Installing a new front blade on a 3" Clap GP100

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TJ11

Single-Sixer
Joined
Feb 7, 2018
Messages
102
A week ago at 40 rounds on a new Wiley Clap 3" .357 GP100 the front sight just fell off shooting .38 specials.

I informed Ruger and they sent me a new gold bead blade.

I recall when I was a very young armorer in the Army there was the right way to drift dovetail blades on. Was it going on from right to left looking down the barrel ?

Cheers
 
Joined
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I've heard that story many times and it's never made sense to me. If the dovetail was tapered, it would greatly reduce the amount of adjustment available side to side. If you didn't drive it far enough, it would be loose and fall out. And it would get too tight if you had to go past center.

Also, it seems to me that cutting a tapering dovetail would be problematic. I'm not a machinist, though, so I could be completely wrong in my suppositions.

I'd measure the new sight blade to see if there's any difference in width at either end of the dovetail. If there is, thats the side to start pushing into the slot.
 

TJ11

Single-Sixer
Joined
Feb 7, 2018
Messages
102
I'll buy that answer but things in my world like charger bridges on the M14 and rear sights on original M1 carbines it was on right to left.Thanks for the reply.
 
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