Uberti SAA accuracy problem

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Johnny45colt

Johnny45colt

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IMG_0134.JPG Hello all, I recently bought a 4 3/4 inch Uberti SAA in .45colt. I have tried several different brands and bullet weights trying to find the perfect factory load. It seems like the heavier the bullet weight, the higher it shoots. At 25ft Hornady 185gr hps shot 1.5-2inches high (acceptable). Magtech 200gr cowboy loads shot 3-4inches high. American Eagle 225gr ammo shot 5-6inches high. And HSM 250gr ammo... you guessed it, 8-9inches high. I got this gun for a mountain/hunting sidearm and planned on using the heaviest load I could. The windage on this gun is spot on, dead center. Should I keep trying different ammo brands? Or, am I doomed to only shooting light loads? I know how to fix a gun that shoots low. File down the front sight (easy). I'm hoping y'all know some tricks to help me out, or if a gunsmith can do anything about this. I love the gun and I don't want to give up on it yet. Something about the idea of carrying my Glock as my hunting side arm makes me feel icky;) Thanks for any help!!
 
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My USFA .45 (7.5") shoots high at 25 yards also (250 LFN, 8 grains Unique). I took the lazy route and just exaggerate the 6 o'clock hold a little deeper. I have not messed with any other variable (load combos, sights, hold, etc) because the little extra 6 o'clock is fine for me. In your case, I would "guess" that your increase in bullet weight increases your recoil - raises the muzzle causing the gun to shoot higher - again, a guess - you might start with reducing/ controlling muzzle rise with a firm hold and observe the results.
 
Yes, heavier bullets in revolvers hit higher than lighter bullets. If you don't reload, search around on the net for what other shooters recommend as the lightest weight, softest shooting .45 loads and I'll bet you'll be satisfied.

Edit: well, I see that you're wanting a heavy load, so you may be out of luck. Find a gunsmith that can install a taller front sight blade on it and you should be good-to-go. Actually, in the long run, that will probably be cheaper than testing different boxes of ammo. Install a taller front sight, pick the load you want to shoot, and then file down the front sight to regulate it to that load.

Another edit: installing a taller front sight is a really easy job for most any gunsmith worth his salt, and I'd guess would likely cost less than $75 to do.

One more edit (and a possible easy solution that you could do yourself): see post #4 in this thread: http://rugerforum.net/ruger-single-action/19360-45-lc-ss-bisley-taller-front-sight.html
Also, see post #6 regarding how to properly shoot your gun.
 
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Howdy

Stating how high the bullets are hitting without stating the distance is meaningless. You must state the distance for your measurements to mean anything.

Yes, all other things being equal, a heavier bullet will cause the muzzle to rise farther before the bullet leaves the barrel than a lighter bullet will. Forget what you have read about faster bullets spending less time in the barrel, that is insignificant with a pistol barrel.

The good thing is you have windage dead on. Most right handed shooters tend to push the bullets to the left if they are not using proper trigger technique. It sounds like you do not have that problem.

Yes, adding material to the front sight is the best way to bring your point of impact down.

Either that or learn to hold low.
 
Thanks all,

I wasn't sure that replacing the front sight blade was an option. I have a great smith that I'm sure could knock it out for me. I have probably already spent more in ammo that the pistol won't shoot well than the cost of a new front sight. I wouldn't complain about a couple of inches but... 10? That's pretty hard to adjust for at 25ft. Forget about a 50 yard shot. Not that I can hit anything at 50 yards but.... I tend to shoot above average with any gun. I train more with handguns than anything else. I'm pretty confident that it's a gun issue. I can usually shoot a tennis ball size group with a .44mag at 25ft at the range. Thanks again for the input guys. I think I'm heading to the Gunsmiths.
 
Replacing that front sight is the way to go. Looking at the photo, your front sight is considerable shorter than mine on my .44 Special. Easy enough to have your 'smith add height or if you prefer, install a new one. A new would would require refinishing the barrel, but is far better than "Kentucky windage."

Bob Wright
 
What's "adding" height to the front sight all about? Do they weld material on to it and file it? Or, crimp it to stretch the metal up?
 
Howdy

It is difficult to tell if your front sight is short, or if that is just the angle the photo was taken at.

Here is a photo of a 2nd Gen Colt. You can see how high the front sight is.

2ndGenSAATwoCylinders_zps479dbf11.jpg



Here is a link to an Uberti front sight available from Brownells.

http://www.brownells.com/handgun-parts/sights/front-sights/sight-front-prod14168.aspx
http://www.brownells.com/handgun-parts/sights/front-sights/sight-front-prod14168.aspx
Depending on how high your front sight is, this one might be a good replacement.

The front sight on your Uberti is either brazed or silver soldered in place, I don't really know which. To remove it and replace it, your smith will have to apply heat to the joint to melt the braze/solder. That will probably mar the blue on the barrel around the sight. If he removes it he can weld more metal on to raise it, or he can replace the front sight with a taller one. Either way, it will probably mar the blue around the sight. You may or may not be able to touch up the blue satisfactorily with cold blue.

At some point, this 2nd Gen Colt had some metal added to the front sight to raise it. I don't know when, it was done before I bought the gun.


2nd%20Gen%20weathered_zpsn3dkzyvc.jpg




Here is a closeup of the metal added to my Colt.

Front%20Sight_zpsgdbykrfm.jpg




If your smith is really, really good he might be able to weld some metal on to your front sight without removing it from the barrel, but he would have to do a great job of heat sinking it so the braze or silver solder does not melt.

One more option is to add some J.B.Weld to the front sight, but I do not know how well the J.B. Weld will stand up over time.
 
''If your smith is really, really good he might be able to weld some metal on to your front sight without removing it from the barrel, but he would have to do a great job of heat sinking it so the braze or silver solder does not melt.

One more option is to add some J.B.Weld to the front sight, but I do not know how well the J.B. Weld will stand up over time.[/QUOTE]

You might consider this- use the JB Weld to build up temporary front sight height so you know how much steel to add when you hand the revolver over to the smith. Even then, I'd have the sight made little bit high to leave room for filing it down.
 
Thanks y'all, I might actually try the JB weld fix . I'm not terribly concerned about how it will look. I plan on dragging this gun around with me hunting for the rest of my life. I doubt it will take to many trips before it blends right in. I did go to the range today with some different ammo and had better results. I focused hard on my fundamentals and was getting nice tight groups 4" high at 25ft. I'm starting to feel like after a little more range time I can work with that. Maybe I just need to get use to the gun more. I'm really more of a semi auto kinda guy. I may be finding out that my experience with mordern guns doesn't translate to SIngle Action shooting as smoothly as I thought it would. Apparently I still have a few things to learn. I have shot plenty of big bore revolvers but mostly modern double action. The smarter I get. The more I realize how much I don't know... right? I appreciate everyone's help!
 
Before you do anything drastic I'd recommend shooting it at a more reasonable distance for a "woods" gun. 25' is just over 8 yards, hardly a test range for a woods/hunting handgun. Shoot a few groups with the heaviest load you have at 20 or 25 yards. It will give you a much better idea how much you need to alter the front sight. And take the targets with you when you talk to the gunsmith.

YMMV,
Dave
 
Regarding that sight that slips over the existing front sight: I have seen those a few times at CAS matches. The reason most put them on is so they can have a bright brass colored front sight, as colored inserts and other sighting aids are not allowed in CAS. But it certainly could be a doable option. You could file it down somewhat if you needed to and you could paint it any color you wanted.

It will of course be a little bit wider than the original front sight.
 
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