Need Advice: Best Way to Put a FO Front Sight on a Rossi M62

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mainmech48

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I know, it doesn't make any economic sense whatever to sink money into one of these, but I dearly love the design and have since I was a kid.

With advancing age I just can't get good enough definition on the factory front blade anymore to get the hits anywhere near as consistently as I used to. I've tried the Merit disc, etc. to try and get around the problem without much success. Installing FO replacements on several of my other rifles has helped enormously and I'd really like to try that on my favorite M62.

The problem, as you all probably already know, is that Rossi uses a weird, oversized dovetail cut with an odd included angle. Makes a simple direct replacement pretty much out of the question.

Sure would appreciate suggestions on how to accomplish this in the least "Bubba-like" fashion.

Am I going to have to seek out a truly wizard TIG welder and machinist, or is there a better way?
 
You might could fit one of these to the dovetail.
Then take a Hi-Vis front sight apart and fit the fiber optic rod to it.
http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/cid=...it=y/Products/All/search=oversize_front_sight

Or, maybe modify your Rossi sight post so something like this would slip over it and be pinned in place.
http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=40821/Product/RUGER-reg-LCR-OVERMOLDED-HANDGUN-FRONT-SIGHTS

Or, cut the Rossi sight post off flat at the dovetail, and drill & tap it for a hi-vis shotgun sight.
http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=32362/Product/SHOTGUN-FRONT-SIGHTS

rc
 
It's already in a dovetail in the barrel.
But it is a bigger dovetail than a standard 3/8" American dovetail.

But not enough bigger to mill another dovetail in it if you cut it off.

rc
 
Really appreciate the suggestions, rc. As a last resort, I've considered just filing/milling off the post and do a d&t on the stub to sort of take the place of the Williams gib lock insert and install one of their Shorty ramps, if they aren't too wide to mate well with the barrel's radius. Need to see if I can find one to do some measuring on; the Rossi's barrel is awfully slender at the muzzle.

Trouble is that I also think that it might end up looking pretty incongruous on a "Old Timey" design such as this. The idea of using a FO shotgun bead is interesting. Just not sure I could get one with enough height to be usable with the existing rear, even bottomed-out. I''ll do some measuring and calculating and look into it further.

Finding somebody with the skills to TIG weld enough material onto the base of a steel sight blade to allow it to be fitted into the existing dovetail should be do-able, but anyone who has them (quite rightly) will charge accordingly. Maybe I'm crazy, but if I have to spend more than the rifle's actually worth in order to keep it looking as it should (to my senile sensibilities, anyway) and be able to enjoy shooting it again, so be it.

I may have to sell off a thing or two and (maybe) endure a mental competency hearing if my wife gets ticked-off enough though!
 
Upon further thought?

Near as I can determine, the Rossi dovetail is .387" instead of .375" standard.

I believe the simplest answer is to get a 3/8" dovetail FO sight of the right height.
A tube of Lock-Tight Black Max adhesive.
And some masking tape.

http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=6139/Product/BLACK-MAX-ADHESIVE

Degrease the surfaces and apply, using a masking tape "dam" to keep it in place..
Let it set overnight.

It won't come off or move after the Black Max cures.

rc
 
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Thanks again, rc. I have an old Norinco ATD that I may well use as a test bed for that method. If that goes well and looks acceptable, it sure will be a lot easier and less expensive than the other options so far!
 
It will work. Rc is on the mark. I have used Black Max several times and it is a bomb proof method when dealing with oversize dovetail situations. There are Many other applications for that stuff and I've not see it it fail if you use some sense in what you ask it to do.
 
Got out the calipher and did some measuring. The factory blade is 0.380" from the top of the base to its highest point, so I'm guessing that the shotgun bead option isn't going to be viable.

Some questions come to mind concerning the Black Max: As closely as I can measure it the dovetail cut is about 0.387" (as rc said). I've done the usual household stuff using cyanoacrylates ("Super Glues") before. In most all of these the eventual success or failure depended mainly upon how quickly I could get the pieces into contact and how closely they fit together. If there was an appreciable gap, the bond was relatively fragile and usually failed at some point.

What kind of "working time" does the Black Max have, and can it fill-in an approximately 0.012" gap and still maintain a full strength bond? How tough is it to make the repair look less "obvious"?

I ask primarily because I have no working experience with it as opposed to two-part epoxy stuff such as "JB Weld". I've had good results using them where filling-in largish gaps are involved, but it's almost always pretty hard to make the repair inconspicuous. Works fine, but sort of shouts "Bubba!" even when blended as closely as possible with the contours of the base structure.

Looking through the Brownell's site via rc's link, I ran across a couple of other products similar to JB Weld, but which might be easier to get less obvious and more cosmetically pleasing fix with. If I may, I'd like to ask you guys (rc and Mac particularly) if you're familiar with or have ever used them.

One is called "Devcon Express". It is apparently a composite product of epoxy resins and metal particles (can be had with steel, titanium or aluminum) which they say is tough enough to be machined after it sets. What color it is when it's set isn't mentioned, though. For all I know it might not be any less obvious then JB while costing a bunch more.

The other is a Brownell's product called "Acra-Weld", a two-part epoxy which can be dyed, most notably to my mind, in black. Sort of pricey when you figure-in the dye, but sounds as if it might make a more "elegant" looking repair, or at least a much less obvious one.

Sure would like to hear your thoughts on these possible options, and can't really express how much I appreciate your advice and help with this niggling project.
 
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If it was me, I'd try the Black Max.
It is already black and doesn't need to be dyed.

Dying epoxy does in fact weaken it to some extent.

I think you will find Black Max completely unnoticeable once you put the sight on, let it cure, and clean up whatever mess is left after you take the masking tape off.

Some pretty good gunsmiths use it for shotgun ribs and sight ramps on real nice guns where soldering or silver brazing would ruin the finish.

rc
 
Black Max it is then. If you like, I'll see if I can post a pic or two when it's done. Again, many thanks and most sincere appreciation for your responses!
 
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