Looking at 45 Colt replica

[Dale53]

Ric;
I presume you mean your revolver has finish except for your front sight blade. For that front sight, you may already know this but Brownell's Oxpho-Blue is EXCELLENT for this work. In fact, not long after it came out, I was working on a building a new rifle (single shot). The barrel had been installed but needed blued. Following the directions that came with the blue, I blued the barrel and it was beautiful and held up well. Surprise, surprise, surprise. Really good stuff. Easy to use, etc. and not expensive, as I remember.

FWIW
Dale53

 

[RicinYakima]

Correct Dale. And that is the product that I use, the "cream" thickness. The question now is that I had to remove a full third of the top of the blade. What type of profile would function and look OK? It is way to short for double slope of the original. My first thought is to just leave it flat.

 

[waco]

This is my only SAA. It’s in 45 Colt and is a Cimmeron also. It is an Evil Roy model. It has a wider rear notch and wider front blade. The springs have been upgraded and the action tuned at the factory.

 

[Dale53]

Ric;
The last front sight I altered (on the Ruger Vaquero 4 5/8") was perfect for windage using a Starline full case of Swiss 3F compressed 1/16" by seating the bullet, just required me to take a bit off the top of the sight to zero dead on at 25 yards (center of bull). Their was enough sight to re-contour it like the original. It also shot to the sights (after alteration) when using a smokeless load of roughly the same velocity. It made a very nice "Perfect Packing Pistol" (thank you John Taffin ). My load was using the Lyman 452664 RF. I cast it 1/30 Tin/Lead and sized to .452".

Send us a picture of the sight as it is now, and maybe, just maybe, I/we can make a suggestion.

Dale53

 

[RicinYakima]

Here is what it looks like now.

 

[Dale53]

If you are planning on using a holster, simply rounding the top rear corner just enough to keep it from cutting your holster on the draw should be fine.

Dale53

 

[Ian]

What Dale said.

For a range toy it would probably be better left sharp so no light glints off the radius. If you have access to a glass bead or sandblasting cabinet it would be good to tape off the barrel and dull the back edge of the blade before bluing. Oxpho paste works really well if the metal is heated to 160-180⁰F.

 

[Dale53]

Ric;
After looking at this again, something triggered my memory. Before you blue that sight, as Ian said to dull the back edge of the blade before bluing. In a similar situation ("long ago and far away"), I used a metal checkering file, to carefully cut grooves (right to left) on the rear of the sight. Then, I blued it and was quite happy with the results.

YMMV
Dale53

 

[Brad]

I have been known to file a small angle on rear edge of front sight to prevent glare. Make a sort of tooth shape on upper corner.

 

[RicinYakima]

Hummm! I have a 26/inch metal checkering file somewhere in my father's machinist chest. Used it while I was building 1911 frames, so must be somewhere in there.

It will never see a holster with me, as I bought it to carry in my anorak pocket when I am out walking in the cold and windy seasons.

 

[Dale53]

Ric;
I drove past the old Aeronca plant the other day (Middletown, Ohio) and your name popped into my mind...

FWIW
Dale53

 

[RicinYakima]

Dale, Yep, my Dad worked there 25 years and I did two summers in the machine shop. Is the airport still full of DC-3's? Used to be the largest rebuild facility in the world. Ric

 

[Dale53]

Ric,
We had better take this discussion to PM. I will send you a PM on this site.

Dale53