Gentlemen, I just had a New England Custom Guns rear express sight installed on my .505 Empire and filed it into zero yesterday. The sight has a center line that I would like to fill in with something in either silver or gold to allow for faster acquisition of the sights. The groove is already in the sight and I wondered what would be the best thing to fill it in with and if it would be just a simple matter of filling the groove in with paint or is there something better. Any information would be greatly appreciated.

I seem to remember reading somewhere that you can use platinum. It supposedly reflects better than gold and unlike silver, will not tarnish.

Paint will not stick as well as you would like.
Brownells sells sight paint. or you could get some five minute epoxy and dye it white.

I have mine undercut with a dovetail and filled with gold. Here's a photo of one of them.

titanium white model paint (testors) .. degrease, tiny bit of file to rough up, and paint it ... done

I appreciate all your suggestions. I really like Michael Robinson's set up on the sights, a really elegant look. I'll try jeffeosso's method first as a stop gap measure and see how that works until I can find someone near my area capable of doing the gold inlay. Again thanks for all the ideas.

Steven Dawson

I agree with Michael - go with the gold line done by an engraver. Stop gaps become permanent all too often.

Stephen

quote:

Originally posted by Steven Dawson:
I appreciate all your suggestions. I really like Michael Robinson's set up on the sights, a really elegant look. I'll try jeffeosso's method first as a stop gap measure and see how that works until I can find someone near my area capable of doing the gold inlay. Again thanks for all the ideas.

Steven Dawson

If you contact Scrollcutter he can quote you on the gold inlay. I've had two done and the price was very reasonble. Turnaround was quick, too. I do my own bluing but he may be able to help you with that if you don't.

you can also consider a piece of ivory as an inlay. The ivory would need to be shaped, and the recess cut, then epoxy used to secure it.
Would give both class and elegance to the look, as well as being functional.

Both Gold and Platinum sight lines are both wonderful.

As noted above Scrollcutter does a good job, so does Mike Dubell and the NECG shop.

Long ago I had a .375 H&H set up with a Platinum vertical line, and a gold lollipop on top.

Those old Brits may have been poofters, but they sure knew how to build a rifle.

LD

PS The sighting system got me an extra $100.00 USD just for the "bling".

quote:

Originally posted by Bob Nisbet:
you can also consider a piece of ivory as an inlay. The ivory would need to be shaped, and the recess cut, then epoxy used to secure it.
Would give both class and elegance to the look, as well as being functional.

I believe Edd Webber does this technique, IIRC I've seen one of his rifles with a large ivory triangle in/on the slanted rear surface, with the uppermost point of the ivory pointing at the bottom of the wide-angle express vee.

Very elegant, and very visible for older eyes.
Regards, Joe

I am nut sure you can get it any more but there might be some one out there in the clock business with radium paint. That will work and glow in the dark,

Nop can't get radium paint anymore. but they have replaced it with phosphorus paint the type that glows after you charge it

Mark Penrod arranged with an engraver, whose name I don't know, for the work shown. Mark also took the photograph.

Can't go wrong with Mark Penrod.