Adjusting a fixed sight Hi Power

I recently bought a Hi Power from a friend and the Read sight is misaligned and shoots a few inches left at 7 yards. What is the best way to adjust it? What about securing it so it doesn't move?

 

A few inches off at 7 yards?
It must be hanging off the slide about half-way!!!

If it's loose enough to move on it's own?
Take it off and clean all the old grease & oil off then put it back on, centered on the slide, with Blue Lock-Tight.

You can tighten it up further still if it is very loose by using a center-punch on the bottom of the sight to raise a bunch of divots. That will raise it in the dovetail and make it tighter.

rc

 

Tap it to the right until you have it hitting center.Then take a small hammer and punch and lightly hit in front of the sight to create a dimple to hold it in place.Hex screws are a nice touch in some fixed rear sights.

 

Im not trying to sound demeaning (in other words, here comes a potentially demeaning question)

Are you sure your shooting form is perfect?

No flinching, good grip, etc.?

 

You can easily see that the sight is misaligned, its hanging off the slide alittle bit on the right side. It doesn't move when I tried the first time but I wasn't really persistant.

 

That about sums it up then.

The sight can be drifted. Probably should use a brass or nylon punch.

Put the slide in a vise with padding of the jaws. Whack the punch with a hammer. Move it as far as you think you need to.

If it moves easily then it is loose fitting and needs to be secured or tightened by the above methods.

 

What would you recommend for padding that would evenly hold the slide?

 

Ideally, a pad made by the vise manufacturer.

More practically, leather. Thick leather would be nice but doubling up some thinner stuff would work too.

 

Try another load and see if it makes a difference.

Good luck

Jerry

 

You punch the sight itself?

I punch the flat of the dovetail; more room to work and I find the slide is easier to brace than just a sight.

 

If you can't find anything else for vice jaw pads, grey cardboard backing off a writing tablet works pretty darn good for use on smooth vice jaws.

If the vice jaws have coarse teeth, start out with soft pine boards on each side of the slide..

rc

 

Yes.
Easier & cheaper to replace a sight then a Browning HP slide.

If you punch the slide dovetail, and later want to change to a new sight like night-sights or something?
What kind of mess you got to deal with when the dovetail in the slide has already been center punched for the loose old sight?

Thats why I always try to make the sight fit the dovetail, not the other way around.

rc

 

I've never run into any of those problems but it does make sense.

Thanks!

 

If you stated the above quotes correctly, you've got more problems than a misaligned sight. Rear sight moves in the direction that you want the POI to move. Moving yours left to center will move your POI further to the left.

 

Wait sorry about that, it shoots to the right, brain fart moment.

 

"...Read sight..." Read or rear? Google wants to know.
"...recommend for padding..." Anything that protects the finish. Some of us have assorted pieces of leather laying around. However, like rcmodel says, wood will do nicely.
"...Whack the punch with a hammer..." Tap with a plastic mallet not a steel hammer. And a 1/4" brass or Al rod. There are sight pushers, but they're not cheap. Brownell's sells 'em.
"...brain fart moment..." One of the first signs of geezerhood. snicker.

 

Well, have the Slide off the Frame and by itself, in a Vice ( with padding ) before Drifting the Sight...

A Brass Punch usually works well.