Trapper peep sight project

[bigben]

So a few years ago i built a trapper out of a marlin 336 https://forum.finsandfur.net/index.php?topic=21060.0 if you care to read it again.  I never cut a dovetail or tapped for a front sight on this gun.  After a few seasons I decided i wont probably ever shoot over 100 yards with this gun and realistically 75 would be a stretch.  I built it to carry in thick brush while still hunting or driving deer.  It had a 1.5-4x leupold on it for a while.  I changed it out to a 3-9 and then decided it needed peeps after hunting with my 30-40 krag last year. 

So I decided to cut a dovetail in the front and put a blade sight on.  I had no idea how high I needed but purchased the highest one made from skinner.  I also picked up a peep that held extra apertures.  I the plan was to buy a filler dovetail for the old v sight in the back so I could keep two different sized apertures on me and still have a ghost ring.  Keeping apertures in your pocket usually leads to lost. 

so I found some dovetail dimensions off marbles sights page.  I setup the barrel in a vise on our bridgeport and cut out a rough slot so the dovetail wouldn't be so taxed cutting it. 

[bigben]

Getting ready to cut dovetail.  Light needed because im not 18 anymore as well as bad lighting in this general area of the shop.

[bigben]

cut the dovetail out until the front sight fit close.  It was also within the dimensions on the print on the first post.  A little file work and it was drifted in with a brass punch.

[bigben]

final pictures.  After getting the front sight close to fitting I cold blued the cut dovetail on both the rifle and the sight.  Im not sure how to post the video.  but its pretty quick how fast it darkens steel. 

also a picture of final project.  I don't have a picture of the blank that fills the old v sight dovetail but that's in there too.  The two apertures I have is a large and a small from skinner.  The small one is for zeroing the rifle and precise work.  The larger aperture will most likely stay in the gun until late or darker times when a ghost ring is needed. 

Sighting in I was pleased to see that I only had to turn the stem up one half turn from middle of the road setting to get sighted in at 50.  I did paint the tip of the front sight with flo orange fingernail paint so I need to resight in with that being over the spot I want to hit but will prob turn it down the half turn.  it looks a big weird with such a large sight but I cant wait to hunt with it this fall. 

[nastygunz]

Pretty slick!

[FinsnFur]

Dang that is downright nice.
You left out that your a machinist

[Todd Rahm]

That's pretty darn cool!!!

[bigben]

Dang that is downright nice.
You left out that your a machinist

I thought most people knew.  lol.  its one of those things I thought about buying some levers cheap and converting them but heck gun prices are ridiculous lately. 

The place I work at actually got their license to sell and make firearms along with supresors.  my boss asked me if i wanted to get into doing gunsmith work but most of it is mounting scopes and trying to get out loctite mount screws someone rounded over because the gorrilla'd it tight.  as much as I would like to do somehting like that no one in the area would pay what it costs us.  most gunsmiths in this area do it because they love it.  I do like to work on my own guns however.  I have a ross rifle that has been sitting for a while that Id like to replace the barrel on and inlet it into a new stock.  I also have a 30-40 krag that the stock is less then steller even though it works well.  Stock works stinks though.  I much prefer to work with metal instead of wood.  I dont have that kind of patience.
 

[Hawks Feather]

I didn't know you were a machinist but looking at your work it is easy to see. Can you imagine doing that with a hand file like they did years ago? Well, you are a machinist, so you probably can. Again, nice work.