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Front Sight on a Uberti 66


Frenchy Cannuck

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Howdy boys and girls,

I have a new Uberti 66, I shot my 1st match with it last weekend and I think it needs a new front sight. The one that came with it is very thin.

I was looking at various options, Grabber sight, the Pioneer model.

What do y'all recommend?

 

Frenchy

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Howdy

 

I prefer the Marbles Contour Front Sight. I know a lot of shooters like the Grabber, but it is just a bit too fat for me. The 'Ivory' and 'Gold' Marbles Front Sights are legal. I prefer the 'Gold' (really brass) .093 front sight.

 

Marbles Front Sights

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Contact Manatee,on the wire and get a Grabber .130.He is a great Pard to deal with .

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I bought a front sight for my 1866 carbine that had a large brass bead. Hated it. Way too big. I've cut it down until it is essentially just a blade. Works for me.

Plan to have Mose and Bella gold plate it for me at CAC.

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Contact Manatee,on the wire and get a Grabber .130.He is a great Pard to deal with .

 

Just did that, I'll keep you posted.

Thanks

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Howdy

 

I prefer the Marbles Contour Front Sight. I know a lot of shooters like the Grabber, but it is just a bit too fat for me. The 'Ivory' and 'Gold' Marbles Front Sights are legal. I prefer the 'Gold' (really brass) .093 front sight.

 

Marbles Front Sights

Driftwood, I have an Uberti 1873 with a similar dovetail sight. How do I determine what size to purchase and are they difficult to change out?

 

Thanks,

 

Da Stranger

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Driftwood, I have an Uberti 1873 with a similar dovetail sight. How do I determine what size to purchase and are they difficult to change out?

 

Thanks,

 

Da Stranger

 

If you go to the Marbles website and snoop around, they have a chart that walks you through selecting the proper sight for your barrel. To tell you the truth, they are inexpensive enough that I bought a couple of different heights and used the one I liked best when I got it.

 

The sight drives right out of the dovetail. Use a brass drift to drift it out. Then drift the new one in. There are variations in dovetails, sometimes they fit real tight, sometimes they are a little bit loose. If too tight, remove a teeny bit of metal on the bottom of the sight. Don't mess with the barrel. If too tight, tiny dimples can be raised in the bottom of the dovetail with a center punch to create more friction. A thin shim can also be used under the sight if necessary.

 

Don't ask me which direction to drive them out, I never remember. Besides, with modern dovetails I don't think it really matters anymore.

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If you go to the Marbles website and snoop around, they have a chart that walks you through selecting the proper sight for your barrel. To tell you the truth, they are inexpensive enough that I bought a couple of different heights and used the one I liked best when I got it.

 

The sight drives right out of the dovetail. Use a brass drift to drift it out. Then drift the new one in. There are variations in dovetails, sometimes they fit real tight, sometimes they are a little bit loose. If too tight, remove a teeny bit of metal on the bottom of the sight. Don't mess with the barrel. If too tight, tiny dimples can be raised in the bottom of the dovetail with a center punch to create more friction. A thin shim can also be used under the sight if necessary.

 

Don't ask me which direction to drive them out, I never remember. Besides, with modern dovetails I don't think it really matters anymore.

Thanks for that info.

 

DS

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I have always been told to drive them out from left to right, putting in is right to left, never have did it, but this is what I have been told and have read, as DJ said, with the modern dovetails you may be able to go any direction, just stating what I have read and heard, take it or leave it

 

 

All for now JD Trampas

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....... There are variations in dovetails, sometimes they fit real tight, sometimes they are a little bit loose. If too tight, remove a teeny bit of metal on the bottom of the sight. Don't mess with the barrel. If too tight, tiny dimples can be raised in the bottom of the dovetail with a center punch to create more friction. A thin shim can also be used under the sight if necessary.

Drag the sight over a flat file a few times in one direction, a then in the opposite direction the same number of times. Test fit it to see if you can slide it in about a third of the way with finger pressure, when you can you're ready to set it in. If you go overboard or the sight is a bit loose to begin with, degrease the area and use a drop of Blue Locktite in the ways ant sight your rifle in.When it dries it will be solid until the next time you may need to sight it in.

 

Willy

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I have always been told to drive them out from left to right, putting in is right to left, never have did it, but this is what I have been told and have read, as DJ said, with the modern dovetails you may be able to go any direction, just stating what I have read and heard, take it or leave it

 

All for now JD Trampas

 

I have read the same 'left to right to remove as you are looking down the barrel' 'right to left to install'. I have used this method on three of my own rifles and have had no problems. I like the brass bead front sight on my 1894 Marlin Cowboy. I don't know who makes it. I tapered the front of the sight back because I thought it looked too blocky. I keep the brass bead polished. On my Cimarron 1873 rifle, I put a bead of my wife's white fingernail polish on the back of the sight. So far it has stuck and shows up very well.

 

Siesta

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Howdy

 

I prefer the Marbles Contour Front Sight. I know a lot of shooters like the Grabber, but it is just a bit too fat for me. The 'Ivory' and 'Gold' Marbles Front Sights are legal. I prefer the 'Gold' (really brass) .093 front sight.

 

Marbles Front Sights

 

 

Driftwood

I checked out the Marbles website and it wood appear that the contour front sight (brass) and the semi-buckhorn rear sight are the same as they install on the Marlin 1894 Cowboy rifles.

 

Siesta

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Driftwood

I checked out the Marbles website and it wood appear that the contour front sight (brass) and the semi-buckhorn rear sight are the same as they install on the Marlin 1894 Cowboy rifles.

 

Yup, Marlin uses Marble sights. As for which direction to remove or put in a new sight, I have done a bunch of modern rifles and it does not seem to have mattered. As a matter of fact, I have done a few old rifles too. When the old sight is out, I see if the new one wants to go in any further on one side or the other. So far it has not mattered.

 

If you think of it, it is a lot simpler for a dovetail to be made by a dovetail cutter just going through straight across. That is going to make a cut that does not vary in width. To get the cut to be slightly angled, a second pass would have to be made at a very slight angle.

 

At least it has been my experience that it does not matter which side I drive it in from. For driving it out, I'll try a couple of tentative whacks on either side. Which ever side wants to move first is the way I go.

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Yup, Marlin uses Marble sights. As for which direction to remove or put in a new sight, I have done a bunch of modern rifles and it does not seem to have mattered. As a matter of fact, I have done a few old rifles too. When the old sight is out, I see if the new one wants to go in any further on one side or the other. So far it has not mattered.

 

If you think of it, it is a lot simpler for a dovetail to be made by a dovetail cutter just going through straight across. That is going to make a cut that does not vary in width. To get the cut to be slightly angled, a second pass would have to be made at a very slight angle.

 

At least it has been my experience that it does not matter which side I drive it in from. For driving it out, I'll try a couple of tentative whacks on either side. Which ever side wants to move first is the way I go.

 

 

It does matter. The old sights should be driven out from left out to the right and the new installed from the right side in to the left. Standard dovetails or at least the most common are 3/8 (.375-.380) X 60 degree straight across cut. The taper is the results of driving the sights in and as they go in it swedges the dovetail out on the right side and the sight bases down on the left side creating this taper. That's why it's important to always install from the right and remove from the left.

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Directions on a gun are ALWAYS from the shooter's point of view! So, yep, it's with the muzzle pointed down range, or up range, or at your neighbor's trash can.

 

Good luck, GJ

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Howdy Again

 

Well, I learn something every day. I never thought of that bit about the sight swaging the dovetail. But then answer me this. How come when I go to put the new sight it, I can push it in with thumb pressure the same amount from either side?

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Howdy Again

 

Well, I learn something every day. I never thought of that bit about the sight swaging the dovetail. But then answer me this. How come when I go to put the new sight it, I can push it in with thumb pressure the same amount from either side?

 

I don't know. I never get that lucky. :unsure:

 

But, I would guess someone has already driven one all the way through. On a fresh cut dovetail the new sight should be slightly big from either side.

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Swaging is one factor, and a slight bit of cutter drift will occur as well, as the cutter is moved across the slot, cutting both sides of the dovetail at once, one side is "climb" milling, the other side "downhill" milling, and as the cutter goes from light to heavy to light pressure as it runs from edge to middle to edge across the barrel, it will cause a bit of taper UNLESS an extremely solid machine spindle is used.

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Swaging is one factor, and a slight bit of cutter drift will occur as well, as the cutter is moved across the slot, cutting both sides of the dovetail at once, one side is "climb" milling, the other side "downhill" milling, and as the cutter goes from light to heavy to light pressure as it runs from edge to middle to edge across the barrel, it will cause a bit of taper UNLESS an extremely solid machine spindle is used.

 

 

Of course then there is the low tech method of cutting a dove tail in a barrel.

 

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Go to Manatee's site http://www.bananariveroutfitters.com/

 

kk

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