Bending a Smith Carbine Barrel.

[Hal]

I have an original Smith Carbine, that shoots pretty well. However, the front sight has to be knocked well over to one side in order to hit where aimed. I had read about folks bending smooth bore barrels to bring POI to POA. Will that work for a Smith? Most smoothbores are a lot longer and probably a bit thinner walled. Not sure if this is still a viable alternative for the Smith. BTW, it's not a museum piece. It's pretty beat up, but is a good shooter.

[Harley1247]

I would check the crown first before I did any bending.

[Hal]

I must admit I haven't thought of that, but wouldn't a bad crown result in poor groups, rather than good groups in an unexpected location?

[Lou Lou Lou]

I would move the front sight in its dovetail. How far off the point of aim. You only have to move it 0.11 to pave poi one inch

[Harley1247]

I am assuming you are benching the gun and are using a good bench set up to properly sighting it in This operation is to remove human error factor. I also am assuming you are moving the front sight like Lou said? Here's where trigger pull can come into effort even on the bench. If you are doing this and can't move the point of aim there is something wrong with the barrel. If the crown is good you can check to see if the barrel is bent by holding it up and looking thru at the light circle in the barrel. It takes someone with experience that knows how to do this. I have run into guns where the barrel needed to be bent.

[Charlie Hahn]

I think Lou needs to move the decimal point over, .011 for one inch.

CH

[Hal]

I'd post a picture, but don't have one handy. In order to get it to hit at POA, the front sight is drifted WAY over to one side. The right, I think, but don't remember for sure. It shoots great. It just looks awfully funny with the sight drifted off so far to the side.

[Bruce Cobb 1723V]

Don't forget the rear sight can be moved too ............ maybe halfway front / halfway rear.

[Lou Lou Lou]

Don’t know how I dropped that zero.☹️

[hobbler]

In the 1980's in a corporate move to a northern state my rifles were sabotaged.
Had a 1935 European double set triggered hunting rifle corrected from having the barrel bent. Heavy sigh.
Said that to say this... it shot great after being corrected by a professional.

[Hal]

I'll look at moving the rear sight, but it seems like I looked at that once before. I think it is screwed to the barrel. I will look again.

I got a suggestion in an e-mail to look at the pivot screw. I'm thinking that may be where part of the problem is.

Thanks to all for your suggestions.

Hal

[PoorJack]

I'd think bending the barrel is a last resort. Check that front sight and the pivot on the rear. You may be able to get by with a replacement rear slider and drifting the front.

[Lou Lou Lou]

you could buy a blank slider an recut or re-drill it. How far off is it in inches

[Smokepole50]

Barrels on occasion need straightening.

https://www.google.com/search?client=ms-android-verizon&biw=360&bih=263&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=FPFGWsmeA82nggfhyougAw&q=gun+barrel+straightening&oq=gun+barrel+straightening&gs_l=mobile-gws-img.12...18993.25772.0.26783.32.9.0.0.0.0.675.1479 .0j1j5-2.3.0....0...1c.1j4.64.mobile-gws-img..32.0.0....0.wr5WjK5TPlQ#imgrc=O1hOVufNfD7v_M:

[Smokepole50]

You could make a slider to push down the bore to check for the spot that needs bending. A brass rod might work.