Correct Handgun Sight Adjustment

One of the greatest advancement in handguns over the past hundred years has been in the area of their sights. For many years, front sights were little more than a simple bump on the barrel. Even the infamous Colt Single Action Army came with sights leaving much to be desired and Colt’s Flat Top target revolver was a great step forward. This was improved when Tom Threepersons had a special flat top and tall custom sight installed on his revolver in the 1920s.

Shooters on the line realized the untapped accuracy potential of a revolver would never be realized without proper sighting equipment. Then came the National Match upgrades applied to the Colt 1911A1 pistol. Good sight design was at a premium for precision competition. Factories began to offer good adjustable sights in the form of the Smith and Wesson Micrometer sight and the Colt/Stevens sights.

Today, it is common for service-grade handguns to offers some type of adjustment in their fixed sights and adjustable sighted handguns are also common. But all sights are not as good. Some, particularly on the compact handguns and inexpensive handguns, continue to challenge the shooter. Many handguns have sights that are difficult to adjust and we gunsmiths are often called upon to change or adjust them.

Fixed sights remain common because they are rugged and relatively inexpensive but even these aren’t completely unadjustable. Even the grooves in a revolver top strap may be modified if we wish to badly enough. Three types of sights that come into the shop most often are fixed, adjustable, and laser sights. Each has its own system of adjustment. Before we begin to sight the pistol properly we need to fire the pistol to check zero.

A known-good shooter may be Below center: Adjusting sights at the firing range is often the best choice. With experience you’ll be able to predict the nudge needed to sight in. This Springfield came from the factory firing two inches to the left. The hobbyist doesn’t always get it right. trusted and we can use his notes or fired targets as a reference but we’ll usually need to take a trip to the range. I test fire from a solid bench and sandbag rest.

For revolvers in .38 Special, .357 Magnum, and .45 Colt I use my own carefully-constructed handloads with Oregon Trail hard cast lead bullets, 160 grains in the .38 and .357 and 250 grains in the .45 Colt. When testing self-loading pistols I use quality factory ball ammunition, usually from Fiocchi, with 124 grain 9mm and 230 grain .45 ACP. I test at 15 yards as this is an adequate distance when firing an unfamiliar handgun to determine if the problem is the shooter, the sights, or sight adjustment. I

Adjusting these sights is straight forward. Above center: A revolver sight is more difficult to adjust if off center from the factory and can’t be done with a padded vise and pliers! You must turn the barrel. usually determine pretty quickly if a simple adjustment will work or if sight replacement is needed. Simple adjustment may be accomplished at the firing range. Before beginning to adjust the sights, check if the sights are centered by removing the slide and placing it on a flat, even surface.

Using a dial caliper, measure the height of the sight from the surface from the New Novak sights were successfully fitted after soaking in Kroil. Below center: The front sight on this old Inglis High Power was locked in with a punch. It’s cleaner to remove the sight and roughening the dovetail. forward edge and then the rear edge of the front sight. The same may be done with the rear sight. Each measurement must be the same.

Sometimes, the sights are off center, especially with aftermarket sights that shooters install themselves, particularly for the Glock. While hobbyists sometimes get it right, they should shell out the modest cost for gunsmith installation. If the sights are not centered, the point of impact cannot coincide with the point of aim. This simple check will save a lot of problems. Adjusting Sights Most self loaders have some type of adjustment in the sights, at least to an extent by moving the rear sight.

Move the rear sight in the direction you want to change the point of impact. A brass mallet and brass punch are the preferred tools. Sight pushers are even better. If you wish to move the bullet impact down a taller front sight is needed and that means sight replacement. Moving the point of impact down can be done by filing the front sight. Be careful as a little goes along way and you cannot return the metal to the sight once removed. I always make windage adjustments before elevation adjustment.

Revolver sights are more difficult. Horizontal adjustment on

Top: After fitting a Bar-Sto barrel to this Caspian slide, the author was glad he also used a Caspian sight. Changing the barrel will also change the point of impact. fixed sight revolvers requires moving the barrel and that may not be an option the shooter wishes to pay for. Fortunately, the adjustment is usually modest. The barrel should be marked first to track the starting point before adjusting. Single action revolvers need the barrel turned far more often than solidframed double action revolvers.

Field strip the revolver, remove the cylinder, and place the revolver in a padded vise. Use a frame wrench to turn the frame. Carefully record each adjustment. For example, if moving the barrel by loosening it 0.001" changes point of impact by two inches then you have a guide for further adjustment. Adjustable handgun sights can cause problems. For example, a Philippine-produced 1911 on my bench had a fully-adjustable rear sight that appeared to be a Bomar clone.

As delivered from the factory the rear sight was at its highest setting and the owner’s shots were going hopelessly high, however, the sight wouldn’t turn down. To the customer’s credit, he didn’t force the issue. Upon examination, I found that applying pressure on the rear sight leaf body allowed easy sight adjustment. Half the sights of this particular make I’ve seen so far exhibit this quirk.

Occasionally, dovetails are exceptionally loose, usually the result of improper sight installation or ham-handed handling. Or the sight may have been moved often over the years. The best means of repairing this is removing the sight to clean the dovetail thoroughly.

Take a punch and lightly tap the dovetail, stippling the surface and tightening American Gunsmith Mailing List Policy Like many other publishers, we make portions of our customer list available to carefully screened companies that offer products and services we believe you may enjoy. If you do not wish to receive these offers, and/or information, please let us know by contacting us at: American Gunsmith Opt-Out Program Norwalk, CT 06854 Please include your current mailing label. the dovetail.

Apply a good lubricant on the dovetail and tap the sight back in place. I have seen the wrong size sight forced into dovetails and other problems that boggle the mind. Machine work and extensive hand work may be required. I have also seen front dovetailed sights that were struck with a punch to keep them in place. This is unsightly on a personal handgun but on a service pistol it may be a useful field expedient, though it makes further adjustment difficult.

Sometimes, the dovetail sight will not move under normal pressure. The best course is soaking the sights overnight in Kroil. Be certain any set screws are completely removed. A neat trick is to order a brass rod from Mc Master-Carr (mcmaster.com, and cut it into about a four-inch length. This gives excellent leverage and control. Give this rod a hard hit and the sight should budge. A final piece of hard-won advice. Fitting a match-grade barrel usually causes the point of impact to change.

I have never seen an exception with a 1911, though drop-in Glock barrels are sometimes consistent and the same as before fitting. 1911 handguns will have to be resighted. AG