Naka16 Posted June 11, 2013 Share Posted June 11, 2013 (edited) Does anyone fill in their dovetail cuts on their open guns? In case it does matter, its a Springfield xd. I got some Devcon in it now, but not sure if it will hold up Edited June 11, 2013 by Naka16 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
APL-G35 Posted June 11, 2013 Share Posted June 11, 2013 Most people fill em with sights Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naka16 Posted June 12, 2013 Author Share Posted June 12, 2013 Sights won't fit under the carver mount, and I made some small scars on the slide, so wanted to cover it up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadyscott999 Posted June 12, 2013 Share Posted June 12, 2013 put a slide racker in the dovetail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naka16 Posted June 12, 2013 Author Share Posted June 12, 2013 I got the springer slide racker that goes behind the slide. I am almost thinking of building up with a mig welder but didn't want to warp it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j0s3ph Posted June 12, 2013 Share Posted June 12, 2013 FastSteel.. it's a steel reinforced epoxy. Or weld and and mill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve RA Posted June 12, 2013 Share Posted June 12, 2013 Or put whatever was in it originally back, grind it down to match the slide and refinish the slide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naka16 Posted June 13, 2013 Author Share Posted June 13, 2013 If this Devcon don't hold up, I'll try the fast steel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naka16 Posted June 13, 2013 Author Share Posted June 13, 2013 Steve, that will be my last resort. If installing the sights are anywhere near as hard as removing it... Grrrr. I didn't thinking of grinding em down while it was installed. Would have been that much easier than dremeling it out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
APL-G35 Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 What about having a machinist mill a small piece of steel to fill the dovetail across the full width of the slide? This shouldn't cost too much you can have it fit and then either have it blued or finished to match the slide. Xds have notoriously tight fitting factory sights but having steel cut to fit shouldn't be hard to install Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naka16 Posted June 13, 2013 Author Share Posted June 13, 2013 What about having a machinist mill a small piece of steel to fill the dovetail across the full width of the slide? This shouldn't cost too much you can have it fit and then either have it blued or finished to match the slide. Xds have notoriously tight fitting factory sights but having steel cut to fit shouldn't be hard to install That might be an idea, I got a machinist friend. Will try this Devcon, as is and if I feel something hit my forehead while I'm shooting, I'll take the slide right over for him to machine the fillers. Thanks for the advice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parallax3D Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 What about having a machinist mill a small piece of steel to fill the dovetail across the full width of the slide? This shouldn't cost too much you can have it fit and then either have it blued or finished to match the slide. Xds have notoriously tight fitting factory sights but having steel cut to fit shouldn't be hard to install Correct method would be to cut a piece of metal to fit the dovetail, (called a "dutchman"), and silver-soldier it into place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ltdmstr Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 Best bet would be to weld it up and machine it. Or you can shape by hand if you're good with a file. Material is not that thin, so if you do a little at a time and let it cool in between, the heat is not going to cause any problems (warpage, etc.). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aircooled6racer Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 Hello: Make an insert to fill the dovetail if it bothers you. You could also use and old rear sight and contour it to fit the slide. I would not weld it since it will change the temper of the steel and may cause stress cracks or warpage if not done correctly. Thanks, Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ltdmstr Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 Slide is not hard (only about 32C).. TiG or MiG welding is not going to hurt anything if you know what you're doing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
APL-G35 Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 It's not a matter of hardness but dimensional accuracy. Even light welding will pull material around and make stuff out of round. Not a big deal in the rear sight area maybe, but doing that at the front sight could affect barrel lockup or cause malfunctions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ltdmstr Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 Guess it's a matter of opinion. Material in that area is not that thin. I just don't think a small number of "spot" type welds with time to cool in between is going to heat the area enough to change anything dimensionally. I've welded cracked frames and other parts that were considerably thinner, and not had a problem. A lot has to do with technique and not putting too much heat in the material. If this is a concern, then I would go the route of creating a filler piece and silver solder it in place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Bell Posted June 21, 2013 Share Posted June 21, 2013 I would not epoxy or weld a gun just to fill the dovetail. What happens when you no longer want to use it with the mount? If you just want a sight to fill in and grind down, I'll send you one. Im sure I have one around my work bench somewhere. Heck if you could wait a couple months Ill have my mill up and running and I could make you one myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naka16 Posted June 21, 2013 Author Share Posted June 21, 2013 I would not epoxy or weld a gun just to fill the dovetail. What happens when you no longer want to use it with the mount? If you just want a sight to fill in and grind down, I'll send you one. Im sure I have one around my work bench somewhere. Heck if you could wait a couple months Ill have my mill up and running and I could make you one myself. Thanks for the offer Mike. The Devcon held up fine today at the range, although I only got to empty a few mags. I still got the fte problem with the empty case getting stuck between mount and slide. Going to try to work the ejector a little and see what happens. I was going to grind the carver mount first but it already seems thin enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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