1858 Remington target front sight machined wrong.

P

prontow

Inactive
I have a Pietta 58 Remington Target pistol that obviously during manufacture, the front sight was machined crooked.
The screw was drilled off center and the entire sight has a visible lean to the right.
I guess my question is, has anyone else experienced this, and has anyone replaced the front sight with something different.
Yea, I know it's only a $200.00 gun but she is begging to be fired. :)
Thanks!!!
 
Well, I think I answered my own question with a little reading. Seems like the sights on the target model are a little less than desirable.
Rookie21 did a good write up on them.
I will either just make do with what I have or I might get a little creative on my mill and see what I can come up with.
The gun shoots well enough like it is but I hate having the windage adjusted all the way to the right on the rear sight.
 
Can you fill the old screw location with a comparable hardness ( to the barrel material ) screw, then file it smooth an redrill and tap in the proper location? That's if the locations overlap.
 
The screw is off center about 0.10 if that much. Just enough to make it noticeable. I think I will go out to the range and see if I can get it sighted in like it is. If I cannot I have all the machining equipment to machine out a new one to compensate for the off center screw.
Other than the front sight the gun is beautiful.
 
Dovetail a sight into the barrel.

Not as hard as it sounds.

Just know what you are doing and be careful.

There is a good video online from Cabelas (I think).
 
Turns out it was not as bad as I thought it was going to be. Took the gun to the range and got it sighted in, the windage is only slightly off center.
I think what was bothering me is looking at the front sight it is obviously crooked, but turns out it really is not affecting the accuracy. Turns out I am the biggest problem when it comes to accuracy, not the gun. :)
Gun shoots really good groups at 25 yards when I use a rest, but pulls to the left when I free hand it. Go figure, HA!
Put about 100 rounds through her, felt great.
Time to cast more balls and get more practice in.
 
You can remove the barrel and file the shoulder where it hit's the frame. Do it in small increments checking to see the alignment changes as you proceed.....very carefully!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Not sure I would do that.....

If you file it so the sight is right, the flats of the barrel may not line up.

Cylinder gap is relatively critical.

If the sight is crooked but the loading lever latch post is straight, then moving the barrel to straighten the sight makes the latch post wrong.
 
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Turns out I am not going to need to do anything, except more practice.
I sighted the gun in using a rest and the grouping looked good at 25 yards.
Thanks for all the good advice!
 
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