1) Well, I've just been back from our Mexican vacation for a few days and have got the iron sights installed. Here's the front sight dovetail milled, and the sight installed in it. This is a Hi-Viz DOVM which comes with three sizes of red inserts, and three of chartreuse. I have these sights installed on five of the double rifles that I've built and my sixty-six-year-old-eyes just love them.

Also, you can see the groove that's been milled in the sides of the ramp to accomodate the front sight hood.

2) Here's a shot of the rear dovetail milled in the quarter rib, and the two-leaf sight installed in it . This sight is made by Recknagel of Germany (their catalogue is a treasure-trove), imported by New England Custom Guns, and available through both NECG and Brownell's. I've rough-filed the shallow-V into both leaves. I still have to shoot and file both leaves to final depth. Also, I will be installing a platinum wire in the vertical line that I've already V-d out with a screw-slotting file. I did this on the .450 #2 NE that I have posted elsewhere on this site, and I like it a lot.

3) This is another view of the quarter rib with the sight in place in it's dovetail.

4) Here's the Leupold Var-X III 1.5x-5x, clamped to the scope bases, and showing lots of clearance over the iron sight.

5) This is an overall view of the rifle with all of it's parts now in place.

6) This is a shot of the front sight with it's hood in place. This hood is also from Recknagel. It comes with an integral "bridge" at its lower rear, which is designed to limit the hood's forward travel in its grooves on the ramp. I file this bridge away, and mill the grooves in the sides of the ramp to dead end, so as to place the window in the hood directly over the light-tube insert in the sight. You'll note that I have drilled a small hole in the groove, just aft of the hood. When the gun is completed and blued, a small roll-pin gets driven through this hole. This prevents the hood from gewtting yanked off to the rear on a branch and lost.

7) I still have to finish regulation, lots of polishing, and rust blue. Will post moe photos as I go along.