Author Topic: Front Sight Replacement......... (Read 861 times)

Mark whiz · « **on:** May 15, 2005, 07:53:19 PM »

Recently I broke off the front sight on my Pietta 1858 Rem clone. I've gotten a replacement from VTI and now the question is.................how do I get out the remainder of the old front sight and press the new one in??

Any gunsmithing tips would be appreciated.

John Traveler1 · « **Reply #1 on:** May 17, 2005, 12:11:38 PM »

Please refresh my meory....

Is that Pietta M1858 front sight a pressed-in brass post with pinched-in sides? Or is it a dovetailed fit?

If the sight is brass and pressed into a shallow hole in the barrel, you can soft-solder a brass nut to the stub (even if it is broken off flush), and simply pull off the stub with pliers. The solder and flux will not stick to the blued finish. The new front sight is pressed into place using a padded C-clamp. If it is loose, you will have to (CAREFULLY) clean out the hole and sight base, and soft solder it in place. Use a brass brush and alcohol to remove flux residue. Soldering heat will not hurt the bluing.

If the front sight is dovetailed, you rap it out from right-to-left with a brass drift. Installation is the reverse.

ribbonstone · « **Reply #2 on:** May 17, 2005, 01:45:24 PM »

Pietta would be a steel sight press fitted to a hole in the barrel and staked in (although those I've seen recently don;t show any stake marks).

Don;t think there is any trick to getting the old sight off if it left a stump large enough to grab onto...you aren't trying to save the sight stub, so grabbing onto it with vice grips and turning it like a screw should loosen it.

Personally, I'd proably solder the new one in place rahter than stake it. Low temp solder, use a pencil to color all arround the barrel at the sight hole (solder and flux won't stick to the graphite coating), clean out the hole, polish the sight base, tin the hole, tin the sight base, flux it, set the sight in place, clamp it, heat it. Don't use toom much heat or you'll ruin the color. Make anti-scale compounds, but driving a wooden dwol into the barrel will work for this...will char and smoke, but will protect from scale at these temps.

If you want to make the right staking tool, then will need to make a steel tube just barely bigger than the diameter of the sight, shape it, harden it, and slip it over the sight to stake it all the way around at once.

OR you might take the oppertunity to add a low dovetail sight...will let you take care of windage (and Pietta should have used one in the first place). Once sighted in, can sile/polish the sight base to match the octogon shape of the barrel.
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Low tech. My buddy epoxied his sight in place, then pin prick punched arround it, and it hasnt come off (been about 5 years).

Will52100 · « **Reply #3 on:** May 17, 2005, 05:49:23 PM »

What I did to a Pietta I'm tinkering with is I shortened the 8" barrel to 5 1/2" and used the same sight and loading leaver catch. I silver brazed the loading leaver latch catch into a shallow impression milled into the barrel, on the front sight I used low temp silver solder. Like Ribbonstone said, tin it, set the sight in the hole, heat it up and it drops in, turn it so it's centered while the solder is still liquid. Mine hasn't come out yet. Looked like mine was hard soldered in, may have been staked, but I had to knock them out with a large hammer and brass drift. If the hole still has some of the front sight in it your best bet would eigther get a machinist to mill the hole out or dovetail anouther front sight.

Good luck.

Mark whiz · « **Reply #4 on:** May 17, 2005, 06:12:59 PM »

Well, unfortunately, the post broke off JUST below the level of the barrel - so the nut thing won't work. I'm assuming it is soldered in place as I can see no staking marks.

I was thinking about heating the area a little with a propane torch and then taking an easy-out to the stub - maybe it'll spin out when the factory solder melts with the heat??

I guess my only other option would be to take a narrow, pointed grinder bit to it with my dremel tool.

Anybody have any other possibilities??

BTW.............I tried the epoxy thing...............lasted all of 3 shots. :oops: Fortunately my son spotted it behind my firing position while I was looking in front.