Loose dove tail

[Kelsey Cooter]

I've bought an after market rear sight for my miroku 1892, and it is loose in the dovetail... It is so loose I can slide it in by hand.
I've had a look on the net and I see people saying to peen the dovetail of the sight with a center punch to expand it a touch.
Sounds like a good fix, has anyone done this?

[Shootermick]

I put some ghost ring sights on my Marlin 30-30 and the rear sight slid in like you said, but only because I filed too much off it as it was too tight initially. I just gave one side of the dovetail opening on the barrel the slightest hit with a brass punch and a hammer and it tightened it up really well. Couldn’t even tell it had been tapped in, it only needs a touch.

[Oldbloke]

I've bought an after market rear sight for my miroku 1892, and it is loose in the dovetail... It is so loose I can slide it in by hand.
I've had a look on the net and I see people saying to peen the dovetail with a center punch of the sight to expand it a touch.
Sounds like a good fix but I'd say this sights dovetail is 2 or 3 thou to small, has anyone done this?

I wouldnt do that


Try a small piece of coke can to act as a shim.
Must be wrong size sight. There is a couple of dove tail sizes i believe.

[Gamerancher]

In which direction did you knock the old sight out and new one in?
Convention is to knock them out from left to right, in, right to left. If you did it opposite to that you have probably stretched the metal.
Once you start bashing centre-punch marks into your barrel or "tapping down the edges of the dovetail, there 'aint no turning back.
Dovetails do vary in size, did you measure yours and buy the correct sized sight?

[bigpete]

I've done it. Worked fine

[bladeracer]

I've bought an after market rear sight for my miroku 1892, and it is loose in the dovetail... It is so loose I can slide it in by hand.
I've had a look on the net and I see people saying to peen the dovetail with a center punch of the sight to expand it a touch.
Sounds like a good fix but I'd say this sights dovetail is 2 or 3 thou to small, has anyone done this?

I would punch the base of the front sight and leave the barrel alone.
A couple of centre punches along each edge should spread it enough.

Sight elements are usually over-size so you can dress them down to fit your firearm. Is it possible a previous owner might've dressed the dovetail in the barrel so it's now over-size?

[Kelsey Cooter]

Yes I punched the sight in and out the correct direction, and yes the dovetail is correct as its intended for these replica Winchesters, I spoke to the gunsmith who made it and he was surprised and said thats the 1st he has heard of the dovetail being to small on his ladder sights, so I'm thinking it is the barrel dovetail being a touch large. I bought the rifle new so maybe it ended up a thou or so bigger for some reason in the factory.

The gunsmith who made the sight also recommended using shim metal so will try that

[Gamerancher]

I'd do that in preference to the other methods mentioned. Yes, they do work, but I've seen plenty of barrels with beat up dovetails from heavy handed punching and "tapping".