Home gunsmithing on your fixed action revolver will involve several needed pieces of equipment and tools.
- A solid vice with soft jaws is a must for holding the gun.
- A caliper, file, tape, and patience is required. I like using Swiss cut files with “safe” or smooth edges, as seen in this photo.
Low Shooting Guns: If your gun shoots low, bullets are below your point of aim, you need to file down the front sight.
- First measure the front sight height, you can measure the overall height of the sight and barrel – you only need a reference height.
- Write this number down.
- File off a little at a time. It’s really hard to make it taller! I would suggest taking 0.01-inch at a time and see how much it changes your impact.
Tip: I usually place masking tape around the sight and barrel to prevent unwanted scratches, leaving a small part of the sight exposed that will need to be filed.
High Shooting Guns: If you gun is shooting high, you need have a taller front sight installed. You can find aftermarket sights that fit right over your factory sight. You can also have a gunsmith replace it with a new, taller sight.
Left/Right Adjustments. There is a way to home gunsmith your gun to adjust the sights left or right. It involves filing one side of the rear sight notch. Just like filing the front sight, you need to move in small increments.
- Tape off all the metal near the rear sight notch to prevent scratches. You must use the safe file, smooth side down to prevent you from removing metal from the bottom of the sight.
- File straight and smooth removing metal on one side only.
- Remove a small amount and shoot the gun to see what effect you had on it. Repeat this process until you reach the desired results.
Rear Sight Notch: A wider rear sight is usually beneficial when shooting competition firearms. If your impact is left of your aim point, you need open the left side of your rear sight. If the impact is to the right, you need to file off the right side of your rear sight.
Left/Right Shooting Guns: If your gun is shooting either left or right, the preferred method is to turn the barrel in the direction needed. No, the sight will not look vertical, but the top of the sight is the reference you use. This method may require more tools, and is generally not recommended unless you have the proper tools. This method is beyond my comfort level, and I have a gunsmith perform this if I feel it is necessary.
Good luck, and go slow.
Shootin’ Straight