Removing a dovetail sight is L to R. But is that the shooter or target view?

[Cowboy Bob]

I'm hearing conflicting reports on this so I figure I better ask here since you guys work on these sights much more often than modern rifles.


I'm trying to remove a dovetail off a sidelock percussion handgun. I know they say to drive it out left to right but would that be sighting down the barrel as if I'm shooting it or looking down the barrel as if I'm the target?

thanks

[Pettifogger]

Looking down the barrel.  On most modern guns it really doesn't make any difference, the dovetails are straight cut.

[Ten Wolves Fiveshooter]

I'm hearing conflicting reports on this so I figure I better ask here since you guys work on these sights much more often than modern rifles.


I'm trying to remove a dovetail off a sidelock percussion handgun. I know they say to drive it out left to right but would that be sighting down the barrel as if I'm shooting it or looking down the barrel as if I'm the target?

thanks

    If you're asking what side to drift a sight out of a dove tail, do it from the LEFT SIDE, OUT, RIGHT SIDE IN, figuring which is left or right is always done from the BACK of the gun never from the front looking down the barrel.

[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy

I'm with Pettifogger on this. I don't really think it matters. If the dovetail is really tapered, it should be obvious when you go to put a new sight in. The sight will enter further from one side to the other. I have not experienced that yet.

I have heard this business of which side to drive a sight in or out for years, and I don't pay any attention to it anymore. I just start whacking. Once the sight is out, it pretty much does not matter which way to drive the new one in.

By the way, I just replaced a rear sight on a Winchester Model 1892 Carbine made in 1919. It did not matter which side I drove the new sight in from.