Ruger #1 remove and install front sight base

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Seventy7rs

Single-Sixer
Joined
Dec 16, 2012
Messages
307
Location
VA
Hoping I can get some advice on how to remove and reinstall the banded front sight base on my Ruger No 1. It is stainless with the stainless banded front sight and the insert that goes into the sight, and the tropical barrel profile in 405 cal. I want to cut the barrel and remount the sight, I have a barrel facing/crowning tool and the other items I think I need. The barrel has no contour in the area where I will cut it.

What is a recommended procedure to remove the banded sight base without destroying it? Heat it and drive it off? How about reinstalling it? Chill the barrel, heat the base, and try to drive it back on? Should I use an adhesive or loctite-type product when reinstalling?

Thanks in advance for any help. I went through most of the Ruger-Smithing section and did not find any older posts, but I may have missed one.
 

mike7mm08

Buckeye
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Mar 14, 2005
Messages
1,709
Location
Milwaukee Wisconsin
Never done the job. But have been told from several sources that go back to Ruger it is a heat and chill technique. Heat the band chill the barrel. Biggest issue for most people is getting the band off without damage. Don't know your skill set and tools you have available. If feasible it might be easier to cut the barrel back then bore out the barrel stub from the sight band.

On the reinstall you should not need any adhesive. The front sight band will have a set screw under the blade. Should keep everything lined up and not moving. A touch of locktight on that should be all you need.
 

Seventy7rs

Single-Sixer
Joined
Dec 16, 2012
Messages
307
Location
VA
Thanks mike7mm and leemar. I took the base off the rifle today. Once the set screw is loosened, the base taps off with wood block and hammer. The set screw just tightens onto the barrel - there is no relief hole for the set screw, which makes it easy to relocate the base. Thanks again. The barrel is tapered where I plan to remount the base, so that will require some hand fitting that I have not yet figured out how to do.
 

leemar28

Single-Sixer
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Sep 7, 2011
Messages
107
Location
Va USA
Mark the barrel where you want the base. Measure the diameter at the front and rear of the marks. If you don't have access to a lathe. Take the base to a machine shop and have it tapered to the dimensions .
 

mike7mm08

Buckeye
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Mar 14, 2005
Messages
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Location
Milwaukee Wisconsin
As for the taper fairly simply option. There cannot be a lot of taper in the over the length of the sight base. Fit the base so it is tight at the chamber end with a little force. When you install the band a little bit of grey tinted bedding compound or epoxy like PC7 or marinetex grey towards the muzzle end of the band will fill up any minor gap you have. Doubt it would be noticeable at all. A little bit of heat will break the bond should the sight ever need to come off.
 

leemar28

Single-Sixer
Joined
Sep 7, 2011
Messages
107
Location
Va USA
What if the ID of the front sight base is smaller than the OD of the barrel ? Glue & barrels & sights is ........
 

mike7mm08

Buckeye
Joined
Mar 14, 2005
Messages
1,709
Location
Milwaukee Wisconsin
I assume the barrel tapers from larger at the rear of the sight base to the front of the base correct? That amount of taper should be very small. The sight band is only about a half inch long or so. Open up the sight band the same diameter front to rear don't try to taper. Open it up to fit snugly at the rear with the need of some hammer and block persuasion. I would be surprised if you had more that maybe fifty thousandths of a gap at the front of the base. Which would be nothing to worry about,for me anyways, to fill with epoxy. Mark the barrel at the front and rear of where the base would sit and measure. I certain you will see a very small difference.
 
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