Rear Sight

[bads1buell]

I just bought a used custom flint rifle in .54 cal. I shot it last night and it shoots very well. My question is that the rear sight is drifted to the left a great deal. It does not bother me when looking down the barrel just wondering if something is off like the front sight position. Or is this normal for some rifles. :hmm:

 

[Toomuch_36]

If your shots are hitting at point of aim, your sights are in the correct position.
Your rear sight being drifted to the side may have been from the bore being drilled our of parellel form the outside flats, or some other annomaly.

Toomuch
...........
Shoot Flint

 

[bads1buell]

If I move the sight to the right will it move to the right on the target? Or will it move to the left on the target?

 

[Toomuch_36]

To move the rear sight to the right will move your impact point to the right.

To move the front sight is just the opposite, your impact point will move to the left by moving the front sight to the right.

Toomuch
.........
Shoot Flint

 

[paulvallandigham]

If the rear sight is sticking out over the flats, you might move the front sight in the opposite direction, a little, so that you can move that rear sight back a little, and NOT Have it sticking out.

The usual practice, in this country, is to put the run out of a bore towards the bottom flat. Makers used to stamp their logos, or names on that flat to tell gunmakers which flat should be " Down ".

Apparently, the folks in Europe who make those barrels don't know that rule, or don't follow it. That is too bad. Its much easier to adjust for a bore that shoots " low ", by shortening the front sight to raise the POI, than to deal with a barrel that has the run out going to one side or another, as yours does.

Personally, I would send the gun back to Lyman with my complaint, and demand a replacement- at least a new barrel. :hatsoff:

 

[bads1buell]

Maybe the front sight is off a bit. This is an octagon to round rifled barrel not one from Lyman.

 

[Many Klatch]

My .54 grouped very well about 6 inches high and 6 inches right at 25 yards when it was new. If I had adjusted the sights to handle that I would have had to build extensions on the sights. So I tweaked the barrel between two trees until it started hitting where the sights could get at the point of aim. I'm not saying that you need to do this, but that is what I did. My barrel is an octagon to round by a respected American manufacturer. It shoots great now and I have won a lot of matches with it.

Many Klatch

 

[Mike Brooks]

The usual practice, in this country, is to put the run out of a bore towards the bottom flat. Makers used to stamp their logos, or names on that flat to tell gunmakers which flat should be " Down ".

This hasn't been an issue with modern swamped barrels as they are drilled first, then the flats are milled in after. This practice leaves no run out. The barrels are made concentric with the bore.
The barrels with run out problems are made from octagon bar stock that are then drilled. I haven't seen a recently made barrel with obvious run out in 20 years....but, I mainly by custom swamped barrels, not shoddy made straight barrels so I might not be in the position to be seeing alot of barrels with run out.
I'm going to guess there's a large percentage of bent or warped barrels these days then barrels with run out. Pushing a swamped barrel through a mill too fast will warp a barrel pretty quick.

 

[bads1buell]

So,
Is there a problem with the bore or is the barrel tweaked a little? This is a barrel from the Mold and Gun shop in Jackson, OH. I am not sure what the maker is or what he uses there for barrels. If anyone knows let me know please. I heard that he sends his barrels out to Rayl and another fellow to have them rifled.

 

[Kentuckywindage]

if the rear sight being over that far others you, You can always knock it over a bit and then adjust your front sight to correct POI.

 

[bads1buell]

Front sight is silver soldered on. Small fowler blade type.

 

[tg]

"Front sight is silver soldered on. Small fowler blade type'

I wondered about that I have had to re-do one of these I thought was dead on a little off at the base will tip the top even more, you should be able to use a line or straight edge to check for proper placement of the front sight on the barrel

 

[bads1buell]

Here is the target I shot lastnight. 1st shot in the 9 ring 2nd shot 8 ring 3rd shot 7 ring. First two shots rear sight was to the left a good bit. This was the same configuration it was in when I received the rifle. The third shot was when I tried to move it back more to the center. 25yds on a bench.

[/img]

 

[shortstring]

Something that I found with bent barrels is that they will sight in at say 25 yds by moving the sights. Now you move out to 50 yds & the gun will again shoot to the left. So you move the sight again & when you go out to 100 yds once again it shoots to the left. Don't ask me why. The good news is that if it is less than straight it can be fixed. More than a few barrels warp during machining and are bent back.

Paul

 

[Mike Brooks]

Front sight is silver soldered on. Small fowler blade type.

I would guess that is where the problem lies, probably the front sight is off center a bit, sometimes it's really hard to tell.
The Mold and Gunshop barrels are easily bent to get them to shoot POI, I've bent many of them, no big deal.

 

[bads1buell]

What maker does he use?

 

[bads1buell]

Mike,
How do you go about bending a barrel?