1860 Pietta sighting in

[huskyenduro]

Hello All

New to CB, thanks to all for the information availbale on this forum, I've spent hours reading old posts.

After 42 rounds with American Pioneer FFFG and rather inconsistent groups I decided to go for the real thing and went to Bass Pro and bought Goex FFFG. After many load combinations I have settled on the following for keeping the tighest groups:

30 grains Goex FFFG BP
lubricated wad
.454 ball
Crisco
Reminton #10

What a combination!!!! My last group of 6 at 15 yards was 2 1/2 inchs

Here is where I need some assistance. The group is 3" high and 3" to the left. I've read of filing the front sight down to adjust for elevation, may do that or just account for it while aiming. What do I do to adjust for the left/right??? I've read of filing the hammer V to adjust. What do you all think??? Would you do it and if so, please expain the process or would you just adjust your aim???

Thanks all....

 

[Manyirons]

Ifin yer ALREADY shootin high, filing tha front sight DOWN'll make er shoot HIGHER, ya needs a TALLER front sight.

Best cure fer windage is ta have a dovetail front sight that ya can tap with soft face hammer ta tha correct place. Filin on tha rear sight in tha hammer must be done carefully if at all.

 

[mec]

right. the dovetail sight is the best fix. I regularly bias the hammer notch to correct windage but it takes quite a bit of offset to make much difference in point of impact. Still, with only 3" of bias, it might be a suitable solution-particularly if you need to widen the notch for better visibility.

 

[mainmech48]

IMO, the dovetail solution would be your most all-around satisfactory option. I'd advise that you have the existing front sight removed and the smallest practical size of dovetail cut where it was. FWIW, choosing a size compatible with a commercially available replacement blade from Dixie, Numrich or the like would be the easiest and least costly, IMO.

On a replica 1860 Colt, cutting a dovetail for a new rear would just complicate matters. There isn't a really practical way to do it on the frame, so you'll have to go to the rear of the barrel. You'd still need a new higher front, you'd lose considerable sight radius, and the existing sighting notch in the hammer would likely get in the way of quick acquisition of a usable sight picture.

Once your new front blade or post is installed, take a small hammer, a non-marring drift punch, and a fine-cut file to the range with you. The first thing to address would be the windage correction. Determine the range at which you want the groups to be centered (personally, I use 25 yds. CASS types might want 50 ft.) and with the load you've chosen, fire a group and determine its center in relation to your POA. Tap the front sight slightly in the direction toward which you want that center to move. Repeat until it's where you want it. Be patient; you don't want to loosen things up by moving it back and forth too much in the process.

When you have the groups centered, start removing material from the top of the blade or post a couple of light strokes at a time after each new group until your POI and POA coincide.

BTW, this is one reason that I like the Uberti 1858 Remmie replicas better than the Piettas. They already have the front post in a dovetail, which simplifies minor adjustments and makes it easier to change to a blade if I want.

 

[gmatov]

IMO, the easiest, and if you want to remain true to the '60 model, better you DO use your square file.

The hammer nose is relatively thin. NOT a lot of filing to do.

You are high and to the left. You need to deepen the notch in the hammer, and you have to move it to the right. You can't fill in behind your filing, so you have to widen it and center the front sight in the wider notch. A wider notch than the front blade alliows you to get a better aim than a notch that JUST gives you a faint outline of the front blade. ie, a .125 notch, a .100 blade, allows you to see some daylight either side. The human eye is fantastic, can see a couple thou difference either side of the blade.

At the same time, you deepen the notch to allow for the high impact with your front post site.

Cheers,

George