1858 Rem New Army "Pietta" always "High to the Left"

[cschibi]

In my experiences, this gun shoots consistently high to the left... I have put more than 100 rounds through this pistol (.451 RB, 25grs Goex 3FG) and it always seems to shoot hight to the left. Note: I am left eye dominate and right handed... tried opening and closing my right eye....no difference. Any thoughts?

Here are my latest range results...
http://s1272.photobucket.com/user/cschibi/story/64567

I am looking for any thoughts or recommendations from fellow shooters.

 

[Wes/Tex]

Same thing happened to my brother with right hand/left eye problem. The elevation can be fixed with a higher front sight, available from Dixie Gun Works and others. The dominant left eye he changed by wearing an eye patch over the left eye for a while to basically train his right eye to take over. Yeah, you look like a pirate but it worked for him. Optometrist might have better idea. Good luck.

 

[necchi]

Usually cross dominance doesn't matter a whole lot with revolver/pistol when it's held out to arms length.
My son is left eye/right hand and shoots better pistol than I do.

They all shoot high, they where made to do that.
The left part of the group has something to do with your squeeze and grip, :idunno:
Have someone stand to the side and watch your hand as you shoot.

 

[bpd303]

Have you had anyone else shoot the pistol? If the same results then the problem is with it.

Most that I have seen with this situation are placing their finger too far on the trigger. Try and make sure your trigger finger contacts the trigger with the pad before the first joint.

 

I'm also left eye dominant and right handed. The military tried for over two decades to get me to shoot right eyed. 24 years and I shot expert 23 times for my annual. Your grouping is pretty consistent. The right holes are pulls. The low ones are light powder charges. The up and down are your breathing. I'm not familiar with your gun but the front sight needs to be drifted to the left if it's able.

 

[phoenix511]

Can't tell for certain, but looks like center of the group at 20 yards is about 2" high, 4" left.

You can lower the group by removing about 0.02" from front sight via the file-n-try method. If the front sight is dovetailed, move it 0.06" to the right. If the front sight is fixed, a scheme used years ago on service revolvers is to rotate the barrel. You'll need about 3 degress. Not much, but need to clamp frame in fixture, use wrench with non-maring jaws. Many would never notice the slight barrel twist.

I'd suggest trying about half these corrections, then checking the center of at least 10 shots, then move on ... or not.

(Trigonometric calculations based on a 10" sight radius. If interested, I can show the math, but its pretty boring.)

Don't think eye dominance or trigger finger placement have measurable effect on group size. Maybe shooting at 1,000 yards, but not pistol at 20.

 

[hawkeye2]

Filing material off the front sight will raise the group. A taller sight will lower the group.

 

[phoenix511]

Whoops, my goof. You'll need to RAISE the front sight to lower the point-of-impact. You'll need to make a new, higher, front sight.

 

[FishDFly]

You might try a couple of things.

1. Low hand gripping causes high shots on "As Issue" pistols", raise you hand on the grip as high as you can and still be able to **** the pistol.

2. The Wheel Of Misfortune Chart" suggests that,
Pushing: Anticipating Recoil could be the problem as your group is high and left.

Try raising your grip and pay close attention to the way you grip the pistol, you have to grip it the same each time. Grip the pistol and **** it with your left hand to ensure the grip is the same each time.


Don't know if you can drift the front sight on a Pietta or not, you can on a Uberti.

 

[Leatherbark]

If your'e handy with a file you can break off the Pietta sight and replace it with a dovetailed version for an Uberti 58 from VTI gun parts. File a new dovetail and insert the sight. Either that or rotate the barrel slightly by clamping it in a padded vise and twist the from counterclockwise to move the barrel to the right a smidgen to correct the windage

Bob

 

[bobthemotorcycle]

If you and a friend ever go up againest two bad guys take the one on the left.

 

[hawkeye2]

Hey, I usually catch that before I take a file to it :grin: but I do sometimes end up drifting a sight back and forth till I get it right. :slap:

 

[cschibi]

Thank you for the advise... but I am embarrassed to say, I am not sure what you mean by "drifting" the front sight?

Respectively,

 

[hawkeye2]

A sight mounted in a dovetail can be moved (drifted) sideways using a hammer and a non-marring (brass, nylon) punch.

 

[cschibi]

The 1858 Pietta has a fixed front sight...black. I did enhance it with some "White" Bright Sights paint to make it more visible.

 

[cschibi]

The 1858 Pietta has a fixed front sight...black. I did enhance it with some "White" Bright Sights paint to make it more visible.

 

[George T.]

First let me say that yours shoots closer to center than most out of the box. I have much better luck with .454's. Also try 20 or 25 grains of 3F.

Drifting is if the sight assembly is in a dove tail slot. you can go with a higher front sight. My guess is that they are soldered on. By the way if you were going to hunt that group is not all that high. Good luck, The groups will get smaller as you learn your revolver. Geo. T.

 

[cschibi]

Okay that makes sense... this Pietta replica does not have a front sight dove tail assembly... its fixed. Sounds like my sighting strategy is "what it is" given this weapon system.

 

[hawkeye2]

Pietta front sights are not soldered on, if you ever knock one off you will have to go with a dovetail. You can cut a notch in the existing sight after you have filed the blade off and solder a taller sheet metal replacement blade in. I had to take material off my .44 Pietta front sight with a 20 grain load of 3f.

 

[ian45662]

For what it's worth I was able to shrink my groups considerably with 2f out of my pietta. 25 grains of 2f. If You do not want to install the dovetailed front sight yourself I can get you the contact info for a man who will do it for ya. Very good guy to deal with. He can also do a trigger job among other things and get it down to a clean crisp 3 pounds