Adjusting point of impact

[mworkmansr]

Just bought a beautiful pair of USFA 44 Spl's that had been worked over at Turnbull's. They have the Turnbull serial numbers, so I think they are Cowboy Classics. Trouble is: they shoot about 4" left at 25 yds with all the loads I have tried. All bullets are 255 grain, Hensley & Gibbs, Lyman 429421, and Lee 250 Gr SWC. I have tried 2400, Blue Dot, and Green dot. When I put my laser boresighter on them, they show up centered. I have never had this problem with single actions before. I have a Cimarron Bisley 44 Spl and a Berretta Stampede 45 Colt. Could this be a grip problem? Any suggestions welcome.

Mike

[taffin]

MAKE SURE YOUR GRIP IS CONSISTENT AND TRY SHOOTING WITH THE SUN AT A DIFFERENT ANGLE. ALSO LET SOMEONE ELSE SHOOT THEM TO CHECK.

[coyote]

i'm sure doug turnbull would be happy to regulate them for you if needed.

when it shoots left, it done by tightening the barrel.

just don't try doing it yourself by bending the front sights.

i had to have this done to my last two USFAs, although my Turnbull Cowboy Classic was dead-on... luck of the draw i guess.

but first do as taffin suggested.

[mworkmansr]

Thanks, guys.
I will give it a few more tries before I contact Turnbull.

Mike

[dale53]

I am not a particular fan of fixed sighted revolvers tho' I will admit what my IPSC .45's had high visibility fixed sights. I only used one basic "full load" in the .45 ACP's and the gunsights were regulated to that particular bullet and load. Fixed sights NEVER break and for a competition IPSC gun (they are shot a LOT) that can be very important.

However, a revolver, even for field use, in my hands really needs an adjustable sight. I sometimes change loads and go from simple target loads to heavy hunting loads. For that the only real answer is a good set of adjustable sights. I have not had any problems with my revolver adjustable sights.

However, I have had two different Ruger fixed sighted revolvers. The first was a standard Vaquero 4 5/8" barrel in .45 Colt. Out of the box it hit dead on at 25 yards for windage but shot low. I assumed they had a rather high front sight so you could easily file it into POI for the user's eyes. I carefully spread it out over three different range sessions taking off just a little each time. Keeping in mind that it is MUCH easier to remove metal than replace metal, I kind of "snuck up on it". Further, your eyes can change just a bit from day to day and maybe lead you astray.

Got that one properly zero'ed and won a couple of BPCR matches with it (they had side pistol matches at the rifle silhouette matches). This was black powder only with fixed sights. Nothing else was allowed. After shooting it a bit I decided I could do better with a somewhat longer (but still holsterable) barrel. I wanted to try out a Bisley grip so I bought a 5½" Bisley Vaquero. I carefully benched and confirmed standing - it was and is dead on at 25 yards with a case full of black and a Lyman 452664 RF bullet RIGHT OUT OF THE BOX!

It has been a treasure and I won a number of matches with it, both on steel and score matches on NRA targets.

In my limited experience it is easier to correct elevation than windage problems. With some work, either by the owner or a good gunsmith, both can be corrected. But, mostly they will ONLY be regulated for one bullet weight and one load.

THAT's why I prefer adjustable sights...

Dale53

[nonpcnrarn]

A front sight blade that is moveable is a good compromise for those who like fixed sights. Different blade styles and heights can be used for elevation and they can be drifted left or right for windage. As my eyes have gotten older I also appreciate the rear fixed sight notch being opened up to let more light in. They are not as handy as a fully adjustable rear sight but to be honest how often do you change a setting once your load of choice is sighted in? If I practice with a different load, I just look for good groups as long as they are on the paper. A one inch group is still a one inch group whether centered in the bull or not. It is the actual hunting/SD load that I want dead center.