Bisley front sight blade replacement

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dwayne

Single-Sixer
Joined
Sep 22, 2013
Messages
285
Location
Eastern Virginia
I have a Lipsey's 5.5" stainless Bisley in 45 Colt. It has the pinned front sight blade. Does anyone make replacement blades for these that are other than the standard ramp configuration? I am especially interested in a partridge blade and/or a brass bead blade (like the ones Dave Clements uses on his pistols). My old eyes just aren't working with the ramps anymore. Thanks in advance for your help.
 

cadillo

Blackhawk
Joined
Apr 22, 2008
Messages
667
Location
East Alabama
I just re sighted a SS .44 Special Flattop last night. Lots of work, but looks like a factory job. Hamilton Bowen's outfit is currently the only source I know of for a sight blank that can be made into a patridge blade and then pinned into the existing sight base.

Just be advised that the blank is VERY oversized in every dimension. It's overly long, tall, and wide, which makes it adaptable to various forms and applications. I had to remove over 0.005" from the width, a lot off the length, and a lot off the height. Then I had to quarter round the front, put a very slight undercut to the rear(less than 5 degrees), a slight slope toward the front, and then polish and cold blue before installation.

The pin on my gun was a spiral pin that mic'd just over 1/16". The pin hole in the base was a perfect 1/16", so I used that bit to cross drill the sight tenon once it was in place. I strongly advise against using an electric drill for this, as it's just too delicate. I use a jeweler's drill I bought on the net. Drill half way through from one side, and then finish up by drilling from the other side, so that you don't screw up the hole in the base, which you will almost surely do if you go all the way through on one pass.

A belt sander with table and belt brace are a real life saver in shaping once you square the table to the brace, but I do the thickness reduction by hand on a surface plate with 150 then 1200 grit black oxide paper. Thickness is just too critical for power tools. Not easy, took be just over four hours with interruptions by wife, and neighbor. The hand fitting on surface plate is the worst time consumer.

Sorry, no pictures. Wife got her hands on the digital camera, which predictably suffered a violent demise. No mechanical aptitude.

My SS Bisley .45 convertible is next after I let my sore fingers have a rest from all that time slimming the sight on the surface plate.
 

Chuck 100 yd

Hunter
Joined
Mar 20, 2010
Messages
3,251
Location
Ridgefield WA
I have done several. I drill from one side only using a new 1/16" drill in my cordless Makita. Never had any issue with the alignment of the hole.
Being a retired Machinist helps though. I have probably drilled enough holes to count in the millions using drills as fine as a hair on up to several inches in diameter. I cant remember the last time I broke a drill or a tap for that matter.

Side note: Back in the late 50`s or early 60`s,during the first space race, the Russians space team invented a machine that could draw copper wire so fine it took a strong magnifying glass to see it. They sent a piece to NASA in a bragging manor,showing off. The boys at NASA drilled a hole through it and sent it back to them.
 

dwayne

Single-Sixer
Joined
Sep 22, 2013
Messages
285
Location
Eastern Virginia
eric conrad said:
Call Dave Clements. He might figure out how tall a sight you need on the phone.
That's what I did and he was dead on :D
Eric
Does the Ruger front sight blade have the same base geometry as Dave's? If so, I have an extra Clements partridge front blade that might be close to the correct height.
 

cadillo

Blackhawk
Joined
Apr 22, 2008
Messages
667
Location
East Alabama
dwayne said:
eric conrad said:
Call Dave Clements. He might figure out how tall a sight you need on the phone.
That's what I did and he was dead on :D
Eric
Does the Ruger front sight blade have the same base geometry as Dave's? If so, I have an extra Clements partridge front blade that might be close to the correct height.

The width of my Ruger's pinned in blade was 0.1215" per my mic, thus the time spent on the surfacing plate and black oxide paper. Base geometry is the same as my S&W pinned in blades. Never mic'd the S&W for width.
 
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