Need Sight advice for my 1951 94 Winchester
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Need Sight advice for my 1951 94 Winchester
I got this rifle a month or so ago, and until this weekend have not fired it. i am Pleasantly surprised that it shoots a very small group at 50 yards, but 6" left of The Bull. My question is should I drift the front post or Rear Buck Horn dovetail to compensate?
I would say you need to drift your rear sight to the right. One good way is to get a "sharpie" type marker and make a little mark on the barrel at the end of the pointy thing on the front of the base of your rear sight.
It doesn't hurt to put a drop of oil under the rear sight and let it soak in a bit. A little movement of the rear sight is a lot of movement on the target.
If you drift the sight over a distance about the thickness of the sharpie mark, that may do the trick or it may be too much. Some sights drift easy and some don't.
It doesn't hurt to put a drop of oil under the rear sight and let it soak in a bit. A little movement of the rear sight is a lot of movement on the target.
If you drift the sight over a distance about the thickness of the sharpie mark, that may do the trick or it may be too much. Some sights drift easy and some don't.
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John in MS
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Needless to say...
Be sure to remove the sight elevator before you move the sight, to avoid a nasty scratch on the barrel. I've seen one done this way before. Figured you knew this, but thought it wouldn't hurt to be sure!
I also put a piece of tape under the rear blade to prevent its scratching the barrel when I move it.
Hope this helps!
John
I also put a piece of tape under the rear blade to prevent its scratching the barrel when I move it.
Hope this helps!
John
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I would suggest the need to drift the front sight a bit left too - 6" at 50 yards is quite a bit of adjustment.
You may end up wanting to put a sight blank in the rear dovetail and install a tang sight (espially if it's already drilled and tapped for one) or a reveiver aperture sight (which it is already drilled and tapped for).
The tang sight can easily be shimmed with little pieces of soda can material to adjust windage - or you can get a Marbles that's windage adjustable.
You may end up wanting to put a sight blank in the rear dovetail and install a tang sight (espially if it's already drilled and tapped for one) or a reveiver aperture sight (which it is already drilled and tapped for).
The tang sight can easily be shimmed with little pieces of soda can material to adjust windage - or you can get a Marbles that's windage adjustable.
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The front sight in that 1951 Win 94 is in a ramp. It needs to be centered in it.
If it's pushed off to adjust the windage it will look like gawd awful stuff.
All the windage adjusting should be with the rear sight.
Move it a bit, then check it.
Move it a bit, then check it.
Repeat till it's hitting centered.
If the rear sight is too far off, SOMETHINGS WRONG. A trip to a gunsmith is then called for.
I've had a bunch of these things and they rarely took much windage adjustment to shoot centered.
Joe
If it's pushed off to adjust the windage it will look like gawd awful stuff.
All the windage adjusting should be with the rear sight.
Move it a bit, then check it.
Move it a bit, then check it.
Repeat till it's hitting centered.
If the rear sight is too far off, SOMETHINGS WRONG. A trip to a gunsmith is then called for.
I've had a bunch of these things and they rarely took much windage adjustment to shoot centered.
Joe
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Before you get to whacking too much on that rear sight, check the following:
Front sight: Make sure that it isn't bent over a bit (most likely to the left). With front sights, it doesn't take much movement at all to throw a group off. Some of those old sights bent a little easy--it's been a long time since 1951. If it is bent a bit, you could try and straighten it up, but you may as well replace it. Every good gunsmith has an assortment of front sights, and a tool to push them in and out of ramps with.
Rear Sight: Many old Winchester back sights had two adjustments: One was a stepped elevator to raise elevation one notch at a time. The other was a little screw that you loosened to slide the buckhorn piece up and down. It could be that the latter part, somewhere along the way, became loose and the piece got moved left or right a little in its slot. Not likely, but worth checking.
After checking these things out, Dave is right. You need to tap that REAR sight in the direction that you want your group to go. GO EASY! A little bit at a time. If you must move the front sight, you said it was in a ramp. This requires a different approach than whacking it with a brass drift, and maybe damaging the ramp itself in the process. Gunsmiths use a special tool that pushes these out with a screw arrangement. A very slight movement of the front sight, in the direction OPPOSITE the way you want your bullet to go, if you need to. Careful. a little movement of a front sight goes a long way. You'll most likely still have to move the rear sight a bit, one way or the other, if you move the front sight. Good luck. I hope only a tap or two on the back sight cures the problem.
Front sight: Make sure that it isn't bent over a bit (most likely to the left). With front sights, it doesn't take much movement at all to throw a group off. Some of those old sights bent a little easy--it's been a long time since 1951. If it is bent a bit, you could try and straighten it up, but you may as well replace it. Every good gunsmith has an assortment of front sights, and a tool to push them in and out of ramps with.
Rear Sight: Many old Winchester back sights had two adjustments: One was a stepped elevator to raise elevation one notch at a time. The other was a little screw that you loosened to slide the buckhorn piece up and down. It could be that the latter part, somewhere along the way, became loose and the piece got moved left or right a little in its slot. Not likely, but worth checking.
After checking these things out, Dave is right. You need to tap that REAR sight in the direction that you want your group to go. GO EASY! A little bit at a time. If you must move the front sight, you said it was in a ramp. This requires a different approach than whacking it with a brass drift, and maybe damaging the ramp itself in the process. Gunsmiths use a special tool that pushes these out with a screw arrangement. A very slight movement of the front sight, in the direction OPPOSITE the way you want your bullet to go, if you need to. Careful. a little movement of a front sight goes a long way. You'll most likely still have to move the rear sight a bit, one way or the other, if you move the front sight. Good luck. I hope only a tap or two on the back sight cures the problem.