Front sight adjustment

[ian45662]

How do I adjust my front sight for windage?

[RangerFrog]

Assuming it is driftable, use a non-marring punch and hammer and move it in the direction of the bullet strikes. If you are hitting left, move the sight left and the strikes will move right and vice versa. You may be able to move a forged or soldered sight slightly by bending it gently in the direction indicated above or as some folks do, even screwing the barrel in or out a tiny bit to get the desired results. Neither of these is recommended, rather they are listed as expediencies! Green

If you are hitting high or low, the same principle applies. Filing a little off the top of your sight will bring your group up. A high group will require a taller sight be installed. :cry:

HTH, Froggie

[ian45662]

The sight is on an un-modified 1853 enfield from armi sport if that helps it does not drift so I will have to bend it

[Lou Lou Lou]

No. Fill in the rear sight opening and re-cut it. There is a chart wich will tell you how much you need to move to move the bullet one inch. Just multiply.

[Edwin Flint, 8427]

If the front sight is thick enough, you can file a little off the thickness and drift your sight that way. This is only if the distance you need to move is minimal and your front sight is thick enough.

[Tom Magno, 9269V]

If you are shooting using the factory front sight, you will shoot about 12-18" high at 50 yards. You will need to install a taller front sight if you wish to shoot shorter ranges than 100 yards. Most of us file the sight flat to its base, then using (carefully) a hacksaw cut a notch in the base and solder in a new 1/2" brass blade - which can then be filed down as required to get your bullets on target at 50 yards. Alternatively, a dovetailed or soldered on new sight can be installed by a competent smith.

To get your bullets on target, shoot a 3 or 5 shot group. Measure the distance of the center of the group to the center of the bullseye. You can then apply the following formula to determine how much to move your front sight for windage:

Sight radius (in inches) divided by 1800 (50 yards in inches) = distance to move sight to move bullet strike 1 inch.

For example, lets say your sight radius (distance from rear of front sight to rear sight leaf) is 21 inches. Then, 21/1800 = .012. So, to move your bullet strike 1 inch at 50 yards, you would need to move your sight left (or right) .012". If your group is 4 " to the left of the bullseye, that means you would move your front sight .048 to the left. The same formula applies for elevation. If your bullet is striking 4 inches low, then you would have to file .048 off of the front sight to raise the impact point 4" at 50 yards.

The same is also true of the rear sight - you can fill in the notch and recut it as appropriate, but movement is the opposite direction - FORS is the acronym to remember - Front Opposite, Rear Same.

Good luck.