This Accuracy Thing...and a Front Sight...

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Joined
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Made it back to the range today. Very nice. I got there, and the only other guy was just leaving. Weird for a Saturday, usually it's really busy. Well, busy might be 6 people at one time. I have to drive about 60 miles to get to my range, however, it's fairly good sized, and I'm usually one of just a handful of people there, so it's entirely worth it to have a section to just myself.

Anyhow, Last week, Contender made the comment:
Kevin,, you don't need bigger targets,, just better shooting! :D :D Settle down & make each shot as if your life depended upon it.
So, thinking of that, I brought my selection of Single Sixes. I cleaned them all last week and today couldn't have gone better. Perhaps Contender might know a thing or two... :D


This is one Single Six I really want to like. It has the potential to be the most accurate of them all. Except the front sight. I had it professionally reblued, and then I put on one of Two Dogs front sights. I really like it, but it needs to be shorter.... I haven't ever done anything with it, I didn't want to do anything in haste and ruin the sight.

Question: How do I figure out how much shorter the front sight needs to be? It seemed to shoot about 5 1/2 or 6 inches low at around 20 yards.

Also: What I'd like to do, is take the gun to a gunsmith and have them shorten the barrel to 4 5/8" BUT! Would this hurt the accuracy any? Right now the barrel is 5 1/2 inches. The groups I'm getting are only spread out vertically, not horizontally at all. And this is just because of the front sight, I'm sure.

st3ckrDl.jpg

(American Holly Grips)

6vtsewPl.jpg


BfWRh19l.jpg


I guess I also need a shorter screw for the sight as well.

Comments?
 

DHD

Single-Sixer
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Dawson has a calculator on their website that can give you a decent estimate. However, I will file mine to POA. FWIW, I have a 2Dogs front blade for a Model 60 on the way and I will file if necessary and send it back so he can finish it. This was what he told me to do.

Give him a call and I suspect he'll tell you what he told me.

A definite YES on the screw, and I have 3 sets of Holly myself. Love the look on stainless believe it or not.
 
Joined
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The set of Holly grips on my gun in the picture is from Private Schultz grips. I'm not sure if he still makes grips or not.

And yes, I have a stainless single six and the American Holly does look very good on stainless as well, probably better in fact.
 

contender

Ruger Guru
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If your plans are to cut the barrel, then I'd wait on working on the height of the sight.
Will shortening the barrel affect the current accuracy? You won't know until after you do it. Sadly, if it gets worse,, too late. I've always looked at such projects with the thought; "Is it really shooting good right now? Will my modifications be irreversible if it gets worse?" Then I choose what I may or may not do to modify the gun based upon my answers.
Sight calculations can be done using the math mentioned by DHD, by Dawson. BUT,, as he notes, it's an estimate. Careful filing or even a proper milling of a small amount, followed by testing, can allow you to get the correct height you need.
I notice the Fermin blade you chose has the smooth face. The serrated ones are more often selected by those of us with aging eyes. OR,,, or,, we get one of those, and once we get it dialed in for our most common closest distance, we then figure out how far we may shoot, and paint or file a line on the rear of the blade to use as a reference for longer shooting. An elevator line so to speak.
 
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You make a good point, about cutting the barrel. If accuracy decreases, it would be too late. And this particular gun is really accurate right now.

Hmmm....things to think about. It might be best to not do anything aside from fixing the front sight.
 

Montelores

Buckeye
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Oct 29, 2009
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Is the front sight aluminum or steel?

If steel, it will require a bit of filing to remove metal, if mounted on the barrel.

How about marking the top of the sight using a magic marker, then sighting on the bottom of that line to determine the proper height? Or a tiny piece of freezer tape, with a clear line drawn horizontally. Or a gently scribed line, using a small triangular file?

For example, mark the top 1/16" of the sight in black, then use the bottom of that line level with the top of the rear sight for your test. You will be sighting "behind" the unused top of the front sight (POA not visible), but a horizontal line on your target will tell you all you need to know regarding elevation (not windage).

If 1/16" is too much or too little, then remove marker line and start again?

Then, once satisfied, you can file to that line.

Trial and error - removing small amounts of metal, evenly and level - will work, but you will need patience.

contender has great advice. I have both ramped and flat-faced front sights - sometimes, the flat-faced sights are clearer for me (less glare, I believe, seems more precise), but the ramped sights give the flexibility for distance that he mentioned.

Nice looking gun.

Monty

P.S. On my NM's, I replaced the trigger springs with 30 oz. Wolff springs, and it made a big difference with little cost or effort.
 

sixshot

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Most all custom front sights are made intentionally too tall so you can dress them down to suit you, making sure your rear sight has some adjustment both ways for different loads. Just use some paint as mentioned as a starting point, both in front & along the side so you keep a straight line.
2Dogs makes a great front sight!

Dick
 

Montelores

Buckeye
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You are welcome!

And, I have used Cold Blue (in a bottle) for my steel front sight after filing.

Not perfect, but pretty close.

Good luck, have fun!

Monty
 
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Yes, I have used cold blue also. A whole bunch of years ago, I put together one of those black powder rifle kits. That gun now has an awesome patina, its just beautiful.
 

DHD

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It sounds so much better the way sixshot said it, "dress them down" than file it down.

I'd reconsider shortening the barrel if it's a fine shooter already. Uhhh, get another screw though! Too nice of a revolver for that one to stay.

Edited to add that the good cold blue's should give the front sight a decent finish. I'll put more than 5 coats and 0000 steel wool between coats. It get deeper and deeper and a quick touch up is as easy as a qtip and some oil on a patch. You already knew that but my fingers kept on typing....
 

Montelores

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DHD said:
It sounds so much better the way sixshot said it, "dress them down" than file it down.

I'd reconsider shortening the barrel if it's a fine shooter already. Uhhh, get another screw though! Too nice of a revolver for that one to stay.

Edited to add that the good cold blue's should give the front sight a decent finish. I'll put more than 5 coats and 0000 steel wool between coats. It get deeper and deeper and a quick touch up is as easy as a qtip and some oil on a patch. You already knew that but my fingers kept on typing....

I didn't know that, so thanks for sharing.

Monty
 

DHD

Single-Sixer
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The part about multiple coats?

It's a put it on and polish it off thing. It gets darker as you go. I'd read sometime back (10-15 years) that the oil will let it take a set so to speak. The experts that actually do bluing may stamp BS on that and would know much more, but it seems to be the case with cold blue. It's a band-aid, but it keeps the part dark (such as the top of the front sight).
 

Muley Gil

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No need to get another screw. Take that one and chuck it in your portable electric drill. Secure the drill in a vise, with the chuck horizontal. Set the drill on a low to medium speed and slowly reduce to diameter of the screw head with a file. Once the head fits the recess in the sight base, you may have to shorten the screw.
 
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