Drifting Rear Sight on Pre-Transfer Bar Ruger Single Six

[targetshooter22]

I have some question about drifting the rear sight on a pre-transfer bar Ruger Single Six. A friend of mine was given one of these guns by her father who owned it for a long time. She was getting very frustrated because she couldn't hit the target, and yesterday I helped her by shooting off a bag to see what was happening. The POI was 3" right of POA at 15 yards. Granted the ammo was crappy, but I wouldn't think it was *that* crappy. The trigger is amazing. From looking at the rear sight, which is the fixed dove tail type, not the target sight, it looks like someone sometime in the past tried to smack it to move it to the left. I think this was done in an attempt to fix the problem described above.

Given the age, condition, and general collectible nature of this gun, I am very reluctant to do anything that could diminish its value. Is it possible to adjust these sights with some kind of drifting tool? Anyone ever do this to this model, or a similar one? Any other tips, tricks, opinions that would help my friend enjoy her family heirloom more?

 

[CraigC]

Yep, those rear sights are meant to be drifted and there's no harm in doing so. Use a brass punch to keep from beating it up.

Not all Old Model Single Sixes are collectible. Unless it's a rare variation and/or practically new with its original box, collectors won't have them. They produced a hell of a lot of them and they're still widely available on the used market.

The dovetail rear sight is also not exclusive to Old Models. Several variations of New Models were produced with this configuration. I have two such guns.

Bisley .32:



Distributor special .22 convertible (500 of each barrel length in 1990):

 

[goon]

Tap the rear sight the direction you want your point of impact to move.
To move the group right, tap the rear sight that direction.

Doing this correctly with a non-marring hammer and a brass punch is a standard thing to do with any gun and won't hurt the value so long as it's done carefully. Consult a trusted gunsmith if necessary, but I've done this on a dozen guns and it really is no big deal.

 

[BCRider]

If the sight is already a little to the left and you need to drift it that much more to make up for a 3 inch to the right sort of issue then I'd suggest that the barrel and front sight be checked. That seems like a LOT otherwise.

Having a smith check it is the obvious answer. But if you or someone else she knows is handy I'd suggest carefully checking with rulers and straight edges or some other arrangement to see if the front sight is centered along the gun's frame.

The front is simply a blade of relatively mild steel press fitted into a slot. It's possible that it's been bent by some impact damage at some time in the past. Checking the barrel to ensure that it's straight and "clocked" in the frame threading to exactly 12 o'clock as well would not be a bad idea.

I say all this because these old Rugers were

 

[351 WINCHESTER]

Just a very small movement in the direction you want the poi to go will do.

 

[250-3000]

Before you drift the sight, use a .5 mm pencil to put a witness line on the sight and frame. Makes it easy to see you've moved it, and gives you a reference point on how far it's moved. Will save some of that scarce 22 ammo.

 

[targetshooter22]

Thanks for the replies. I never thought about the barrel being out of turn. That will definitely give us something to look at.

Great tip on using a pencil to measure distance moved. Regarding drifting, I know everyone says to use a non-marring hammer and brass punch, but is there an alternative that doesn't involve hitting something against the gun?

 

[CraigC]

Depends on whether or not you want to pay $50 for a sight pusher. It's not really a big deal to drift a dovetail sight with a drift punch. Punches are cheap and Brownells ships them cheap.

 

[BCRider]

The only "non marring" part you need is the punch itself. A regular hammer to use on the brass punch is fine.

Brass against steel will mark the end of the punch and not the steel. At WORST on a couple of guns of mine that have a flat finish the finish gets a little brass mark on it from brass that is actualy abraded away. These marks clean away easily with a cloth and a small bit of cleaning solvent.

What is very helpful is to use a vise or other holder to hold the frame securely while you drift the sight. A patch of thick leather of the same thickness as a strong belt ensures that the frame isn't marked. If you don't have the leather an old hand towel folded over three or four times works well. If you don't have a vise then have a helper hold the frame securely against some sort of solidly mounted block of wood or whatever.

The whole point is you want the frame to be supported as close as practical to the dovetail so that your taps with the punch and hammer go into moving the sight and not into making the frame jump around. When correctly supported the taps can be quite light to get the movement. If not supported it takes a much strong bash at the job to get things to move.

If you don't have a vise but you do fancy yourself as even a basic home handyman then you REALLY need to get a vise. A good quality metal working vise is like that third hand we always need. It's probably the Number 3 tool that everyone SHOULD have after their hammer and dull flat blade screwdriver... Seriously though, if you're going to tinker with guns at all even for some basic functions such as drifting sights then a good quality vise is a VERY handy thing to have.

I can offer some suggestions if you like. But the key is to not go too small. If it doesn't weigh 15 to 20 lbs or more then it's simply not worth bolting down to the bench.

 

[CraigC]

A regular hammer to use on the brass punch is fine.

Sometimes even preferred! While a brass hammer or synthetic mallet will keep from flattening a brass punch, sometimes it won't do the job.

 

[BCRider]

Very true. The smaller movements are done by using a light tap to make the sight "jump" just a hair's worth. You can't get the proper "snap" to these light blows if the hammer has a soft face.

For the same reason it's best if the gun's frame is held solidly against something like a padded vise jaw as close as practical to the sight dovetail.

 

[CraigC]

I've been able to drift 'some' sights while the gun was laying on a tight sandbag but holding it rigidly in a padded vise can make all the difference in the world. Particularly if a burr or sliver of steel made its way under the sight when it was originally installed.

 

[Certaindeaf]

Some dovetailed members resist movement/force as though they are welded together. The last thing I'd use would be a "pusher". A good drift and hammer, along with consideration as to the "lie"/how the work is situated makes all the difference.