Cockeyed rifle or am I?

[Flynt]

I just bought a circa 1992 Marlin 1894 in .44. The gun is a beauty, and the previous owner had a smith install a 22" barrel and a half length magazine tube. Put a Lyman globe up front and a Williams FP peep in the rear. One hell of a great trigger job.

I took her to the range today and she functioned flawlessly, except that she shoots way to the right at 50 yds. I had to adjust the windage a good 75% to the left. Probably need to drift the front sight a little. (It seems to be well centered at present.) I assume that with such a radical adjustment, I I would be off to the right or left at other distances.

Anyway, I'm not an expert and would really appreciate some reactions: Could the barrel be out of alignment with the receiver or am I doing something wrong. I pulled out my two other rifles with peeps and noticed that I had adjusted for windage, but one had shot to the left and the other to the right -- in other words, I was checking to see if I had some kind of tic that was causing me to consistently sight incorrectly through peeps, but I couldn't detect a pattern. Thanks.

 

[375shooter]

When shooting with a peep sight, don't consciously try to center the front sight in the peep. Just look through the peep and concentrate on placing the front sight on the target. Your eye will automatically provide consistency. If you are not getting consistent results on target, there is probably a problem with the rifle.

 

[Flynt]

Thanks 375,

Actually I am getting consistent results withe the 1894 -- It consistently shoots far right. What I was trying to say was that I looked at my other rifles with peeps and there's no consistent pattern. In other words, the windage is adjusted to the left on one and to the right on the other.

Thanks.

 

[Mals9]

I'm guessing you need to drift the front sight a bit to the right to help remove the excessive amount of windage adjustment.
Mals

 

[Flynt]

Mals9, yes I realize I can drift the front sight to the right and reduce the windage adjustment needed. My problem is that I'm still left with a rifle with some pretty extreme adjustments. Maybe my concern is unfounded, and Lord knows I'm not an expert on iron sights (or much of anything else, for that matter). However, it just seems that such extreme adjustments aren't "normal" and indicate I'm doing something wrong or there's an issue with the gun. I'm also concerned that my accuracy will be way off if I shoot a target that isn't almost exactly 50 yds. away, the distance I'm sighting in. Thanks.

 

[rcmodel]

I'm also concerned that my accuracy will be way off if I shoot a target that isn't almost exactly 50 yds. away

If you are on for windage at one distance, then further distance doesn't matter.
It will still be on.

Bullets don't shoot in a sideways curve. They just drop.

If it's on for windage at 50, it is one at any other range you are likely to shoot a .44 Mag rifle.

rc

 

[shootr]

I have the same problem with on older rifle I acquired. I haven't figured out if the barrel is slightly bent or if the dovetail is cut wrong. As it is, I have the front sight drifted noticeably more to the left and the base is actually out of the dovetail on the left side.

However, that allows the rear to be just about centered and so I have ample left - right adjustments as needed. I quit looking at the front sight and it doesn't bother me anymore. The rifle is very accurate and outside of the offset front, there are no issues with the rifle.

My guess is - maybe yours is just cut wrong and if you have enough front adjustment to drift, you should be okay too.

 

[rcmodel]

Put a Lyman globe up front and a Williams FP peep in the rear.

Could be the gunsmith used whatever WIlliams FP rear sight he had on hand.

Maybe it is really the wrong receiver sight base bolted to the side of your receiver.

That could account for using up more windage then normal.
You could put a shim under the base to move it over and center the aperature on the slide scale better.

rc

 

[wanderinwalker]

Barrel could be over-clocked a little too.

I have a Marlin 1894 in .44 Magnum that uses up a lot of the windage on a Williams GRS peep sight to zero. It's just the way it is. IMO it IS a defect, but I haven't bothered to get it corrected as it is zero-ed now and shoots fine to 100-yards. Sometimes I even plink at 200-yard plates with it. Talk about Kentucky-elevation! Of course, it's just so rewarding to hear one of those .44 slugs connect with steel at that range.