but the tool can also go into a 3 or 4 jaw chuck. The tool, once held must turn as true as possible.

The piece you're gonna cut the radious into can be held in an Aloris type tool holder, or a Palmgren Milling vise on the cross slide, or simply cobble something suitable up In my situation once set up with the spindle turning I'll feed the work up to 'Just' touch the spinning tool. Zero out the cross slide. Feed in a suitable amount, and then tighten the cross slide gib screws and hit your power feed. Then reverse the power feed, loosed the gibs, infeed, tighten the gibs, and hit the power feed again. Repeat until your depth requirement is met.

If the circular base requires a taper (like for a barrel) simple setup the workpiece to mimic those measurements. Remember that your initial pass will have the rotaing tool cutting more, or less metal at one end depending upon your setup.

.................Buckshot