Cutting barrel for Dovetail front sight ??

[hylander]

I'm going to cut my Pietta 1858 for a dovetail front sight.
Will a Uberti front sight work ?
If not, what will and were do I order from.
Also what would be the proper dovetail cutter.
I will be using my Mill/Drill to do the job.
I have never done this before, any suggestions ?

[Blanket]

Brownells has cutters. Take the most out with an end mill. Do not try to climb cut, dovetail cutters are very fragile. I usually finish size with a dovetail file Russ

[Marvin S]

The Uberti millinium 58 has a dove tail front sight. You can get one from VTI. As srated take the bulk or everything that is not the dove tail out with a regular end mill. There is a stickey above on the very subject.

[Jeff Michel]

You will want to make a slot PRIOR to using your dovetail cutter. You will be just removing excess material. Your depth of your dovetail will be based on the thickness of the front sight base. After you cut your slot, (I usually use a two flute end mill) replace the end mill with your dovetail cutter, adjust for depth, I use a piece of cigarette paper, between the bottom of the cutter and the bottom of the slot I just cut. You will have to add that amount to your overall depth when you lower your cutter. Take your time, dovetail cutters aren't going to take a bunch of shock. You will want to make certain of what the actual degree of the dovetail, chances are it will be 60 degrees but I have seen 45 degree angles occasionally in sight bases. If you're uncertain how to proceed, I would suggest practicing on a piece of scrap stock until you have everything clear. It's amazingly difficult to replace steel taken out of the wrong place.

[hylander]

Thanks for the input,
I have a scrap barrel I can practice on.
So your saying have a couple thousands of clearance on the bottom of the dovetail ?

[Jeff Michel]

Yes, that will allow clearance for the dovetail on the sight to enter the slot. If you have plenty of talent, (I don't) you can finish it on the mill. What I do to play it safe is, shoot for zero on my depth and width, move it to the vice and complete the dovetail with a couple licks of a PROTECTED file and push your sight into place with a brass punch. Piece of cake.

[StrawHat]

I have done quite a few with a hacksaw for the bulk cuts and a three cornered file to finish. An end mill never was within my budget.

[Lead Fred]

How about a hacksaw, triangle file & some duct tape.
measure 3/8th mark it with a sharpie, then hack to the inside of the marks. 3-4 cuts will do.
Then file the metal shards that are standing. When they are gone, use the triangle file to make the "V"s.
Go slow

When building flintlocks, it takes 20 minutes each to cut them

[John Taylor]

Most of the dovetail cutters I have are about .015" undersize. Good that you are going to try your cutter on a scrap to see how it cuts. After the first cut you can mover a few thousandth and go in just far enough to get just past the center of the cutter and then back it away and try the sight. If the sight will not start then run the cutter through and go through the proses again until you can get the sight started. The sight can be fitted this way without using a file.