cutting dovetails?

[midmo]

I have access to a pretty decent machine shop and I have been thinking about have a friend (who is really good with machining parts) cut the front dovetail into my cw40. Is this worth it? is the front dovetail supposed to be the same size as the rear? if not what size is it? i know xs sights will do this but i'm short on cash and could get it done for a case of beer vs 70$.

[Longitude Zero]

Personally I would not trust anyone outside of KAHR or a gunsmith with decades of experience to try that. A machinist who is a newby to firearms would not get to touch any weapon I owned in any mahine shop equipment.

Will your firend pay for a new slide if he screws yours up? If not I would not trust him to touch the weapon let alone modify it in any way.

My two cents.

[bonjorno2]

if xs sights will do it for 70 i'd go that route if you need it done, or kahr.

[midmo]

ok thats what i was leaning towards but i got the offer from a the friend yesterday, but personally I do not want any mistakes and if there are any mistakes I would like the company or who ever did it back it the work they did or replace it. Thanks guys

[BEARDOG]

Don't know which sights your are wanting but FYI... Word is, XS is working on a big dot for the "C" series Kahrs that wouldn't require a dovetail. I would think we should soon have another option.

[JFootin]

Don't know which sights your are wanting but FYI... Word is, XS is working on a big dot for the "C" series Kahrs that wouldn't require a dovetail. I would think we should soon have another option.

They are very thorough, so they are doing a few months of testing before they release the new sight for the C pistols.

[muggsy]

I have access to a pretty decent machine shop and I have been thinking about have a friend (who is really good with machining parts) cut the front dovetail into my cw40. Is this worth it? is the front dovetail supposed to be the same size as the rear? if not what size is it? i know xs sights will do this but i'm short on cash and could get it done for a case of beer vs 70$.

If your friend is a good machinist, cutting a dovetail with a Bridgeport is really no big deal. It would be nice if you could provide him with a slide that has the dove tail so that he could measure and locate the dovetail properly. He won't have a blueprint to work from.

[Tilos]

midmo:
Ask your friend to show you the cutter he is going to use.
Chances are he doesn't have one, so you'll need to buy a cutter...it's tiny and not something the average machinist is familiar with.

Gun parts are smaller than what most machinists have worked on, a toolmaker or modelmaker maybe, but a dying breed, going the way of the dinosour.

Tilos

[wlc]

I worked as a toolmaker and prototype machinist for many years. Cutting a dovetail is not a difficult process for an experienced machinist. He will need a cutter with the correct angle and a slide with the same dovetail to copy or dimensions to work to. Normally this would be measured across pins that are positioned against the angle. I would not let an amatuer do it.

[midmo]

they are still working on the sights for cw, my friend is actually really skilled when it comes to machining, we make our own tractor parts for pulling tractors, and there is the head guy there that has been doing it for more than 30 years, they already have something to different size dovetails, they have to cut dovetails for microscopes pretty often, that was the only reason i thought i would go with them.

[midmo]

does anyone know the size of the dovetail in the front on other models? or is it standard or the same as the rear.

[OldLincoln]

If you are going to install a dovetail sight, wouldn't the new sight give you the dimensions to cut?

[Tilos]

FYI:
um...a gun sight dovetail is not straight across, there's no gib to adjust the fit, like a "normal" dovetail, like a machinist would normally cut.
Many experienced craftsmen/gunsmiths can FILE a dovetail quicker than machining one.

Tractor parts...OK then, let them have at it.
just sayin'

[jlottmc]

What Tilos is alluding to is the fact that sight dovetails have a taper built in. Not hard to cut, but you still need to know the specs. You could order a new slide for the P40, and have the dovetails already there, or just spend the bread, and let XS do it. This day and age some of us that grew up doing the tool and die tolerances find it is easier to let some one else do it.

[CJB]

Having done my share of dovetails - three things to consider

1. PRACTICE on scrap
2. Consider the correct angle of the dovetail needed and get the right cutter, as angles vary
3. Hog-out the center of the slot first to remove as much material as possible using a regular end mill
4. Try to get a small cutter so you have multiple passes, being able to control the width of the cut accurately.
5. Copy an existing dovetail - when possible - for the proper depth

Ok. That was more than three.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v214/bandersnatchreverb/Firearms/P5316063.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v214/bandersnatchreverb/Firearms/P5316064.jpg
and where it fits - my Kimber All American Match .22 with Anschutz sights.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v214/bandersnatchreverb/Firearms/P5316067.jpg