New front sight; how and how tall?

[satwel]

I see references all over this bulletin board to "tall front sight added" and I'm curious about how that is done. I just purchased a Euroarms 2 band Enfield that I plan to use in competition. I haven't had a chance to shoot it yet, but assuming a taller front sight will be needed:

A) How much taller should the new sight be than the factory sight? Is there a typical dimension?

B) Does the factory front sight have to be completely removed or can a piece of metal be added (soldered) on top?

C) Is the factory sight brazed or soldered to the barrel? If I attempt to silver solder addition metal, will the factory sight fall off when I heat it?

D) Can the factory sight be notched and used as a foundation for a taller blade that is then either pinned or soldered in place?

Is there a post in the archives that describes the technique(s)? I wasn't able to find one.

Thank you in advance for your replies.

[J Weber 4114V]

On the last Italian Enfield I did the sights were silvered soldered with the highest temp stuff I have ever seen.I had to heat the barrel up to a red hot then whack with a hammer to remove.[barrel was junk on that one]
A method used by many is to file off the existing blade flush with the base.
File or cut a notch into the base and solder in a new blade. New blade should be a snug fit. Soft solder will work just fine
I have found that about .100 is the magic number you need to add to front to make battle sight at 50 yd.
Some use brass,I like steel as it is easy to blacken.

[Scott Kurki, 12475]

I see references all over this bulletin board to "tall front sight added" and I'm curious about how that is done. I just purchased a Euroarms 2 band Enfield that I plan to use in competition. I haven't had a chance to shoot it yet, but assuming a taller front sight will be needed:

A) How much taller should the new sight be than the factory sight? Is there a typical dimension?

Depends on load and bullet weight. You would usually start a little high and file down to the right height.

B) Does the factory front sight have to be completely removed or can a piece of metal be added (soldered) on top?

The blade itself is usually removed. The base can be re-used or replaced. Adding metal to the top of the existing blade, I am not sure of, never have seen it done but it does not sound like it would not work.

C) Is the factory sight brazed or soldered to the barrel? If I attempt to silver solder addition metal, will the factory sight fall off when I heat it?

There is not a standard for this, your milage will vary.

D) Can the factory sight be notched and used as a foundation for a taller blade that is then either pinned or soldered in place?

Yes, this is common.

Is there a post in the archives that describes the technique(s)? I wasn't able to find one.

Don't know. This is a real inexpensive job for a gun smith or serious amature. Check with your team to see who they may have used. I have had my sights done by Charlie Hahn who does good work and is very reasonable to work with.

Thank you in advance for your replies.

[Chris Sweeney]

Several of the sutlers perform this service. I had Whitacre put a tall dovetailed front sight on my PH Enfield.

The sight is supposed to conform to the original profile, so once you drift it to the correct position, you're spoda fill in the dovetail with solder.

Mine was ginormous high! I established the load and bullet that I wanted to use, then set up the rear sight in a comfortable viewing height. NextI started firing on the bench and moving the front sight to get correct windage. There is a formula that is often repeated on the site to determine the amount of metal to add or remove from the front sight, based on the distance from the front to rear sight divided by the distance to the target ( I think phases of the moon are in the formula somewhere too - I never remember it). I use the formula to get close, then fine tune by trial & error.

Never take too much off at one time! The one thing I've discovered is that If I try to get to the final height by doing all the shooting from the bench, it invariably is too short when I am shooting offhand. It's a real pain to file that extra metal back on!