How to use the most basic of sights, the leaf spring sight..

[brentn]

lmao, please forgive me, but when it comes to sights, I just get plain confused.

Do I want the rear leaf spring sight higher for closer distances, or higher for farther distances. There are about 5-6 notches that gradually bring the sight up, what would be best for what distance?

sigh..

 

[goon]

With every sight I've ever used, this is how it has worked.
To raise the point of impact at any range, you either make the rear sight higher or make the front sight lower.
To adjust for windage, move the rear sight the direction you want to move your shots. Move the front sight the opposite of the direction you want your shots to go.

For closer distances you'll probably want the leaf at a pretty low setting unless you are using really heavy bullets that you have to use your sights to compensate for.
For longer distances, crank the rear sight up.

 

[rangerruck]

dont think of your rifles sites as two seperate things; think of them as on opposing ends of a see saw, and you are standing eye level at one end.
So if you are looking at the left end, and you lower the left end , being the rear site, the front end is now much higher, pointing up to the sky. So then you would have to physically raise the rear end up, so that both sites would be on the same horizontal plane.
same goes for windage.

 

[Regolith]

To adjust for windage, move the rear sight the direction you want to move your shots. Move the front sight the opposite of the direction you want your shots to go.

Uh, I think you got that backwards...

 

[Fast Frank]

No, he's got it right.

Move the rear sight the direction you want the bullet hole to move.

Move the front sight opposite of the direction you want the bullet hole to move.

I promise... that's how it works!

 

[stubbicatt]

To OC. Yes. You raise the rear sight to raise the point of impact, or to compensate for trajectory at greater distances.

 

[goon]

Yep, it will mess with your mind if you think about it too much, but I have adjusted the sights on dozens of rifles and handguns. I've even used this as a guideline to move the pattern to where I wanted it by filing off one side of the bead on a shotgun.
It works.

 

[RancidSumo]

Rear sight goes up, POI goes down.
Rear sight goes right, POI goes left.

 

[lions]

You can't really say low for short range and high for long range, it depends on the sights and the rifle. You may have the sights high and they hit at long distance and a different rifle may need them to be low to hit long distance. What you need to remember is what others have already said, move the rear sight in the same direction you want to move POI.

 

[goon]

RancidSumo - You have that backwards.
Take a look at any long range elevation adjustable sight - if you make the rear sight higher your bullets hit higher.

 

[brentn]

Well at least i'm not alone on this one, it does mess with your mind if you think about it too much.

I really appreciate the feedback, and I got it pretty much drilled into my head, rear sight movement is focused on POI. So if it goes up, POI goes up, etc etc.

Thanks, I will give that a go with the .22 savage bolt action.

I couldn't hit a friggen stump with a target on it at 50 yards and iron sights with that yesterday... it was, well, embarrasing.
Was using cb longs, and stingers,

 

[rangerruck]

cb long, about 700 fps, stingers - about 1500 fps. No wonder you couldn't hit anything with these!!!! for the cbs' , you would need to have it setting on the very top step of the elevator, for the stingers, the very bottom wrung of the ladder.

 

[berettaprofessor]

Methinks Regolith and RancidSumo have the explanation for all those dang piece of junk rifles they couldn't get to sight in accurately

 

[RancidSumo]

Are you guys sure? I have never really messed with irons but it makes sense the way I posted it. I am confused.

 

[Z_Infidel]

Yes, they have it right. Move the rear sight the direction you want POI to move.

 

[Joe the Redneck]

WOW, I have never felt so old and out od date in my life.

Hell, I think adjustable sights are the cat's meow. Most of the guns I learned on had fixed sights. You saw where the bullets wehnt and adjusted your aim.

Joe

 

[ThomasT]

Yep i love open sights. I won't buy a rifle if it dosn't have open sights on it.

Heres a trick i use when moving a rear sight that has to be tapped over in a dovetail. Slip a piece of masking tape or a blank address label under the point at the end of the sight. Now trace around the point and mark at the front of the tip with a fine point pen. Now when you tap on the sight you can see exactly how much you moved it.

And yes you move the rear sight the way you want the bullet to go.

 

[Regolith]

Methinks Regolith and RancidSumo have the explanation for all those dang piece of junk rifles they couldn't get to sight in accurately

I haven't sighted in iron sights for quite a long time.

Most of my rifles that have iron sights are right where I want them, so I don't mess with them.

 

[Swampy]

Rear sight goes up, POI goes down.
Rear sight goes right, POI goes left.

Sorry.... backwards......

Best to all,
Swampy

Garands forever
2007 NRA Missouri State 600 yard Service Rifle Champion.... with an M1

 

[rangerruck]

Again, the best way to think about this, is that both sights are on a seesaw, one continuous piece...if your rear sight, to the left as you look at it, is suddenly low, the front end is way up. So to get them level, you would have to MANUALLY MOVE THE REAR OF THE RIFLE UP, OR THE FRONT OF THE RIFLE DOWN, to get back on target. Which is going to move your point of impact down. Same thing to be said, for left and right movement.