-Refinished the stock with several coats of Watco Teak Oil using their “wipe on, soak, wipe off” method. Rubbed down with 0000 steel wool before, during, and after as I favor a satin finish. (Pics are very light…stock is darker in person.)
-Installed a softer ejector spring courtesy of the local Ace Hardware.
-Mildly stoned and polished rough edges on the ejector.
-Very mild stoning of bolt face rough edges.
-Bent the trigger spring for a slightly easier pull.
-Stoned the loading gate and narrowed the spring for easier loading. (still needs cold blue)
-Installed a Smith Shop SS follower.
-Lubed with lithium grease.
-Even with a stock mainspring, she now cycles very easily with only my pinky finger!
-The buckhorn sights are not suited for my old eyes so I added a DIY receiver sight.
For those seeking an alternative sight, here are the details:
-All measurements are for my 454, be sure to check the numbers on your rifle.
-Assuming your rifle is sighted, lay a metal straight edge from your front sight through the buckhorn to the receiver. This gives you a rough idea of final height.
-Turn a 10-32 x 3/8” standoff down to 0.275” diameter...size for a snug fit in the safety hole. (I don’t have a lathe so I threaded multiple standoffs onto a long 10-32 screw, chucked them in a drill press and hit them with a file. Hand drill with sandpaper should also work.)
-Fit the standoff into the safety hole making sure it goes in about 0.20-.24”.
-Check for free movement of the firing pin.
-“Ding” the standoff with a 1/16” punch through one of the pin holes. (Ding should be about 0.1” up from the bottom of the standoff.)
-Remove the standoff and use a jewelers file to cut a very small groove at the ding.
-Reinstall the standoff in the safety hole, align the groove, and pin it. (My original solid pin was next to impossible to remove so I replaced it with a roll pin…gas block pin for an AR15.)
-Recheck for free firing pin movement.
-Cut a 10-32 brass screw to ½”.
-Straighten/flatten a #6 or #8 bronze lockwasher with two pairs of pliers.
-Braze or solder the washer to the cut end of the 10-32 screw. (Epoxy may also work)
-Add a jam nut and you’re good to go!
Don’t be afraid to experiment with the 10-32 sight…if you don’t like peeps or a ghost ring, make a leaf, etc…whatever works for your eyes. For example, I’ll try different OD/ID combinations.
Next up is a slot blank to replace the buckhorn & a Marbles fiber optic front sight. I plan to “square up” the rounded top on the FO sight with JB.
