What is the best way to bend a front sight on a SA?

[blackmamba]

Just that.  I have a Vaquero with fixed sights and it shoots left, about 1½" at 20 yards.  I don't want to pop it off the barrel, so what's the method?

Thanks!

[gcf]

Wondering if, as opposed to bending the sight, it would be possible to turn the barrel a degree or two - without disturbing the ejector road assembly.
I've also considered fine tuning the front sight by filing one side or another - depending on which way you need to pull POI. 0.010" - 0.015" might just do it for you.
Thinking there could be additional upsides - or potential downsides to either method. Someone from the resident brain trust here, will surely comment.

I'd be pretty happy if I could actually HOLD an inch & a half consistently at twenty yards - with my old eyes... Haha

[needsmostuff]

Bending front sights scares me because they sometimes will pop off.
But if I have to, I hold the gun upside down and put the blade in a bench mounted vice. All the way in right up to the barrel. I also use an unmounted 4" machinist vice I can take to the range.
Then gently just roll the gun over a little, very little.
Think very carefully because it is easy to go backwards when the gun is upside down
Also, I have never broken a sight bending in one direction. But I have broken them if I go too far and attempt to bend it back.
Turning the barrel is better if you have a way to do it.

[blackmamba]

Thanks for the advice!

[seminolewind]

Or, with a small file with a safe side, file the right side of the rear sight notch to widen it slightly. Shouldn't take much to move POI 1 1/2" right. But turning the barrel is the best solution if you have the means to do so.

[fm027]

I've done a couple. Take the ejector housing off, clamp the barrel in a vice (inside a set of barrel-blocks as near to the front sight as possible) and use a brass or even hard-wooden block to lightly tap the top 2/3's of the blade in whichever necessary direction ... check with a group on target after that and fine-adjust if necessary by filing the proper side of your blade thinner to finish its zero (if you have to). Works very good on tapered blades like Colt uses.

It is an archaic method for sighting in, but works.

[Cholla]

I always find it interesting that everyone's SA's shoot to the left.

[sharps4590]

I bent one front sight on an EMF Dakota in 32-20 and it did the trick. I used thin sheet lead to pad the jaws of the pliers and, as has been mentioned, went slow.

Since that time, over 40 years ago, if the POI needs moved about 2 - 3 inches, I have been an advocate of safe files and painters tape. On an Uberti Schofield I completely reshaped the rear sight and thinned the front sight and moved the POI 3 to 3 1/2 inches. It took a while and a lot of patience but now the revolver shoots. I would have had to do something to the sights anyway, they were completely unusable as the revolver came.

On Colt SAA clones the rear trough can be widened and the front sight thinned and achieve quite a bit of movement.

[470evans]

Have you tried changing the load you are shooting? As an example, in working up a load for a Colt New Service with fixed sights I was able to move the POI with a change of bullet.

May be a good option if you are willing to try a different load.

[blackmamba]

I've tried 3 different bullets with 5 different powders and they all shoot pretty good, but just that inch and a half left, very consistently.

[bula]

Tongue-in-cheek mode activated... according to all the old Westerns...the proper way to bend the front sight on a S.A., is over the head of the bad guy. Pick a black hat, any black hat, WHACK !

[470evans]

When all else fails call Alan Harton, he will fix you up for a reasonable price.