Pietta 1873 Replica Front Sights

C

Chip Saunders

New member
Recently acquired the described gun. 7.5" barrel in 357 mag :D

However it shoots about 2" left at 7 - 10 yards. As you know the sights are a simple blade on the front that is part of the barrel. Somewhere I read that in the case of these type guns you turn the barrel in the frame slightly by taking the cylinder out, putting the barrel in a vice and twisting on the frame:eek:

1) that sounds like a recipe for disaster
2) will that not make the barrel loose?
3) does that not change the gap between the bore and the cylinder?

No way am I taking this gun to my workshop and trying this. Is there another alternative that I am overlooking?
 
As you look at the gun from the rear/aligning the frame as vertical as you can...
Is the front sight vertical also? (or canted to the right maybe?)
 
And remember two things:

- Impact is highly dependent on grip/recoil in a pistol. And different again from one hand to two.

- Because of the short sight radius, the adjustment of the front sight for your req'd correction is just 0.030" -- the width of a paperclip.
 
"And remember two things:

- Impact is highly dependent on grip/recoil in a pistol. And different again from one hand to two."

Hummmmm...hadn't thought of that...
 
A lot of people will bend the front sight slightly. This was a traditional method.
Click to expand...


A lot of people have had success doing this. A lot of people have also snapped their front sight off doing this.

There's a gunsmith in Montana called Bozeman Trail Arms that advertises he can turn your barrel for you. Don't have a link, but a Google search will find him.
 
Howdy

Yes, before you do anything, have somebody else shoot the gun to see where it shoots for them.

Bending the front sight is very risky. You can snap it right off the barrel, it is only brazed on, or maybe silver soldered.

Turning the barrel in slightly to move the point of impact to the right is the traditional way of correcting where the gun shoots, if it has been determined that it is the gun, and not the shooter.

This is best done by somebody who knows what they are doing. Clamping the barrel in a vice and twisting the frame with a stick through the frame can warp the frame. A single action gunsmith will usually have a special fixture to turn the frame with.
 
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