Replacing Bead on Ithaca 37?

[TIZWIN]

Hello all. I'm considering replacing the front bead on my Ithaca 37. It's a plain barrel 12 gauge. Some years ago, I had the original brass bead replaced with a Raybar bead from Ithaca.



Now I'd like to put a Marble's "Expert" bead, which has a tritium insert, on the barrel instead.





My question is, given that the Raybar bead has a 3-48 post, and the Marble's Expert has a 6-48 post, will I have any problem?

Can I just unscrew the Raybar, and screw in the Expert, then file off the difference? Is the difference merely the length of the post?

This novice tinkerer thanks anyone in advance for any opinions on this.

 

[Clemson]

If the Raybar bead is a #3 shank, it is threaded 56 tpi.

Marbles makes the Expert sight in both 3-56 and 6-48. Unscrew the existing sight and see what shank it uses. Buy the correct replacement from Brownells.

http://www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/store/productdetail.aspx?p=9827&st=708-310-332&s=25479

Good luck!

Clemson

 

[hoghunting]

If this was a month ago, I would agree with Clemson:

If the Raybar bead is a #3 shank, it is threaded 56 tpi.

I ordered the Raybar sight in what I thought was the 3-56 as Brownell only had one listing for the #3. It is 3-48. I don't know when they changed, but I wish they stayed with the 3-56.

 

[TIZWIN]

Thanks, gents. Actually, I had my Raybar installed about fifteen years ago. Perhaps it is the 3-56 after all?

I originally said it was a 3-48 based on the current listing on Brownell's website.

So, how can I tell what size the "post," or shank is? Once I've removed the Raybar, what determines the size and TPI of it?

Additionally, I've found that, although Marble's website describes the Expert sight with Tritium insert, none of the dealers they list seems to have such an animal. Any suggestions on where to find this critter?

 

[Clemson]

When in doubt, call Brownells and ask to speak to a Tech Rep. They employ a crew of gunsmiths who can answer questions. 800-741-0015.

Clemson

 

[Robert Hairless]

Clemson's suggestion about calling Brownells tech support is good.

When I faced the same task with an Ithaca 37 recently I ordered a handful of sights that I wanted to try, including a tritium sight similar to the one you're considering. I found that the tritium insert was too small to be useful and also was visible from the front: the vial goes through and through.

The Brownells tech support fellow suggested that a Bradley bead sight might be even more visible, so I ordered one of those too. Much to my surprise the Bradley white bead turned out to be more useful than the tritium sight and easy to install. Here's the one that worked for me: http://www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/store/productdetail.aspx?p=1886&st=146-532-912&s=7397

It was $6.95.

He also recommended a tube of Loctite's Black Max for securing the sight: http://www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/store/ProductDetail.aspx?p=6139&title=BLACK+MAX+ADHESIVE It was a good recommendation because on my Ithaca 37 the sight did not align when its base bottomed out. I had to back it off until it aligned properly. The Black Max holds it securely. Good stuff.

 

[TIZWIN]

Gents, thanks again. I'll call good ol' Brownell's tomorrow.