Putting a rear sight on a Colt 1860 Army

Ferretdog · April 17, 2018, 12:49 AM

Has anyone put a real rear sight on the barrel of an 1860 Army (or similar)?
I was considering adding one to the barrel basically above the wedge. I'd probably change the front sight as well to match the new sight height. Then I'd take the sight notch OFF the hammer to get it out of the way.

I'm not sure that there's room in a 44 barrel to cut a 3/8 dovetail and still have enough barrel, so I'd probably just make a sight from stock, maybe brass.

So I was thinking of braising it on. Or maybe cut a small slit to hold a sight blade in place, adjust it using threadlocker glue, then solder/braise it on when I'm happy.

Anyone have experience doing something like that?

I'd be doing it to an 1862 police and an 1860 Army

Oliver Sudden · April 17, 2018, 07:56 AM

That’s been done and requires a shallow dove tail cut in the barrel then make a simple sight to fit. You may not have to alter the hammer as Colts tend to shoot high and the taller rear barrel sight will be above the hammer. A good fit will make the solder or glue unnecessary. Check your arbor fit befor starting as that will affect the point of impact.

maillemaker · April 17, 2018, 08:52 AM

See this:

http://www.1898andb-4.com/products.p...21dd2c2eecd7d6

Steve

**4V50 Gary** · April 17, 2018, 09:07 AM

That's neat maillemaker!

fourbore · April 17, 2018, 09:10 AM

Yes- Very cool, I learn something today

Hawg · April 17, 2018, 09:20 AM

If it's a Uberti the arbor WILL be too short and will need to be corrected. Pietta's are the right length from the factory.

Fingers McGee · April 17, 2018, 11:15 AM

As a reference that could be easily copied, the Uberti Man With No Name converson 1851 Navy has a rear sight on the barrel.

Ferretdog · April 17, 2018, 04:55 PM

Oliver Sudden - she has been sighted in to poi at 25 metres. (more or less ... it's an open top, so it never really shoots poi to my standards - if I can't put 2/5 holes in holes at 25m there is something wrong with the gun)

Maillemaker - that's it! But I haven't found anyone publishing exactly what they did to achieve that, like what are the dimensions of the dovetail they used. This doesn't look like it uses a dovetail - it looks like a slit, then soldered on.

Hawg - mine are piettas so no worries there.

Fingers - Perfect! I thought I'd seen someone with one, but i couldn't find the pic I'd seen.
Looks like the Cimmaron uses a small dovetail. Does that look like a normal 3/8 or smaller?

Hawg · April 17, 2018, 09:44 PM

Get a sight with a 3/8 dovetail and have a dovetail cut for it.

maillemaker · April 18, 2018, 08:54 AM

Quote:

if I can't put 2/5 holes in holes at 25m there is something wrong with the gun

I agree with you, but I have not had that kind of luck with any of my revolvers except my Colt Walker once or twice.

Steve

Ferretdog · April 18, 2018, 04:32 PM

i can do it with a Ruger Old Army. I don't have a remington to try.
With an open top, the hammer moves far enough from side to side to alter POI 6 inches at 25m. It also doesn't reset at exactly the same height each time, so I find I get 3+ inches elevation variation at least.
Then there's the type of sight itself - a v notch with a pointed front is not conducive to accurate shooting, and the picture is very hard to aquire when duelling.

Ferretdog · April 18, 2018, 07:43 PM

OK - I ordered some sight blanks, front and rear, from Trackofthewolf which only need a shallow dovetail. I'll file off or punch out the front sight, cut the dovetails by hand and fit the sights then file them down to point of impact. The rear is just square, steel, and the front is a brass blade. They'll need a bit of filing - maybe a bit of a run on the belt sander - but I reckon I'll get them to work.

Will post picks of the job, in case anyone else wants to duplicate.

I'm using

https://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categ...x/881/1/RS-B-1
and
https://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categ...74/1/FS-TC-TTB
as my blanks, so i'll cut a 0.05" dovetail.

I measured my barrel thickness at 0.12 at the front, .14 at the back.
Existing sights sit 0.12 above the barrel - with the new ones i'll aim for about 0.3 or maybe higher to get a big, clear sight picture for duelling.

Hellgate · April 18, 2018, 09:57 PM

Way back in 1968 with my first C&B I found it shot way off windage wise. The local smith took a rear sight and rounded it out to fit the barrel and epoxied it onto the rear of the barrel (above & behind the wedge) and told me to shoot it and file the notch in the rear sight to align it with the POI. I did so and it is still one of my favorite CAS guns.

Ferretdog · May 2, 2018, 07:16 PM

I did it. Thought you might like to see how it turned out. Yes, they're pretty high, but I'll file them down once I get to the range and get an idea of where they need to be filed down to to sight them in.
I can take the top of the rear sight off to lower the poi, or file the top of the front sight off to raise it, and both are windage adjustable with a mallet.
Sight picture looks pretty good for me (targets at 25 metres)

April 17, 2018, 12:49 AM	#1
Ferretdog Junior Member Join Date: April 16, 2018 Posts: 12	Putting a rear sight on a Colt 1860 Army Has anyone put a real rear sight on the barrel of an 1860 Army (or similar)? I was considering adding one to the barrel basically above the wedge. I'd probably change the front sight as well to match the new sight height. Then I'd take the sight notch OFF the hammer to get it out of the way. I'm not sure that there's room in a 44 barrel to cut a 3/8 dovetail and still have enough barrel, so I'd probably just make a sight from stock, maybe brass. So I was thinking of braising it on. Or maybe cut a small slit to hold a sight blade in place, adjust it using threadlocker glue, then solder/braise it on when I'm happy. Anyone have experience doing something like that? I'd be doing it to an 1862 police and an 1860 Army

April 17, 2018, 09:07 AM	#4
4V50 Gary Staff Join Date: November 2, 1998 Location: Colorado Posts: 21,832	That's neat maillemaker! __________________ Vigilantibus et non dormientibus jura subveniunt. *Molon Labe!*

April 17, 2018, 11:15 AM	#7
Fingers McGee Senior Member Join Date: March 19, 2008 Location: High & Dry in Missouri Ozarks Posts: 2,113	As a reference that could be easily copied, the Uberti Man With No Name converson 1851 Navy has a rear sight on the barrel. __________________ Fingers (Show Me MO smoke) McGee - AKA Man of Many Colts - Alter ego of Diabolical Ken; SASS Regulator 28564-L-TG; Rangemaster and stage writer extraordinaire; Frontiersman, Pistoleer, NRA Endowment Life, NMLRA, SAF, CCRKBA, STORM 327, SV115; Charter member, Central Ozarks Western Shooters Cynic: A blackguard whose faulty vision see things as they are, not as they should be. Ambrose Bierce

April 18, 2018, 07:43 PM	#12
Ferretdog Junior Member Join Date: April 16, 2018 Posts: 12	OK - I ordered some sight blanks, front and rear, from Trackofthewolf which only need a shallow dovetail. I'll file off or punch out the front sight, cut the dovetails by hand and fit the sights then file them down to point of impact. The rear is just square, steel, and the front is a brass blade. They'll need a bit of filing - maybe a bit of a run on the belt sander - but I reckon I'll get them to work. Will post picks of the job, in case anyone else wants to duplicate. I'm using https://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categ...x/881/1/RS-B-1 and https://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categ...74/1/FS-TC-TTB as my blanks, so i'll cut a 0.05" dovetail. I measured my barrel thickness at 0.12 at the front, .14 at the back. Existing sights sit 0.12 above the barrel - with the new ones i'll aim for about 0.3 or maybe higher to get a big, clear sight picture for duelling. Last edited by Ferretdog; April 18, 2018 at 08:12 PM.

April 18, 2018, 09:57 PM	#13
Hellgate Senior Member Join Date: November 18, 2010 Location: Orygun Posts: 869	Way back in 1968 with my first C&B I found it shot way off windage wise. The local smith took a rear sight and rounded it out to fit the barrel and epoxied it onto the rear of the barrel (above & behind the wedge) and told me to shoot it and file the notch in the rear sight to align it with the POI. I did so and it is still one of my favorite CAS guns. __________________ With over 15 perCUSSIN' revolvers, I've been called the Imelda Marcos of cap & ball. SASS#3302 (Life), SASS Regulator, NRA (Life), Dirty Gamey Bastards #129 Wolverton Mtn. Peacekeepers (WA), former Orygun Cowboy (Ranger, Posse from Hell)

April 17, 2018, 07:56 AM	#2
Oliver Sudden Senior Member Join Date: January 7, 2017 Location: Colorado Posts: 272	That’s been done and requires a shallow dove tail cut in the barrel then make a simple sight to fit. You may not have to alter the hammer as Colts tend to shoot high and the taller rear barrel sight will be above the hammer. A good fit will make the solder or glue unnecessary. Check your arbor fit befor starting as that will affect the point of impact.

April 17, 2018, 08:52 AM	#3
maillemaker Senior Member Join Date: August 30, 2010 Posts: 1,635	See this: http://www.1898andb-4.com/products.p...21dd2c2eecd7d6 Steve

April 17, 2018, 09:10 AM	#5
fourbore Senior Member Join Date: August 22, 2015 Location: new england Posts: 1,159	Yes- Very cool, I learn something today

April 17, 2018, 09:20 AM	#6
Hawg Senior Member Join Date: September 8, 2007 Location: Mississippi Posts: 16,188	If it's a Uberti the arbor WILL be too short and will need to be corrected. Pietta's are the right length from the factory.

April 17, 2018, 09:44 PM	#9
Hawg Senior Member Join Date: September 8, 2007 Location: Mississippi Posts: 16,188	Get a sight with a 3/8 dovetail and have a dovetail cut for it.

April 18, 2018, 04:32 PM	#11
Ferretdog Junior Member Join Date: April 16, 2018 Posts: 12	i can do it with a Ruger Old Army. I don't have a remington to try. With an open top, the hammer moves far enough from side to side to alter POI 6 inches at 25m. It also doesn't reset at exactly the same height each time, so I find I get 3+ inches elevation variation at least. Then there's the type of sight itself - a v notch with a pointed front is not conducive to accurate shooting, and the picture is very hard to aquire when duelling.

May 2, 2018, 07:16 PM	#14
Ferretdog Junior Member Join Date: April 16, 2018 Posts: 12	I did it. Thought you might like to see how it turned out. Yes, they're pretty high, but I'll file them down once I get to the range and get an idea of where they need to be filed down to to sight them in. I can take the top of the rear sight off to lower the poi, or file the top of the front sight off to raise it, and both are windage adjustable with a mallet. Sight picture looks pretty good for me (targets at 25 metres)