gasmandave
New member
How do you do the penny front sight on say an 1851 Navy? If someone has a link I would appreciate it. My search function isn't working worth a darn.
penny front sight
- Thread starter gasmandave
- Start date
maillemaker
New member
My brass-framed Pietta 1851 "Navy" has a post front sight. Not sure what you will do with either a penny or a dime, except if you put them together you might approach the value of the gun. 
Here is my article on how to replace a blade front sight on an 1860 Army though:
http://www.4thla.com/articles/1860_sight/1860_sight.htm
Steve
Here is my article on how to replace a blade front sight on an 1860 Army though:
http://www.4thla.com/articles/1860_sight/1860_sight.htm
Steve
gasmandave
New member
If I use a silver dime I would have to silver solder it correct? Does that heat the barrel too much? Would I have to have it done by some one or could I do it myself. . Not sure quite how to do it.
gasmandave
New member
Steve,
Thanks for the link, it was informative. My 1851 has a small post front sight that screws in. I want to cut the barrel to 3" and put a new post sight. Thinking about track of the wolf for the sight but saw somewhere about a penny for a sight. That would seem like something an "Old Timer" might do. Either that or drill a new hole slightly smaller that the current post a dollop of JB Weld and "hammer the old sight into the new hole. I think the treads of the sight would mash down and with the JB Weld it would hold.
I'm trying to build an "Avenging Angel" type pistol. I have one now that's a birds head style I picked up from DGW, but as I have a & 1/2 barrel 1851 now I'm thinking of modifying.
Thanks for the link, it was informative. My 1851 has a small post front sight that screws in. I want to cut the barrel to 3" and put a new post sight. Thinking about track of the wolf for the sight but saw somewhere about a penny for a sight. That would seem like something an "Old Timer" might do. Either that or drill a new hole slightly smaller that the current post a dollop of JB Weld and "hammer the old sight into the new hole. I think the treads of the sight would mash down and with the JB Weld it would hold.
I'm trying to build an "Avenging Angel" type pistol. I have one now that's a birds head style I picked up from DGW, but as I have a & 1/2 barrel 1851 now I'm thinking of modifying.
maillemaker
New member
That's beyond my gunsmithing abilities.
I'd be careful drilling the barrel with a standard 118 degree pointed drill bit as by the time you get enough cylinder cut in the barrel for the sight the cone portion of the bit may break into the bore. I suspect you'll need a special cutter for doing that sort of thing.
What some folks do is cut a dovetail in the barrel and install a dovetail front sight, which you can buy from places like S&S Firearms or Lodgewood. They say you can make the dovetail with a file if you are careful.
If you are soldering you have to be careful with the flux because it will remove bluing.
Soldering is pretty easy. Here is a video on how to silver solder:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIKQ-FL96uU
When I soldered a new taller blade into a notch I cut into the existing sight base on my P58, I used Oatey silver solder with a very small butane torch and very judicial use of flux and solder.
I'd be careful drilling the barrel with a standard 118 degree pointed drill bit as by the time you get enough cylinder cut in the barrel for the sight the cone portion of the bit may break into the bore. I suspect you'll need a special cutter for doing that sort of thing.
What some folks do is cut a dovetail in the barrel and install a dovetail front sight, which you can buy from places like S&S Firearms or Lodgewood. They say you can make the dovetail with a file if you are careful.
If you are soldering you have to be careful with the flux because it will remove bluing.
Soldering is pretty easy. Here is a video on how to silver solder:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIKQ-FL96uU
When I soldered a new taller blade into a notch I cut into the existing sight base on my P58, I used Oatey silver solder with a very small butane torch and very judicial use of flux and solder.
If handy with a hobby mill or dovetail file as mentioned above; Track of the Wolf has a couple hundred choices for front sights. Here are some pictures of what I did.
The front sight can easily be lowered by file to point of aim.
The front sight can easily be lowered by file to point of aim.
Driftwood Johnson
New member
Howdy
Not a Navy, but here is an original Smith & Wesson Double Action 44 that has had an antique dime installed as the front sight. The original sight was missing when I bought the gun, so no value lost there. I think the dime only cost about $15. Yes, there was a slot in the rib for the front sight, so it was just a matter of driving the pin out, removing the sight that was there, filing down the dime the right amount, drilling a hole, and reusing the pin to hold it in place.
Yes, the antique dime had one side 'upside down' in relationship to the other side, so I chose to have the date show on the side with the upside down image. The advantage to this is that these pistols usually shot high, so putting the dime in allowed a taller front sight which lowered the point of impact to where I wanted it.
P.S. If you want to install a cut down dime on a Navy, you can silver solder it in place.
Not a Navy, but here is an original Smith & Wesson Double Action 44 that has had an antique dime installed as the front sight. The original sight was missing when I bought the gun, so no value lost there. I think the dime only cost about $15. Yes, there was a slot in the rib for the front sight, so it was just a matter of driving the pin out, removing the sight that was there, filing down the dime the right amount, drilling a hole, and reusing the pin to hold it in place.
Yes, the antique dime had one side 'upside down' in relationship to the other side, so I chose to have the date show on the side with the upside down image. The advantage to this is that these pistols usually shot high, so putting the dime in allowed a taller front sight which lowered the point of impact to where I wanted it.
P.S. If you want to install a cut down dime on a Navy, you can silver solder it in place.
North East Redneck
New member
Coin dealers and gold/silver shops sell "junk coins" for silver spot price plus a small fee. With the current price of silver about $21 an ounce, for $25 you should be able to get a dozen or more dimes to play around with. My local place let's me pick through them for the ones I want.
FWIW, the original sights on the Colts, including the 51 and 60, were neither screwed in nor soldered, they were just pressed in. The 51 Navy cone sight was installed by dropping a short length of soft brass into the hole, then pressing it in with an arbor press that had a hole in the ram shaped like the cone in reverse. Drop in the brass, bring down the ram, lean on the handle, and you have a front sight!
Jim
Jim