Ruger Old Army fixed front blade needs tweaking to left...

[Tallbald]

My beautiful 7 1/2 inch stainless fixed sight Old Army may have been bumped at some time in it's life before coming to me because there's a very slight right hand lean in the fixed front blade. Just enough that it might need annoying Kentucky windage to compensate for. I will be targeting her more formally at some point than I have to date. Should I find a front sight adjustment needed, can I simply use a good wide adjustable wrench to capture the blade and lightly ease the blade to the left a tiny bit? Don't know how the blade is affixed to the barrel. Don't want to rotate the barrel as some suggest on fixed sight cartridge revolvers. Would rather than that, leave it as is. Don.

 

[GunnyUSMC]

Have you shot the gun yet?
Back in the day a gunsmith would use a lead bar to adjust the front sight on a fixed sight revolver. The bar was about 1”X1”x6”. The sigh was struck with the end of the bar to slightly bend it.
I have a S&W Victory Model that was reworked by Parker Hale. It shot about two inches to the right at 15 yards. A couple of snakes with the lead bar put it right on target.

 

[J-Bar]

The front blade on a fixed sight ROA is soldered into a slot in the barrel. It does not take much to break it out of the slot.

If it offends you either aesthetically or functionally having it resoldered or replaced by a gunsmith is probably your best bet. It won’t cost anything to call Ruger and see if they can help you, though.

 

[4v50 Gary]

Gunny is describing a babbit bar. Is the sight bent or the barrel not on straight?

 

[Tallbald]

Only a very slight bend to the right. The barrel alignment is fine as I can see, so I of course don't want to adjust the barrel as some have suggested. don.

 

[drobs]

I think you need to put it on paper and see how it does before knocking it back but I understand your annoyance.
I buy most of my guns used and frequently will center sights that were adjusted left or right from the previous owner.

 

[Tallbald]

I agree. I must wonder if the slight bend was to adjust point of impact to the fixed blade. Testing before trying to move it for sure. Don.

 

[dickydalton]

delete