Marlin Fixed-Sight Off Center - Any quick fixes?

[bclark1]

Hello,

Finally got a chance to bring out the Marlin 1895G. I like it, but for the second rifle in a row, the sight alignment is off to a degree out of my control. You can control elevation using the steps under the rear sight, but windage it seems that I'm SOL. It's consistently hitting about 3" right of POA at 50 yards. The range officer suggested perhaps getting a rubber mallet, undoing the screw (the sight actually doesn't even budge with the screw removed anyway, as it turns out) and trying to tap it a bit. This seems difficult given the ghost-ring though, which I do like, even if it obstructs my ability to whack the front sight around a bit. Perhaps this is a job for a gunsmith, but since I just started shooting it and I'm hoping to have it as my 100-yards-and-less gun, I really don't want to lose it for a bit, need all the trigger time I can get. I'd also prefer not to have to shell out any cash.
Anyone think the "tapping" will work or have another idea?
Thanks!


Unrelatedly, but not worth starting a new thread over, the jury is still out on the Hornady Leverevolution ammo - specifically, the 325gr 45-70. I like it, but I couldn't quite make sense of my point of impact. It was hitting considerably lower at 50 yards than Remington Express Rifle 300gr SJHPs. I suppose the lower velocity (~200fps at the muzzle) and more rapid deceleration of the HPs, might have them much higher in their ascent at 50 yards, but I didn't expect such a dramatic need for elevation change between two similar-sized bullets at a mere 50 yards. The Remington was about on POA, the Hornady about 6" low. I'm hoping to make it back out and re-zero for the Hornady. Leverevolution ammo is also rather snappy, 20 grains and 200fps really pushes it over the edge in terms of "I could shoot this from a rest for hours" to "Let's just get it hitting where I want to."

 

[JohnKSa]

Second question first.

In a gun with a decent amount of recoil, the slower the muzzle velocity, the higher the impact on the target will be. Given that the Hornady ammo is a good bit faster than the Remington fodder, I would expect a lower point of impact for the Hornady at 50 yards.

Ok, sight adjustment.

Both the front and rear sights on your rifle are drift adjustable for windage.

The rear sight is dovetailed into the barrel and the dovetail can be drifted using a light mallet and a brass or plastic punch.

The front sight post can also be drift adjustedby using the same type of method. You will have to remove the front sight hood (is that what you're calling the ghost ring?) first. Be careful to only place the punch against the dovetailed part of the front sight as the ramp that the dovetail fits into is screwed to the barrel and you could knock it off if you hammer on it too energetically.

Drift the rear sight in the direction you want the point of impact to move and/or drift the front sight in the OPPOSITE direction you want the point of impact to move. The only reason you might want to drift both is if the point of impact is badly off and drifting only one sight would leave it badly off-centered.

 

[moewadle]

About the sight I agree with JohnKSa

and will add an opinion that 3" off at 50 yards would not take much adjustment of the rear sight. I see brass punches at gun shows all the time for drifting sights. What I did was go to the hardware store and get a brass dowel of about 3 feet long. It cost about $7 but I cut it into 6 inch lengths and now have 6 brass rods for sight drifting. In the event you do not know this...the industry standard on dovetailed sights is that you punch them out, if removing them, to the right side of the gun from a viewpoint from the stock. Then you would, of course put it in from the right. I know this was not the question but the question seemed to be from a shooter who may not know this and we are talking about drifting the sight.

 

[bclark1]

Yep, I'm definitely no smith, and my sight terminology is clearly horrendous. I can take them apart and clean them to keep them running, and that's about it.

For the record, the other rifle had adjustable sights, and I was able to make use of them, but the screw actually was bored off-center on the barrel, so even at maximum adjustment it was still well off. Just to try and not look like a complete dolt

 

[JohnKSa]

Removing the screw in the front sight will not allow you to adjust it for windage, it's only there to secure the ramp in place. If you remove the front sight hood and look carefully at the side of the ramp, you will see that the actual sight post is not part of the ramp, it's dovetailed into the ramp.

You need to set the punch against the dovetailed part of the front post (not the post, but the part of the post that fits down into the ramp) and tap it lightly to move it over.

The rear sight is probably easier to move since you don't have to remove a sight hood to adjust it. Just tap on the dovetailed part of the rear sight (the part that slides into the cutout in the barrel) to move it.

 

[mainmech48]

IMO, do your windage correction with the rear sight. Unless the ramp itself is off-center, the front really isn't an issue in almost every case.

3" isn't all that much, and the amount of correction needed should be small. Take it a tap or two at a time, and shoot a group in between.

A quality receiver sight from Williams, Lyman, etc., makes a great addition to a '95G or about any other short-to-medium range rifle, IMO. Adjustments for both windage and elevation are both easier and more precise, and most folks find that their groups shrink significantly with them, especially at longer ranges.