lostinperiphery
Well-Known Member
I’m soon planning to cut the barrel of my m1917, and with the help of my knifemaker/machinist friend, mill a new “Bapty” style front sight. If there is enough interest, we will set the part up to run multiples via CNC.
*I've marked this as a 'limited run'. The run can be as large as we wish it to be, however this will likely be a one-time run.
Pricing:
I’m expecting the part cost to be around $60 (which is still much less than a gunsmith would likely charge to make one), but may be able to reduce the cost the larger the run. I’d need to commit to around 20 parts to make this worthwhile, and while I likely won’t require any down payment, I do ask that you only commit if you are serious about purchasing one.
Dimensions:
-I’ve modeled this using the published original prop dimensions wherever possible. I’ve then overlaid my model onto existing prop photos, and confirmed everything lined up as it should.
Details:
-sight ramp serrations- Originally, I had to make an educated guess at the serration style (“stepped” vs “toothed”), but with the recently posted Prop Store auction images, I’m fairly confident that these are toothed design, approximately 30 lines per inch. (16 “valleys” appear to be present on the prop).
-sight “tip” – again, the propstore images revealed a lot about the nuances of the tip’s shape and roundness, and by overlaying the model onto prop photos, was able to dial it in as close as possible.
Sight Height vs Point of Impact:
-.355 height (as measured from the ‘edges’ of the site block) would result in a sight that is 0.644 above center of bore
-My factory m1917 sight measure around 0.75 above center of bore (will vary from pistol to pistol)
-Through simple trigonometric calculations, this difference would move the point of impact up about 8 inches at 15 yards. However, the reduced muzzle weight and decreased “dwell time” of the bullet in the barrel may change the trajectory in other ways that are hard to predict without live fire testing.
-I feel it better to make the sight accurate to the prop dimensions, rather than do what a typical gunsmith would and make it oversized to allow the site to be filed down for individual zeroing. Filing after the fact would likely change the overall aesthetic of the sight, which is contradictory to the primary objective of having a screen accurate design.
Construction:
-I plan to mill these from 4140 steel, which would need to be thoroughly degreased and re-blued (either with cold blue, or hot)
-The underside contour will be milled using a uniform 5/8” diameter. To create the precise taper fit to the barrel, you may wish to lap it against sandpaper wrapped around the barrel, though this would likely be optional, as solder would fill the small void.
-the underside of the sight block will be milled with two 1/16” pin holes to accommodate locator pins between the sight and barrel during installation. These should help minimize the chance of the sight shifting during soldering, ensuring it remains centered and vertical. Alternatively, I’m considering attaching the sight using JB Weld in order to save from having to have the barrel reblued…
Anyway, here are the renderings and design as it stands!
In:
1.Mechanized2400 (SA) --SHIPPED
2.SMK1917 (BA only) --SHIPPED
3.Scottjua (SA)--SHIPPED
4.RoyDeckard (BA preferred)
5.whoever--SHIPPED
6.RobertMuldoo (SA)--SHIPPED
7. asavage (SA)--SHIPPED
8.justinian--SHIPPED
9.Halliwax (SA)--SHIPPED
10.KramStaar (SA)--SHIPPED
11.el toro (SA)--SHIPPED
12.Trebor (SA)--SHIPPED
13. Veektohr --SHIPPED
EDIT NOTE: THIS PHOTO IS OF THE FINAL, MACHINED SIGHT. ITS DESIGN IS SLIGHTLY MODIFIED FROM THE EARLIER IMAGES BELOW. YOU CAN READ MORE ABOUT THE ADJUSTMENTS LATER IN THIS THREAD
EDIT NOTE: THE FOLLOWING IMAGES ARE MY FIRST ATTEMPT AT THE DESIGN, AND ARE NO LONGER CURRENT AND ARE CONSIDERED INACCURATE. LEAVING THESE HERE FOR POSTERITY
*I've marked this as a 'limited run'. The run can be as large as we wish it to be, however this will likely be a one-time run.
Pricing:
I’m expecting the part cost to be around $60 (which is still much less than a gunsmith would likely charge to make one), but may be able to reduce the cost the larger the run. I’d need to commit to around 20 parts to make this worthwhile, and while I likely won’t require any down payment, I do ask that you only commit if you are serious about purchasing one.
Dimensions:
-I’ve modeled this using the published original prop dimensions wherever possible. I’ve then overlaid my model onto existing prop photos, and confirmed everything lined up as it should.
Details:
-sight ramp serrations- Originally, I had to make an educated guess at the serration style (“stepped” vs “toothed”), but with the recently posted Prop Store auction images, I’m fairly confident that these are toothed design, approximately 30 lines per inch. (16 “valleys” appear to be present on the prop).
-sight “tip” – again, the propstore images revealed a lot about the nuances of the tip’s shape and roundness, and by overlaying the model onto prop photos, was able to dial it in as close as possible.
Sight Height vs Point of Impact:
-.355 height (as measured from the ‘edges’ of the site block) would result in a sight that is 0.644 above center of bore
-My factory m1917 sight measure around 0.75 above center of bore (will vary from pistol to pistol)
-Through simple trigonometric calculations, this difference would move the point of impact up about 8 inches at 15 yards. However, the reduced muzzle weight and decreased “dwell time” of the bullet in the barrel may change the trajectory in other ways that are hard to predict without live fire testing.
-I feel it better to make the sight accurate to the prop dimensions, rather than do what a typical gunsmith would and make it oversized to allow the site to be filed down for individual zeroing. Filing after the fact would likely change the overall aesthetic of the sight, which is contradictory to the primary objective of having a screen accurate design.
Construction:
-I plan to mill these from 4140 steel, which would need to be thoroughly degreased and re-blued (either with cold blue, or hot)
-The underside contour will be milled using a uniform 5/8” diameter. To create the precise taper fit to the barrel, you may wish to lap it against sandpaper wrapped around the barrel, though this would likely be optional, as solder would fill the small void.
-the underside of the sight block will be milled with two 1/16” pin holes to accommodate locator pins between the sight and barrel during installation. These should help minimize the chance of the sight shifting during soldering, ensuring it remains centered and vertical. Alternatively, I’m considering attaching the sight using JB Weld in order to save from having to have the barrel reblued…
Anyway, here are the renderings and design as it stands!
In:
1.Mechanized2400 (SA) --SHIPPED
2.SMK1917 (BA only) --SHIPPED
3.Scottjua (SA)--SHIPPED
4.RoyDeckard (BA preferred)
5.whoever--SHIPPED
6.RobertMuldoo (SA)--SHIPPED
7. asavage (SA)--SHIPPED
8.justinian--SHIPPED
9.Halliwax (SA)--SHIPPED
10.KramStaar (SA)--SHIPPED
11.el toro (SA)--SHIPPED
12.Trebor (SA)--SHIPPED
13. Veektohr --SHIPPED
EDIT NOTE: THIS PHOTO IS OF THE FINAL, MACHINED SIGHT. ITS DESIGN IS SLIGHTLY MODIFIED FROM THE EARLIER IMAGES BELOW. YOU CAN READ MORE ABOUT THE ADJUSTMENTS LATER IN THIS THREAD
EDIT NOTE: THE FOLLOWING IMAGES ARE MY FIRST ATTEMPT AT THE DESIGN, AND ARE NO LONGER CURRENT AND ARE CONSIDERED INACCURATE. LEAVING THESE HERE FOR POSTERITY
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