Adjusting sights
- Thread starter JC88
- Start date
BangBang
Professional
You shouldn’t need to adjust the front sight, not saying it isn’t centered, you would need to measure it. Did you shoot this off a rest? A brass punch and tap it to the right is all you should need. Do a little bit and shoot it. But, I’d make sure you shot it off a rest, and have shot different types/brands of ammo out of it.
I have a pistol, carry pistol at that that is sighted in for one type of ammo and I got a new box of ammo and shot a group with it and it shot almost in 1” low and 1” left, however it stacked em right beside each other but my pistol is not sighted in for that load. Point being shoot different loads and see where they hit off a rest before you have to move your sight.
HansGruber
Ronin
As stated above, try it benched and/or left hand only; also, have a couple other people who you know are good pistol shots try it.
If it’s always left, it’s the sights; if not...it’s the shooter.
If it’s always left, it’s the sights; if not...it’s the shooter.
I always recommend getting a set of calipers from Harbor Freight or Amazon before adjusting the sights. They’re cheap and give a fast answer to the centering questions.
Annihilator
Emissary
All the pistols I have owned with fixed sights, I never had to adjust the front sight, rear sight yea, several times. Personally, I would try shooting it again from a rest, I used to have a bad habit of pulling the gun to the right when I shot, basically, jerking the trigger, it’s easier to do this on a small compact gun then a full size one, but I still did that on full size pistols. Took me some time to break that bad habit. Good luck on your endeavors.
BangBang
Professional
Same here, never had to fool with the front but would adjust the rear. Sounds like the OP has shot it a rest, and with several loads it’s printing left. Sounds like he needs to adjust his rear sight.
jumpinjoe
Hellcat
Just a note of clarification here. I know BangBang knows what he's talking about and I would never even consider contradicting him, but I think he may have had a typo here that could lead you astray. He did say "you shouldn't need to adjust the front sight.....", but then went on to say "A brass punch and tap it to the right." His intent I'm sure was to say for you to tap the REAR sight to the right to correct the gun shooting to the left. But somehow and to some it might appear that he was still referring to the front sight.
Just remember to always move the rear sight the same direction you want to move the point of impact ..... move the front sight the opposite direction you need to move the point of impact. But generally it's the rear sight on most guns that will be adjustable. Works the same for both handguns and long guns.
Now believe it or not, there's a mathematical formula for just how much to move a sight based on the distance you need to move the point of impact vs the distance between the two sights vs distance to the target. But it's far more complicated than what we're doing here. Just remember that moving the sight a very small amount will move the POI a good amount.
All this is relevant only after shooting off a bench/bag, or someone else shooting it for you to ensure it is in fact the gun and not the shooter. And that's not a knock on the shooter...... we've all been there and done that at least once (some of us more than once) in our lives.
Edit to add: There is a tool, called a 'sight press' made expressly for moving a typical rear sight without the chance of 'buggering' up the sight or the gun's 'V'slot/groove. They're relatively inexpensive but not often needed unless you're doing a lot of sight adjustments. Be very careful if using a hammer/punch.
regards,
jumpinjoe
BangBang
Professional
Thank you @jumpinjoe i should have been more clear in my post. I was trying to say it is rare that the front sight needs adjusting, at least for me it has been and that calipers would need to be used to measure that. I should have split up the post on using a brass punch to drift the rear sight to the right. Appreciate you clarifying that and also bringing up the point that a little goes a long way as this is very true.
jumpinjoe
Hellcat
No problem buddy, most knew what you were saying. I was just afraid some of the lesser experienced might misunderstand what was written. It's all good!
regards,
jumpinjoe
jumpinjoe
Hellcat
Hey JC88, here's a quick question for you. I'm going to assume you are a right (dominant/strong) handed shooter. Most folks are. My question then is, are you right or left eye dominant? Do you know which eye is your dominant eye?
I'm only asking because some newer, less experienced shooters sometimes run into a similar issue such as you have described, and it is due to a conflict in dominant eye vs dominant hand. I'm not saying that's the case here with you, only that it wouldn't be uncommon.
If that's the case we can still offer help to get you on target, it just has to be approached a little differently. Let us know.
regards,
jumpinjoe
I’m cross dominate, consider myself to be an “adequate” shooter, and have managed to correct most (most hahaha) of my major deficiencies. I’d like to hear your recommendations for JC88’s issue under the assumption that he’s X-eye. I’d love to get myself from bread plate to baseball.
jumpinjoe
Hellcat
Well, to be honest OkiePewPew, and without actually working with him or you on a personal level, about the only thing I can do is to offer him the recommendation of most serious instructors and that is to try to teach yourself to shoot with the hand that matches the dominant eye. In most every case I've worked with, if the shooter will stick with it till it becomes second nature, he/she will ultimately become a better shooter. It has something to do with the hand being easier to train than the eye.
Only standing directly in front of the X-eyed shooter can I tell just how much that X-eyed situation affects him visually/physically. I've done classes over many years with upwards of 50-60 participants and at the beginning of every class I ask all of them to look directly at my face through the small hole made in between their thumbs and forefingers when crossing their open and flattened hands. I will walk back and forth in each row and by me looking at which eye they're using to look at me, I know right off which eye is dominant. My instructors and I will make notes of it. Then during the class we'll all (instructors) take note, either by just observing, or in some cases asking which hand they shoot with, which hand seems to be dominant, and we know before we ever get to the range if we need to address this issue with any of them.
We always try to work with them quietly and individually because some, especially the younger ones, are sometimes really embarrassed by it. Usually after a few minutes we can show them it's nothing to be embarrassed about, and the only thing they need to keep in mind is that they will ultimately become a more proficient shooter. Most of them do!
It's really significant if I can get with a X-eyed shooter early on and before he develops hard to change habits. But it's a very difficult thing to address by simply writing about it. If we ever meet up, I'll be glad to try to show you a couple things that might help ....... but only on one condition. That is that you've got to tell me just how the hell you came up with the name "OkiePewPew".. LOL!
regards,
jumpinjoe
Only standing directly in front of the X-eyed shooter can I tell just how much that X-eyed situation affects him visually/physically. I've done classes over many years with upwards of 50-60 participants and at the beginning of every class I ask all of them to look directly at my face through the small hole made in between their thumbs and forefingers when crossing their open and flattened hands. I will walk back and forth in each row and by me looking at which eye they're using to look at me, I know right off which eye is dominant. My instructors and I will make notes of it. Then during the class we'll all (instructors) take note, either by just observing, or in some cases asking which hand they shoot with, which hand seems to be dominant, and we know before we ever get to the range if we need to address this issue with any of them.
We always try to work with them quietly and individually because some, especially the younger ones, are sometimes really embarrassed by it. Usually after a few minutes we can show them it's nothing to be embarrassed about, and the only thing they need to keep in mind is that they will ultimately become a more proficient shooter. Most of them do!
It's really significant if I can get with a X-eyed shooter early on and before he develops hard to change habits. But it's a very difficult thing to address by simply writing about it. If we ever meet up, I'll be glad to try to show you a couple things that might help ....... but only on one condition. That is that you've got to tell me just how the hell you came up with the name "OkiePewPew".. LOL!
regards,
jumpinjoe
Oh that’s easy. Where I’m from (originally) and what I like to do, OkiePewPew.
Right hand, left eye dominant. I started hand/eye shooting coordination on video games (Nintendo duck hunt, Hogan’s alley) then had an arcade with a multitude of shooting games in a theatre I used to manage, and just naturally did the same when I started shooting for real. I have tried changing but honestly I’m lazy with things my heart isn’t into so it’s never gone well. Im also allergic to sunlight so shooting outdoors where faster firing rates, move and shoot, and more importantly most matches are held is extremely limited. If I could shoot outdoors and in competition there’d be a lot more incentive to correct it.
Oh and PewPew is a cross reference from shooter video games (yep as a kid I was shooting those 8-bit ducks with my own sound effects) and a pet name for a pistol round that’s emerged in internet land.
jumpinjoe
Hellcat
LOL! LOL! LOL! Got it. But in your favor, "lazy" has little to do with it. It's the kind of thing that if not truly required, it's just not all that important.
Never knew they had video games in Oklahoma. Believe it or not, I've never played a video game in my life. Closest thing I ever came to it was some old carnival 'shooting galleries' way back many years ago ..... way before video games.
Did you know Merle Haggard? He's my all time favorite country singer, well maybe with exception of George Jones. I play a little guitar and try to imitate Merle sometimes. Can't do ol' George any justice at all though.
Don't know why I wrote all that except that your post put me in a really good and light hearted mood.
regards,
jumpinjoe
Never knew they had video games in Oklahoma. Believe it or not, I've never played a video game in my life. Closest thing I ever came to it was some old carnival 'shooting galleries' way back many years ago ..... way before video games.
Did you know Merle Haggard? He's my all time favorite country singer, well maybe with exception of George Jones. I play a little guitar and try to imitate Merle sometimes. Can't do ol' George any justice at all though.
Don't know why I wrote all that except that your post put me in a really good and light hearted mood.
regards,
jumpinjoe
TEXASforLIFE
SAINT
I saw him at Billy Bobs in Fort Worth back in '86.