You could ask that question and get lots of answers, but it takes a real craftsman to do just the right job. I am fortunate to have lots of connections in the shooting industry and I talked to one of the better gunmakers in America about doing this job and he said he wasn't the man for the job and suggested I leave the gun alone.

I never listened to my parents, why should I listen to him. I called Dennis Olson and told him I had 2 high condition original Colts and they both shot high. They would need the sights raised, and the only way to do that is to add metal with a welder to the top of the sight and then finish the sight to look original without screwing up the original bluing.

Dennis said he could do that so I sent him my guns last Tuesday, they showed up today and look great. I sent him an original Colt lightning SRC in 44-40 and a Colt Bisley in 38-40. I have before and after pictures. They came back looking like this...

Nice job...

Would like to have watched him do it...

Is that blade Silver Soldered on the Lightning barrel.?

Niiiice!

I believe it is, The sight is one piece not like a later Winchester SRC which had a slot for a replaceable blade. I doubt is was machined on the barrel in the barrel making process.

Would like to have seen how he isolated the heat to the blade without it loosening its grip on the barrel...

Master at work...

Nice guns shrapnel..............

I've read good things about Dennis Olson's work. Seems like twenty or more years ago, RIFLE (maybe HANDLOADER) had a column in each issue about noteworthy gunsmiths. Mr. Olson was featured in one such column.

He is truly an unknown treasure. He is recommended by Browning for his work on single shots. I have a few of his custom made rifles, he is truly a master...

Looks like he does nice work. Nice rifles BTW.

Some amazing stuff there.

Sweet work. It usually works when I find a good smith, he looses his eye sight.

Dennis is truly a great smith and a first class person to boot as is his wife. He has done a fair amount of work for me and I have never been dissatisfied with any of it.

I might add he likes Boysenberry pie too. It always brings a smile to his face.

Very nice. I have had and watched Alan Harton work magic with his TIG machine. One of the best was a blown up Colt SAA. Cylinder in two pieces, section of topstrap missing, etc. When he was done and the frame re-case colored you could not tell it was ever damaged. Nothing like seeing someone that is a master at their craft.

That is really a trick to accomplish. Use of some sort of heat sink would be necessary to keep the heat from melting the original solder on the barrel.

There was a local doctor that invented a set of forceps that had a channel attached to the forceps that had to be welded to the forceps. A local welder was doing it under water with some sort of advanced technology of the day and that was over 20 years ago. Somehow these things get done and they aren't a mystery to the person doing the job...