Thread: Dovetail barrel cut

The easy way to put dovetails in is with a hacksaw, a 3-suqare file with one surface ground dead, and a good flat file. Put two hacksaw slots to the correct depth spaced just inside the narrow part of the dovetail, then file it out with edge of the flat file while taking care to keep it square to the sighting plane. Use the 3-square file with the dead edge down to open up the dovetail to the correct width, testing frequently with sight. Obviously some skill and care is required but the job can be done in 10 minutes with excellent results and no need for a milling machine. Practice on a bar of 16mm round steel to gain confidence. The secret is not to go too deep. 2.5mm is ample. Maybe only 2mm on the Rossi.