penny front sight

gasmandave · February 12, 2014, 08:23 PM

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.

**4V50 Gary** · February 12, 2014, 09:02 PM

Solder?

BTW, use only 1982 and earlier pennies. They're copper unlike the copper coated zinc pennies minted today.

Hawg · February 13, 2014, 05:16 AM

A silver dime is more appropriate.

maillemaker · February 13, 2014, 08:59 AM

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

gasmandave · February 13, 2014, 09:38 AM

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 · February 13, 2014, 10:18 AM

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.

maillemaker · February 13, 2014, 11:23 AM

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.

TemboTusk · February 13, 2014, 12:05 PM

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.

PetahW · February 13, 2014, 01:20 PM

.

Here's a few different choices/looks:

.

Driftwood Johnson · February 13, 2014, 01:38 PM

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.

North East Redneck · February 13, 2014, 03:52 PM

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.

James K · February 13, 2014, 06:23 PM

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

February 12, 2014, 08:23 PM	#1
gasmandave Senior Member Join Date: January 12, 2012 Location: Upstate SC Posts: 223	penny front sight 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.

February 12, 2014, 09:02 PM	#2
4V50 Gary Staff Join Date: November 2, 1998 Location: Colorado Posts: 21,838	Solder? BTW, use only 1982 and earlier pennies. They're copper unlike the copper coated zinc pennies minted today. __________________ Vigilantibus et non dormientibus jura subveniunt. *Molon Labe!*

February 13, 2014, 03:52 PM	#11
North East Redneck Senior Member Join Date: June 6, 2012 Location: Berkshire Hills Posts: 741	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. __________________ NRA Patron Member SAF Life Member GOAL Member

February 13, 2014, 05:16 AM	#3
Hawg Senior Member Join Date: September 8, 2007 Location: Mississippi Posts: 16,189	A silver dime is more appropriate.

February 13, 2014, 08:59 AM	#4
maillemaker Senior Member Join Date: August 30, 2010 Posts: 1,635	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

February 13, 2014, 09:38 AM	#5
gasmandave Senior Member Join Date: January 12, 2012 Location: Upstate SC Posts: 223	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.

February 13, 2014, 10:18 AM	#6
gasmandave Senior Member Join Date: January 12, 2012 Location: Upstate SC Posts: 223	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.

February 13, 2014, 11:23 AM	#7
maillemaker Senior Member Join Date: August 30, 2010 Posts: 1,635	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.

February 13, 2014, 12:05 PM	#8
TemboTusk Senior Member Join Date: June 30, 2012 Location: Anaheim, CA Posts: 139	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.

February 13, 2014, 01:20 PM	#9
PetahW Senior Member Join Date: September 19, 2008 Posts: 4,678	. Here's a few different choices/looks: .

February 13, 2014, 01:38 PM	#10
Driftwood Johnson Senior Member Join Date: January 3, 2014 Location: Land of the Pilgrims Posts: 2,033	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.

February 13, 2014, 06:23 PM	#12
James K Member In Memoriam Join Date: March 17, 1999 Posts: 24,383	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