installing a front sight

[JerryW]

I am writing looking for suggestions on what to install for a front sight on a .357 hand-rifle I recently purchased.  This is one of the plastic stocked guns with out any open sights installed, I plan on using a williams WGRS for the rear sight but am not sure what to do up front?  I am torn between sweating on a williams shorty ramp or drilling and tapping for the same, or just hand cutting a dovetail and installing a sight that way.  I guess another option would some sort of a band type front sight but I am not sure what is available.  I have been through a lot of the older posts and the FAQ's but have not found much info on installing front sights.  I intend to use 190gr ranch dog bullets at around 1000-1300fps, any suggestions for sight height based on that type of load?

Thanks for any info provided,
Jerry

[Spanky]

You could probably call H&R and tell them what rear sight you plan on using, they'd probably know what height front sight you need. Ask them if they have a factory set that will work for you. If they do let us know the part numbers. I called and got the part numbers for the sights on the 30 caliber barrels.... the info is in the FAQ's.



Spanky

[trotterlg]

All of the H&R front sights I have worked on were held on by a single 3-48 screw.  If you do not have a drill press you can set the depth on, it will be difficult for you to get it right.  If you do, super glue the front sight in place first, then use a drill that just fits the clear hole in the front sight to mark the spot, drill a few thousanths into the barrel so the screw will be in the center of the hole.  Then drill the proper depth for the #3 screw (tap size is a 5/64)  Try not to drill through into the bore.  You will probably have to grind a little off the end of the tap to get it to go in far enough for the screw, hard to find a bottom tap in #3.  Good luck.  Larry

[blind ear]

totterlg


thank you

ear

[gcrank1]

Aint hardly anything worse than  a crooked dovetail........
and the sight would have to be so tall it would look like the proverbial 'guthook'.
A ramp set up will look best and even soft solder is plenty good enough if done correctly. Even epoxies are good enough because of the large contact area. For that matter Ive used black plastic electricians tape around the tail of a ramp set up to hold one on for a whole season.
If you have some D/T experience on gun barrels the one screw isnt bad; what is bad is trying to do it with the barrel clamped in a vice and a hand elec. drill. DONT try it, you will be sorry. If you have a mill you already know how to do it, but if you have a drill press and a level, a good DP vise clamped on the table, and a dial indicator to keep track of the quill depth you can do it.
I cut taper taps off with a dremel to make 'bottoming' taps if I need and dont have one.

[JerryW]

Thanks for all the responses.  I had not considered how high the front sight would be and that it would look out of place with out a ramp.  So it sounds like installing a ramp would be the best option, as far as soldering on versus screwing on I have the equipment to drill and tap so that may be the best way to go.  I have plenty of soldering experience but have never soldered a sight onto a barrel, are there any precautions to take when doing so?  I was thinking that plain old lead free plumbing solder would be strong enough and that I would tin the ramp, flux barrel and ramp, clamp with a hose clamp in place and the heat the joint till the solder flowed.  I seem to remember reading about a paste that could be applied to the interior of the barrel that would protect the bore, maybe this was only needed if the sight was to silver soldered?  As I am at work and won't be home for several weeks does any one have one of these .357 barrels that you could measure and give me the outside dimensions needed for ordering a sight ramp?  I would like to order the parts and pieces needed to complete this job so they are waiting for me when I get home.

Thanks again,
Jerry

[gcrank1]

Jerry, it sounds like you have some good experience behind you and decent equipment. Were I you, I would use the D/T mount and be perfectly confident in it. The FAQs list some Williams ramps, but recomendations from someone with a similar caliber and sight set up would sure simplify it. The nice thing about them is you can change the dovetailed sight in the ramp unlike the fixed blade models.
If you want to get a good idea of the total overall ramp/sight height you can make a simple mock-up with a small chunk of wood and a finishing nail as the post. Calc what you think you will need and tape it on. Try it and change as needed. When it hits where you want with the adjustment range on the rear in about the middle you can start ordering parts.