Sight Removal -- again!!

Ken Hartlein · Post by **Ken Hartlein** » Sun Nov 16, 2003 9:26 pm

I am going to remove the Shiloh blade front this week and put in a globe sight. I have been told otherwise but it looks to me like the front blade has to be moved to the right (hammer side) to be removed. I even measured the blade base and it is diffinitely bigger on the right (hammer side) as viewed from the breech?? In fact it is about a 1/32nd bigger on that side (hammer side) measured with calipers. Thanks Shiloh for an answer and I promise I will not ask this again. ha ha ha ha ha ha.

Post by **Kirk** » Mon Nov 17, 2003 7:39 am

Hi Ken, 1\32 is an awfull big measurement for a little sight!! You need to knock it out towards the hammer side. Thanks Kirk

Omaha Poke · Post by **Omaha Poke** » Mon Nov 17, 2003 11:11 am

Kirk, I am a little confused! In a post in August you gave exactly the opposite instruction on sight removal to this same post, unless I am mistaken. Which is it right to left or left to right , towards the hammer or away from the hammer? Thanks, Randy

Lee Stone · Post by **Lee Stone** » Mon Nov 17, 2003 12:24 pm

Randy,

I remember the post you are refering to and was also a little confused, but I think a may have just been a slight missarrangement of words.

The way I have finally been able to remember which way a sight is drifted in is by thinking of loading a Marlin lever action. You push the cartridges in on the right side pushing them in from right to left. They are ejected from left to right. Not completely analagous, but close enough to keep the idea in my head.

I believe that the installing sights into dove tails from right (the side with the hammer) to left and removing them by drifting them from left to right is pretty universal.

Ken Hartlein · Post by **Ken Hartlein** » Mon Nov 17, 2003 6:42 pm

Ok, I might have fudged a little on the measurement, I did it again with the callipers and a good light, it is .011 bigger on the hammer side.

Ken Hartlein · Post by **Ken Hartlein** » Mon Nov 17, 2003 6:48 pm

As I have said before, if we had a single page instruction sheet for the simple things we usually do ourselves to these rifles, it would really help. Simple instructions on adjusting sights, removing and adding sights, removing the lever and block for cleaning, etc., would really help. Even a printable page on the Shiloh Site would be really good and would save a lot of questions here, maybe. This being said, I have nothing but admiration and thanks for the help I've received from the Shiloh crew, and I'm talking mental, moral and mechanical help.

Omaha Poke · Post by **Omaha Poke** » Mon Nov 17, 2003 10:31 pm

Ken, I wholeheartedly agree with you that there should be a page on this web-site dealing with these common questions that come up every month or two. They should also be clear and concise in answering these common questions. If you will refer to the post on this same subject on the support page with an Aug date, the answer given was the exact opposite of that given today.

I know that Shiloh is not trying to confuse people, but I do think there is a difference in where each person ( asking and answerin) are looking from.

The answer given today about driving the sight out towards the hammer is the correct one. I have done this on four different rifles, and have had no problems. My only conceren is that the answers given sometimes are not as clear as they should be for some one who has never done this procedure before.

There should be a very good owners manual that comes with each rifle of this quality and price, and there is not. Hopefully that will change. Best Regards, Randy

Ken Hartlein · Post by **Ken Hartlein** » Mon Nov 17, 2003 11:16 pm

Back when I was an FFL and "sorta" a gunsmith, I had a little tool called a Williams "sight pusher". That was the neatest tool for moving dovetail sights around I've ever seen. When I figured out I couldln't hunt, fish, farm, gunsmith and have a full time job I sold all the gunsmith stuff and went back to hunting and fishing. I sure wish I had that tool back!! I removed the blade sight tonight and put in the Ron Heilman globe and it tool some serious hammer swinging to get the job done. I'm glad I've got rawhide, plastic, rubber and brass hammers. I didn't skin or marr anything but it was close. Man does that Heilman globe look good!!!

Omaha Poke · Post by **Omaha Poke** » Mon Nov 17, 2003 11:45 pm

Ken, I met Ron Heilman this past Sat at the Paul Bunyan shoot, and bought one of his globe and spirit level front sights. I too installed mine today, and it took a little hard tapping with a brass punch and brass hammer to get the job done. You are right the sight does look good, and I know that it will be much more accurate at 600 yds or better than that ball and post that came with the rifle. Why that sight is put on a Long Range Express rifle beats the heck out of me!! The only thing that I could possibly think it would be any good for is short range (50-150 yd) hunting. It sure is not any good for long range target competition!! I have tried it twice. 45 rounds at 500 yds, and 40 rounds at 600 yds both in competition. It was better than no sight at all, but that was about it.

I look forward to trying the new Heilman sight that I installed today. Let me know how yours works out. Randy

Post by **Kirk** » Tue Nov 18, 2003 8:04 am

Good morning guy's, I am not trying to cause any confusion here, in fact some of you are starting to get me confused. The front dovetail is not tapered, if it were tapered you would not be able to drift the sight back and forth for sight in. The 1/32" measurement that Ken give equals .03125", this is big, and it is impossible to be that big. Now this brings me to my earlier post on which direction to knock out the sight. I tryed to come across the opposite of the way the guy puts the sight in here, without causing a big argument to those individuals that think there is a set procedure for knocking out a dovetail. Bottom line, use common sence, if the sight moves harder one way than the other, this means that when it was hand fitted, there might be .001-.002" taper, on a dovetail this is nothing, but it is enough to cause it to be a little harder to tap one direction or the other.
Yes, I probably need some directions, they would consist of taking the block out, and that is all. I feel that changing a front sight out or putting on a rear sight should be done by a seasoned gun smith because not everyone is savy on this sort of thing, so I am not going to advertize it. I have in the past tryed to talk people through different tasks on the phone, them with their tools in hand, I ussually end up paying shipping to get the gun back to fix it.
I have a brand new rifle setting here right now, never been shot, I told the gentleman what size mold to get, this wasn't good enough. Now the rifle is here for a new barrel, fore it has two 3/8's dowels approx. 7 inches long, beat and jammed together in the barrel, trying to slug it.
I hope you can understand why I don't have explicit instructions on working on your gun. I am always here, call if you have a problem, I will talk you through it. Hope this helps. Thanks Kirk

Lee Stone · Post by **Lee Stone** » Tue Nov 18, 2003 8:07 am

That's a good idea. An instruction sheet with the rifle, or a FAQs page here on the web site. Only some of us would need simpler instructions than the rest of y'all.