Front Sight Adjustment

[Rick]

Installed a new front sight on a 1917 today. The rife was shooting a foot high at 100 yards with the battle sight. The sight I took off measure 330/1000 and I installed one that measured 380/1000. It looked to me that the 380/1000 would be the maximum that will clear the hole to slide the sight into the dovetail.

I have a sight pusher that make the job easy to move the sight but you have to use a punch to get the sight the last bit off the dovetail and you have to start the sight a little in the dovetail before the pusher will fit.

Hoping for a good day tomorrow to set the sight left and right. I think I will be close to the 2 or 3 inches high at 100 with the battle sight that I want. I don't think I will be low but if I am I have a few sights between the 330/1000 and the 380/1000.

[kcw]

Factoring a 32" sight radius @ 100yds your addition of .050 should drop your point of impact not quite 6". To get the entire 12" you should in theory need to add about 0.170. This according to the Williams Sight Co. chart, which I've found to be reliable. If you want to end up shooting 2"-3" high of point of aim you'll need to add something on the order of 0.087 to 0.091 to your original height.

[Rick]

That's exactly what it worked out to be. I used the highest sight for a SMLE and it would just clear the holes in the protector wings to install. I do have Danish sight blades with the roll pin. So I can cut a pin to the right length slip the base in and tap the pin in from the top. It would be a bugger to take back apart so I can live with the 6 inches high for now.

I actually bought this 1917 for the stock and hanguards. It really has a nice OGEK in the box and I have a equally nice rifle that someone cut down also a OGEK in the box. At the present my cut down rifle has a 10 Leupold scope in S&K mounts and Timney Trigger installed. It shoots such small groups I just don't want to fool with it right now. I don't have a front sight puller so I would be money ahead to let Chuck in Denver do the work and not take the chance of buggering the job up myself.

Only thing is I don't trust the shipping and would have to deliver to Denver myself.