Looking for local gunsmith to make a sight for me.

[egriton]

I have a Browning Buckmark Hunter and have switched out the rear sight for a Williams fiber optic firesight.

Because they sit a bit higher than the factory sights, the front sight is too low.

It may be that a Williams shorty ramp with the appropriate dovetail sight will work as a replacement.

I phoned Williams -- no help; I also phoned Marble sights (who makes the front sight for Browning) -- also no help.
Dawson Precision, who makes custom sights, can do it, but a 4-6 week wait.

So, I'm hoping to find a gunsmith with various Williams sight components who can find the right pair
and/or modify a sight for some other gun to fit on my Buckmark.

If there's a smith out there, or someone knows of one, please reply or PM me.


I need a sight that from barrel to fiber optic bead = .5625", screw mounted (hole is about .75" from front of sight), barrel is approx .75".

 

[mr ed]

whats wrong with a HiViz fiber optic front sight for Ruger mkII and Buckmark at Amazon for $29.68 and free shipping.

 

[egriton]

It is far too low. With the Williams firesight on the rear, at its lowest elevation, I need a sight conforming to the above measurements.

The front sights from Hi-viz and Williams are about .43". Even the highest Mark II/III sight I found online (.54") is too low since that measurement is to the top of the sight vs. the Fiber optic bead.

 

[Dr_Mitch]

Why don't you buy a cheap feeler gauge or two, and cut the appropriate leaves off and shape them to make shims?

 

[egriton]

I don't have the equipment to shape it to the curve of the barrel. I've also considered a piece of pipe, but I don't have the equipment to cut it with sufficient precision.

I phone one gunsmith in Edmond, but he wouldn't take the job. H&H said they would charge $150. Dawson precision requires that I send them the front sight, and they have a 4-6 week backlog!

At this point, I think I'm ready to just put my old rear sights back on.

 

[Dr_Mitch]

If the shims are thin, then they will bend to the contour of the barrel when the front sight is mounted over them. How much are you looking at raising it?

 

[egriton]

.08"

I suppose I could buy a few feeler gauges as you suggested and give it a try with tin snips and dremel. Do you know if they sell feeler gauges that thick, or will I have to layer a few?

 

[Zombie]

yes they should have a feeler gauge to fit that size. spend ~10 bucks and get the multi set that looks like this

[Broken External Image]

should be available at hardware stores, parts stores, just about anywhere. I picked mine up at oreilly auto

 

[egriton]

I finally resolved the issue!!!

I purchased the highest fiber optic sight I could find for the barrel diameter (ended up being a sight for the Ruger Mark II/III). It is .about .49 from barrel to bead.

Basically, I cut a nail that was the same thickness as the pin in the Buckmark barrel, inserted it into the hole in the original sight, into a board of wood, drilled a hole the same diameter as the sight screw and attached. I then used the nail's tip to mark exactly where I needed to drill a second hole and outlined in pencil the borders of the sight.

I then screwed the Ruger sight onto the board, following the borders and aligned it with the second hole. I used my smallest drill bit to get the pin hole in the Ruger sight started, and moved up bit by bit until it was the right diameter (and depth).

It fits the barrel, pin and screw hole perfectly! The only negative is that the sight still isn't quite high enough. It works fine when the rear sight is at the lowest elevation, but I have to keep the rear sight at that level (which shouldn't be a problem given my sort of use).