Removing front site on Pietta 51 navy

O

Osage

New member
How do you replace these? I assume these sites snap it? Do I have to grip with a good clamping pliers and pull?
 
Osage, Did you ever get that sight off your Navy? ... I found my papers on the Pietta revolvers and from what I can see it's not a removable sight. At least it doesn't show that it is . There are 3 of them that are like that and all the rest are removable. The Peterson, the 1851 Navy and the New model pocket army .31 all show fixed sights, all the others it shows removable sights. If you want or need a schematic for your revolver I can scan it for you. Let me know. Mike
 
Thanks Rem. VTI gunparts sells the front site. It's not threaded but looks like it might snap in. A fella on another site showed me a pic of one. I wasn't sure if the thing could be pulled out or not. Mine's a little dinged and I wouldn't mind replacing it.
 
One of the Pietta family used to post on one or more internet boards. he responded to the front sight question by saying that it is press-fitted. Many of his answers about the products, parts availability and service were not accurate but it does seem likely the information about the front sight is correct since press fitting is cheaper than silver soldering or threading.
 
It would seem to me that it's press fitted also but that's not what they show on the schematic. Let us know what you find out. If it's already dinged up then I would just heat it a little and use vice grips. If all else fails you can just cut it off and dove tail the barrel like I did for a front sight you can adjust. Made my sight blade from German silver on one and used an 1858 half of a dime on the other. Mike
 
So, press fitting means it's not supposed to come out?

My gun shoots a tight pattern but shoots 100% of the time to the right. It's about 3-5" right at 25 yards. A dovetail would be nice but I'm not sure how that would look.
 
A dovetail would be nice but I'm not sure how that would look.
Click to expand...
I cut down the barrel on a CVA '51 navy and dovetailed on a '58 Remington front sight. The sight was way too tall, but I fixed that with a file. It doesn't look bad at all. (I also like the way it handles and shoots with a 5" barrel, but loading it with a short lever is a whole other matter! :( )
 
If the sight is just pressed in, it probley would'nt hurt to weld on it then.
Mine shoots way way to the left.
 
If It's just pressed in then it should come out with a little heat and twisting back and forth motion.
Some of the old .44 Rem were dovetailed . I have seen several of them but I'm sure it was done by gun smiths even back then. I did my own but I have done several of them when I built my Muzzloaders from scratch.
The real Remingtons sights don't look like the one's you see on the reproductions. Sure hope you can get it off but don't know how that's going to help your aiming if you just intend to replace it with the same sight. Mike
 
I originally intended to solder a brass cone on to the top of it and file off some of the right side. I couldn't get silver bearing solder to stick to the site. Tried over and over and bought some different flux.

I made a brass cone hollowed out on the bottom so it'd sit right over top the old site. Still might try it some more.

Fired abuot 36 rounds tonight and the gun held a good grouping high and right on ever cylinder. On my 60 army, I ground the hammer back and lowered the groove and filed it to one side a little. Might do that to this one also.
 
Osage, What a great idea about the brass sight fitting over the one you have.
In regards to not getting the solder to take I sometimes wonder if they did't use some aluminum for those sights. Mike
 
How deep can you go on that dovetail? I shot several cylinders on saturday. Man, that gun shot good groups but all were 3" high and 3" right at 20 yards.
 
Osage, Sorry I didn't see your question on here sooner. Mine is about 2.5 mm. and it still leaves plenty of steel on the barrel.
If you've never done one before you may want to have a gunsmith do it for you. They don't charge that much and they can make you one that will fit perfectly and solve your problem for you.
You have to make it a little wider than the top of the barrel to allow for adjusting the sights back and forth. Once you have it where you want it you can pin it with a nail set right on the top edge of where the bevel of the sight meets the barrel. Then you want to file the edges down until they are flush with the barrel sides.Our you can mark the sight and barrel where you want it to stay and then punch out the site and grind down the edges a little at a time as you refit it each time for that perfect fit.
He can cut in the beveled edge for you and fit the sight but you should shoot it and trim it yourself after a lot of shooting and sighting in. Make sure he puts a high blade on it so you can file it down to where you want it. Hope this helps, Mike
 
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