Front sight pushing tool

[bighole]

Hello,

Is there a front sight adjustment tool for octagon barrels with a 3/8" dovetail?

I use what most do, a brass punch and pound it over. It would be nice to use a tool like they use on fixed sights on rifles or pistols. I looked in the catalogs and most don't look like they'd work on a large octagon barrel.

Thanks!!

 

whatcha trying to do? generally speaking the front sight is centered on the barrel in the dovetail--not to be moved! Any L/R adjustment is done with the rear sight. On a period iron sighted rifle, U/D is controlled by height of front sight and load amount to some extent. Front sight blades usually come tall, so as to enable (careful) removal of height to adjust impact up. Once you've taken off all you can, you gots to increase charge [although there are are few things you can do to the rear sight]. The rear sight is driven L/R to adjust for windage error....

 

[BrownBear]

Brownell's has a dandy front sight tool, though I haven't tried it on an octagon barrel. Works great for rear sights, too. Basically it works kind of like a "reverse" C-clamp, by which your turns push the sight rather than closing the clamp. Really works well on round barrels, so if it won't work on octagons, it will be an issue of dimensions rather than poor design.

 

[bighole]

whatcha trying to do? generally speaking the front sight is centered on the barrel in the dovetail--not to be moved! Any L/R adjustment is done with the rear sight

Mike,

Sorry but I have to disagree. For most short range applications adjusting the rear would be fine but not for longer ranges. You want to get a mechanical zero to start with and rarely have I seen putting a dovetail front sight exactly in the center give you the rear also in the center. With an adjustable rear sight, if you have your mechanical zero not in the center by adjusting it, you will loose the entire range of windage in both directions. This is especially true with a tang sight that may not be perfectly centered. You can't physically move it like a dovetail rear to get the mechanical zero.

I'm not saying you want to adjust the front every week you go out but just for the mechanical zero. I've got target rifles that I haven't changed it for the life of the barrel.

If someone want's to spend big bucks they can get an adjustable front that you don't need to pound into adjustment like this Ballard.

When using a brass punch, it's not easy to just move it a fraction of an inch. One hit gives it too much the next not enough. Too many, the dovetail loosens up and you can figure the rest. A tool would make moving it a touch easier that's why they make them. Most of them I've seen work from the top but with a globe on a large octagon barrel it won't work.

 

[TANSTAAFL]

I have seen more than a few which required the FS be adjusted for windage. Some original barrels were not to perfect as for bore run out, and shifting around to vertical did not always correct when fired for accuracy.