Pietta 1858 Front Sight - Is it threaded?

My understanding is that they are press fit. Can you get it back in? If not maybe freezing it and heating the barrel would work.

J-B Weld.

If I remember correctly, Pietta front sights are simply soldered in place, without being press fitted to the barrel - you can use vise grips to carefully twist it loose.

Got a Pietta pocket model with the same problem, Missing front sight and a loading lever barrel latch. Lost the front sight and did the same thing as the OP did trying to remove the latch. Both appear pressed in. Both available from VTI.
(Its off to Goons when I get my Walker back)

I ordered a dove tail front sight for an old Navy Arms Remington. This allows adjusting for windage. It is also more secure.

Cutting a dovetail in the top barrel flat is not difficult. Use a triangular needle file. Then install an Uberti front sight (or one for a Pietta target model). Those are available from VTI. (Don't do any filing until you have the replacement sight in hand. You need to see exactly how much metal you need to remove. Don't overdo it.)

AlexanderA said:

Cutting a dovetail in the top barrel flat is not difficult. Use a triangular needle file. Then install an Uberti front sight (or one for a Pietta target model). Those are available from VTI. (Don't do any filing until you have the replacement sight in hand. You need to see exactly how much metal you need to remove. Don't overdo it.)

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Very good information. I ordered another front dove tail from VTI. This one is to replace the rammer latch. They only had it in SS steel no blue ones. How can I blue or match it to a blued revolver??

Cutting a good looking (and fitting) dovetail freehand requires a little bit more than a simple triangular file - first you start your cut with the edge of a flat file until you are about 0.004" shy of the required depth, next you take a triangular file, with one of the sides ground off to remove the teeth. After you get to the point that the sight's dovetail almost fits in the cut you take another triangular file with untouched sides and carefully file the sides to reach the final dimension and to remove rough file marks from the base of the cut. It is better to use a long straight file so you can easily keep the cut perpendicular to the bore's axis.

Dog Soldier said:

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Very good information. I ordered another front dove tail from VTI. This one is to replace the rammer latch. They only had it in SS steel no blue ones. How can I blue or match it to a blued revolver??

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Use the SS front dove tail as a pattern and cut/file one from cold rolled steel. Will take a little time to make one. If you can cut in the dove tail slot you can make the dove tail then cold blue it.
You should be able to do this with a hack saw and files, takes time but worth the effort to make your own parts, no need to heat treat this part.
buflow

Thanks for the Info. Do you know of anyway to blue the SS part? It has been paid for and as been shipped. I have not been successful at cutting dove tails? Do you have some detailed advise? I could use the education?

I won't be cutting any dovetails.
I still looking for the answer to the original question. Is this sight threaded, pressed on or soldered?

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And I did answer your question - the sights are not threaded and not press fit, they are simply soldered in place. Just ask Google if you don't trust me...

Carbine85 - if the post broke off clean and there is nothing to grab and twist with vise grips, then you are stuck with drilling out the old post base and popping in a new one. You should have the new one in hand before drilling and a drill press would make the job much easier and cleaner! Good Luck with your project.

Soft soldered?

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Who cares?!? Just twist it off with a set of vise grips and be done with it. Those things have a well documented history of falling off while shooting, so it's not like a MIG weld or something...

Dog Soldier said:

Thanks for the Info. Do you know of anyway to blue the SS part? It has been paid for and as been shipped. I have not been successful at cutting dove tails? Do you have some detailed advise? I could use the education?

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Not wanting to highjack this thread I considered a pm to Dog Soldier, then though the OP or others may like this information.

Filing a dovetail for a sight is time consuming but with care it can be done. Use layout fluid (I have used a black magic marker) and scribe two lines on the slide which represents the small dimension of the dovetail. Measure the depth you want to go (usually .090 – nighty thousands) and put a line at that point. This next is fussy, using a good machinist vise with parallel jaws, clamp the slide firmly so the both horizontal lines are even with the top of the vise jaws. Now use a double mill bastard file cut with the side of the file and parallel to and no wider than the top lines. Carefully file down between the lines, use your thumb as a guide so the file doesn’t skid at the beginning. Be sure to keep the file going straight and parallel to the vise jaws. When you just touch the vise jaws stop. Brownell sells a dove tale file with safe edges, or make one from a 60 deg. triangle file and grind one side smooth. Take a triangular file with one safe edge, single cut about 1/4 in across the edges and file the two angles. Be sure to keep them parallel to each other. When you are close keep trying the sight and when it barely starts, break the leading edges with the tri file and you should be able to tap the sight in with a brass punch. Always tap a dovetail in from the right side.

You can also find a machinist to cut the dovetail with a mill, costly but less hand work.

Buflow

Wow! Thanks so much. It is no wonder I have messed up a few dove tails. I wasn't even close to doing it properly. Your step by step will remain over my work bench. I am going to try one on an old revolver barrel first. Thanks

Buflow, it would be great if you mentioned the real author of the above post - late Austin Behlert...

Mizar said:

Buflow, it would be great if you mentioned the real author of the above post - late Austin Behlert...

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Not trying to plagiarize (take credit for someone else's work or idea), just help solve a problem. This snobby, elitist attitude is why I seldom post
on this forum. I have used this method to cut dove tail slots for years, never claimed to be the only one or the first to do this. If I have offended the REAL AUTHOR or any one else, my apologies. Get a life!
buflow

Well thank you for the kind words! Ad hominem is the way mature people argue, right?

Mizar said:

Well thank you for the kind words! Ad hominem is the way mature people argue, right?

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Yep,
You jus had to use somadem dolla woids!

For this sort of item soft solder is just fine if done well. And if it is soft soldered then heating it for removal would be both easier and a confirmation of the solder.

Or since you snapped the sight off heat to melting then stoke the barrel smartly with a stick of soft wood to snap the stub out like an inertia bullet puller.