How to mount a front bead sight on a shortened barrel?

[alpining]

Hi all - I'm sure some of you have done this before, so I appreciate your advice.

I want to put a simple traditional bead sight on a barrel that's been cut down to 18". As it's been cut, there is no base there. I want to preserve the traditional look, so I don't want to use a bracket-type of mount (the kind that slides over the barrel). What are my options?

In my imagination (where all gunsmithing jobs are simple and straightforward and never costs more than they should ), I would simply JB weld a base on in the right position (difficult, but not impossible), and then pick a bead with the right height. But, since this job will be done in the cruel real world, I'm sure I'm forgetting some complication...

Thanks for the advice!

 

[skoal]

You can drill and tap a hole
Solder one in place
Epoxy
Lots of options

 

[manbearpig]

it is not absolutely necessary to drill and tap a bead. you can buy something like the XS big dot sight, which is a tritium bead with a white dot for daytime visibility, and is contoured to fit a barrel. they are intended to be epoxied over a bead, but i can attest that if you prep the spot well (slightly scuff with a file) then just JB-weld will hold it on perfectly fine because of the large contoured surface area of the sight. just make sure you glue it on straight

i know you said traditional bead, but id be inclined to go this route instead since it will take you more than $50 of your time to drill, tap, and file the bottom of the bead flush with the bore.

 

[Joe549]

You can't cut a barrel less than 18 1/2 inches. You are now in possession of a prohibited device.

 

[manbearpig]

 

[smartbomb]

Deleted

 

[hical.ca]

18.5 is for a semi auto centerfire barrel to be nonrestricted, 18" is the max you can cut your barrel down to.

 

[hical.ca]

We have used the fiber optic sights in your situation before.

 

[Geoff B]

We have used the fiber optic sights in your situation before.

Isn't this type of sight designed to attach to the bead sight so it doesn't move around? How secure would it be without the bead?

 

[manbearpig]

^it wouldnt - those sights index via the bead. you can see the notch for the bead at the front.

 

[hical.ca]

Degrease the barrel & install with silicone, index & clean up the excess, they are bright!

 

[Innercity]

degrease the barrel & install with silicone, index & clean up the excess, they are bright!

lol.

 

[alpining]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I am pretty well set on a traditional front bead. Too bad it's apparently the most difficult to mount! I'll have to find a smith to get a quote on drilling the barrel for a front sight base, then decide whether it's worth the cost over going with a JB weld approach to attaching the same base.

Was just hoping someone would have a simple and cheap solution