Insufficent sight adjustment S&W 586

Target Hammer · October 11, 2009, 05:43 PM

Purchased a like new Smith model 586 with an 8 3/8" barrel at a recent gun show and went out today to sight it in.
Shooting American Eagle 158g JSP at 50 feet, windage was easily adjustable and correctly set. Elevation is the problem. With the rear sight screwed all the way down, consistent groups were 2 to 3 inches high from point of aim. Any suggestions? Thanks for your reply. Bob

swamprat · October 11, 2009, 06:02 PM

I did see this problem once. It turned out that the rear sight was for a gun with a shorter barrell.It had come from the factory like that.After we had screwed the rear sight all the way down and was still high, I checked with the guys at the MHP armory. They immediately identified the problem.

Target Hammer · October 11, 2009, 06:57 PM

Well, that is an interesting thought. I am thinking that something could be up with the rear sight as I have no problem with the other hand guns I own. Bob

swamprat · October 11, 2009, 07:49 PM

The gun we were having trouble was a model 66 S&W with a six inch barrel. I cant remember if they put the right sight on or let me have one and I installed it, but I know they had one on hand and it fixed the problem. That was the days before I retired and could get things done.

Target Hammer · October 11, 2009, 10:02 PM

I think I will write to Smith & Wesson and see if they will check the sights while they are doing the L-frame improvement or recall modification to the hammer. Thanks for the reply. Bob

**Tom Servo** · October 11, 2009, 10:41 PM

Quote:

I think I will write to Smith & Wesson and see if they will check the sights while they are doing the L-frame improvement or recall modification to the hammer

Was windage OK out of the box? If not, there's a possibility that the barrel wasn't screwed in quite straight.

No, really. I have a 620 that had that problem. The first two owners couldn't shoot it well at all, so I took it and found that it grouped marvelously, but far off center. A gunsmith spotted it and S&W was more than happy to fix it. I've seen it on two J-Frames over the years as well. (Before this turns into a "S&W hasn't been any good since 19xx" rant, the guns spanned date ranges from the mid-1970's to 2002)

If the front sight is off-kilter, it can affect elevation, since the front sight is canted a bit off axis. You might have adjusted the windage to POA without noticing if the front sight was a bit off--it's not always easy to spot.

You mentioned it's going back anyhow, so I'd have them check.

Target Hammer · October 12, 2009, 09:14 PM

Tom, thanks for the input. On any of my guns with adjustable sights, there is usually plenty of room for adjustment up and down. Something seems out of sorts on this one. Could be just what you suspected may be wrong.
We will see what S&W has to say. Bob

October 11, 2009, 05:43 PM	#1
Target Hammer Junior Member Join Date: October 11, 2009 Posts: 13	Insufficent sight adjustment S&W 586 Purchased a like new Smith model 586 with an 8 3/8" barrel at a recent gun show and went out today to sight it in. Shooting American Eagle 158g JSP at 50 feet, windage was easily adjustable and correctly set. Elevation is the problem. With the rear sight screwed all the way down, consistent groups were 2 to 3 inches high from point of aim. Any suggestions? Thanks for your reply. Bob

October 11, 2009, 06:02 PM	#2
swamprat Member Join Date: September 24, 2009 Location: mississippi Posts: 23	Sight problem I did see this problem once. It turned out that the rear sight was for a gun with a shorter barrell.It had come from the factory like that.After we had screwed the rear sight all the way down and was still high, I checked with the guys at the MHP armory. They immediately identified the problem.

October 11, 2009, 07:49 PM	#4
swamprat Member Join Date: September 24, 2009 Location: mississippi Posts: 23	sight problem The gun we were having trouble was a model 66 S&W with a six inch barrel. I cant remember if they put the right sight on or let me have one and I installed it, but I know they had one on hand and it fixed the problem. That was the days before I retired and could get things done.

October 11, 2009, 06:57 PM	#3
Target Hammer Junior Member Join Date: October 11, 2009 Posts: 13	Well, that is an interesting thought. I am thinking that something could be up with the rear sight as I have no problem with the other hand guns I own. Bob

October 11, 2009, 10:02 PM	#5
Target Hammer Junior Member Join Date: October 11, 2009 Posts: 13	I think I will write to Smith & Wesson and see if they will check the sights while they are doing the L-frame improvement or recall modification to the hammer. Thanks for the reply. Bob

October 12, 2009, 09:14 PM	#7
Target Hammer Junior Member Join Date: October 11, 2009 Posts: 13	Tom, thanks for the input. On any of my guns with adjustable sights, there is usually plenty of room for adjustment up and down. Something seems out of sorts on this one. Could be just what you suspected may be wrong. We will see what S&W has to say. Bob