Pistolero
Well-Known Member
I got a deal on a Ruger Ltwt Commander, but the stock sights were hitting ridiculously high, 8-9 inches at 20 yds with 230 JHP
or 200 gr H&G 68 practice loads. I checked the web and called Ruger. Ruger had NO different height front sights.
Why not be like SIG and sell a range of front sights with different heights, since with a dovetail it is relatively easy to
change them out and get your gun matching POA and POI. But no. Nobody had a Novak dovetail fiber optic front
sight at the correct height, either. One of the significant disadvantages of the fiber optic sight is that you really can't do
much to adjust the sight by filing off the top, you hit the fiber really soon, and even a small amount looks bad.
So, to the mill. This, in retrospect, is a substantial PITA. This is a tiny part, with extremely fussy dimension....get that dovetail
fit just right? I nailed it but use a friend's dovetail measuring/matching tool, which helped immensely. I started with a way
too tall blank with the totally wrong dovetail, wrong angle, way too wide front to back and way too deep. This is all
good because I can cut it down to fit my needs.
So first get the dovetail right, very, very fussy, but I got it to a .0005 interference fit, a bit looser than I would have
liked, but it worked out perfectly later. I wanted 0.001 interference. I cut it 100% on the mill, upside down using a
Novak dovetail cutter and going VERY slowly and measuring often. Once it would go it, I installed it in the slide and
test fired it. Way too low, as expected but I cut it down in several steps to avoid going too far, always in the mill.
I HATE angled topped front sights a serious pet peeve, so always cut them in the mill. Once the height was right, time
to drill. And getting that hole drilled, starting in an angled rear face, and dead centered right to left, and the same
distance as the side clearance from the top was not something I trusted to my manual mill with no DRO.
So, to a friend's shop for his NOS 1969 Bridgeport with a DRO. Located the side and top, zeroing the DRO at each, then
offsetting to 0.100 on each axis to put my center of the tool on the upper corner, because I used a 0.200 diameter
'touch off' tool to find the edges. Blade is 0.132 wide, so need to go to 0.166 and 0.166 on the DRO.
Ready to drill.
Now the tiny #1 center drill, which would be really easy to just wipe the tip off. Because the Bridgeport is such low time, the
quill feed is still a bit stiff, so I used the knee, adding 0.001 at a time, bump, wait, bump, wait until the hole was about 0.30
deep. Switched to a #53 drill and started drilling, now using the quill. Drilled all the way through, no problems.
Then home to my mill and a 3/16" ball end cutter to remove the middle portion to expose the fiber to light, leaving a
bit on the bottom for strength.
Once that was done, time to polish all over with 400 grit, deburr carefully, break the sharp edges slightly (I like
crisp sight edges). Now to heat treat. This worked perfectly, heat red hot and drop into oil quench. Hardened
the sight and put a really nice black finish, and had the added benefit of the oxide layer ever so slightly tightening
the dovetail fit - Better to be lucky than good some days.
Installed the front sight and added a yellow rod, trimmed and melted the ends with a tiny butane
torch and done!
I think it looks pretty nice, esp for a first try. It took a LOT longer to do than it sounds. I'm slow.
I'd starve to death pretty quickly if I was doing this for money.
Bill
or 200 gr H&G 68 practice loads. I checked the web and called Ruger. Ruger had NO different height front sights.
Why not be like SIG and sell a range of front sights with different heights, since with a dovetail it is relatively easy to
change them out and get your gun matching POA and POI. But no. Nobody had a Novak dovetail fiber optic front
sight at the correct height, either. One of the significant disadvantages of the fiber optic sight is that you really can't do
much to adjust the sight by filing off the top, you hit the fiber really soon, and even a small amount looks bad.
So, to the mill. This, in retrospect, is a substantial PITA. This is a tiny part, with extremely fussy dimension....get that dovetail
fit just right? I nailed it but use a friend's dovetail measuring/matching tool, which helped immensely. I started with a way
too tall blank with the totally wrong dovetail, wrong angle, way too wide front to back and way too deep. This is all
good because I can cut it down to fit my needs.
So first get the dovetail right, very, very fussy, but I got it to a .0005 interference fit, a bit looser than I would have
liked, but it worked out perfectly later. I wanted 0.001 interference. I cut it 100% on the mill, upside down using a
Novak dovetail cutter and going VERY slowly and measuring often. Once it would go it, I installed it in the slide and
test fired it. Way too low, as expected but I cut it down in several steps to avoid going too far, always in the mill.
I HATE angled topped front sights a serious pet peeve, so always cut them in the mill. Once the height was right, time
to drill. And getting that hole drilled, starting in an angled rear face, and dead centered right to left, and the same
distance as the side clearance from the top was not something I trusted to my manual mill with no DRO.
So, to a friend's shop for his NOS 1969 Bridgeport with a DRO. Located the side and top, zeroing the DRO at each, then
offsetting to 0.100 on each axis to put my center of the tool on the upper corner, because I used a 0.200 diameter
'touch off' tool to find the edges. Blade is 0.132 wide, so need to go to 0.166 and 0.166 on the DRO.
Ready to drill.
Now the tiny #1 center drill, which would be really easy to just wipe the tip off. Because the Bridgeport is such low time, the
quill feed is still a bit stiff, so I used the knee, adding 0.001 at a time, bump, wait, bump, wait until the hole was about 0.30
deep. Switched to a #53 drill and started drilling, now using the quill. Drilled all the way through, no problems.
Then home to my mill and a 3/16" ball end cutter to remove the middle portion to expose the fiber to light, leaving a
bit on the bottom for strength.
Once that was done, time to polish all over with 400 grit, deburr carefully, break the sharp edges slightly (I like
crisp sight edges). Now to heat treat. This worked perfectly, heat red hot and drop into oil quench. Hardened
the sight and put a really nice black finish, and had the added benefit of the oxide layer ever so slightly tightening
the dovetail fit - Better to be lucky than good some days.
Installed the front sight and added a yellow rod, trimmed and melted the ends with a tiny butane
torch and done!
I think it looks pretty nice, esp for a first try. It took a LOT longer to do than it sounds. I'm slow.
I'd starve to death pretty quickly if I was doing this for money.
Bill
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