1841 dovetail size.

[Rambill]

Hello,
Does anyone happen to know what the rear sight dovetail size
is (for the block style sight), or the size of a loose block sight on
an original 1841 Miss. rifle?
Also, the repro Benton sight base size. Just trying to figure out if
they are oversize any to make up for any dovetail problems.
Thanks,
Bill

[John Holland]

I don't have anything handy at the moment to get measurements for you, but I can tell you that the Benton Sight has a wider dovetail than the original Miss. rear sight.

[Wayne Shaw, 1985V]

Bill ust meassured a Repro Benton sight iI have here. This has never been installed as of yet. The sight measures .5345 BUT the dove tail is not cut on the base. I think it was left raw to be finished up when installing. Not sure if there all made that way. The sjght came from Lodgewood a few years ago. Not a lot of help but it"s a start.

Wayne Shaw 1985V Harlans light Cav National IG SAC

[John Holland]

Rambill - Wayne and i just had a phone conversation about these sights. I was able to locate my sight reference set, so here are the dimensions for the Benton Screw Sight dovetail base: The original Benton Screw Sight has a dovetail base dimension of 0.540", and the Rich Cross reproduction has a dovetail of 0.545", which allows for a perfect fit to the original Benton Screw Sight cut in the barrel, which is usually loose when found today.