The sight on my Official Police is leaning? (confused)

Doug.38PR · October 17, 2005, 10:39 PM

Okay, here is the story,
I sent my 1961 Official Police off to Pittsburg Handgun about a month or two ago because the sight on the barrel was leaning to the right. Thought this strange, I didn't remember ever really dropping it, yet that's what the gun range smith said happened and what the PHH smith said happened.
I sent it off. They did whatever they do to straighten it out.
Tonight I went to the range with it (thought it looked a tad to the right a few weeks ago but dismissed it as my imagination after holding a few pencils and pens over the top of the sight ravine to line up with the sight. All pencils and pen points are bent and warped just a little unless they are metal or the pencil has never been sharpened. Still, depending on which way the pen seemed, it looked a tad, and I mean small tad if any, off.) and thought it was shooting a little to the left. Figured maybe I was doing something wrong in my shooting. A few minutes ago I looked at the gun a little closer, that sight seemed to be leaning to the right some (not like it was prior to my sending to pittsburg) but it was a little more visable than before. I took a unsharpened pencil and a metal straight writing pen to the top of the gun and it was slightly to the right. Again, I do not remember ever dropping the gun after I got it back from pittsburg. All I have done is fired it.
Now...some of you smiths might think me foolish for doing what I did next...and please tell me if I am

... I did a little unorthadoxed gunsmithing of my own and forcefully but carefully "tapped" the side of the gunsight against a sturdy metallic knob on one of my drawers next to me until the sight straightened out. It looks fine now both to my eye and when I try to line it up with a pencil/pen. It does not feel loose, I can't wiggle it at all with my fingers neither before nor after my tapping it. It feels like it is in place as it should be.
But after all this having been said, the only thing I can think of is that firing the gun for several hundred rounds knocked the sight out of alignment. Is this possible?

Will simply "using" a gun work a sight out of alignment?

JoeHatley · October 18, 2005, 09:51 AM

Sounds like your barrel is loose. Might want to have a local smith check it.

Good Luck...

Joe

Dfariswheel · October 18, 2005, 01:09 PM

Sounds like something is wrong somewhere.

If Pittsburgh repaired it, I'd very definitely send it back to them.
They stand behind all their repairs, and they'll find out what's wrong and fix it right.

While it's very unusual for Pittsburgh to miss something, it does happen even to the best, and Pittsburgh are among the best.

James K · October 18, 2005, 07:07 PM

Those Colt front sights are routinely "adjusted" by screwing the barrel in or out. It sounds like they screwed the barrel in a bit more but not quite enough.

Note that Colt smiths care less about the sight being lined up visually than about it being set so the bullet hits point of aim. From your description of the gun shooting to the left, though, it sounds like the sight needs to be brought more to the left (barrel screwed in more).

Could the sight change with shooting? Yes, if the barrel is not a crush fit the torque involved in firing can unscrew it.

Jim

October 17, 2005, 10:39 PM	#1
Doug.38PR Junior member Join Date: January 18, 2005 Posts: 3,298	The sight on my Official Police is leaning? (confused) Okay, here is the story, I sent my 1961 Official Police off to Pittsburg Handgun about a month or two ago because the sight on the barrel was leaning to the right. Thought this strange, I didn't remember ever really dropping it, yet that's what the gun range smith said happened and what the PHH smith said happened. I sent it off. They did whatever they do to straighten it out. Tonight I went to the range with it (thought it looked a tad to the right a few weeks ago but dismissed it as my imagination after holding a few pencils and pens over the top of the sight ravine to line up with the sight. All pencils and pen points are bent and warped just a little unless they are metal or the pencil has never been sharpened. Still, depending on which way the pen seemed, it looked a tad, and I mean small tad if any, off.) and thought it was shooting a little to the left. Figured maybe I was doing something wrong in my shooting. A few minutes ago I looked at the gun a little closer, that sight seemed to be leaning to the right some (not like it was prior to my sending to pittsburg) but it was a little more visable than before. I took a unsharpened pencil and a metal straight writing pen to the top of the gun and it was slightly to the right. Again, I do not remember ever dropping the gun after I got it back from pittsburg. All I have done is fired it. Now...some of you smiths might think me foolish for doing what I did next...and please tell me if I am ... I did a little unorthadoxed gunsmithing of my own and forcefully but carefully "tapped" the side of the gunsight against a sturdy metallic knob on one of my drawers next to me until the sight straightened out. It looks fine now both to my eye and when I try to line it up with a pencil/pen. It does not feel loose, I can't wiggle it at all with my fingers neither before nor after my tapping it. It feels like it is in place as it should be. But after all this having been said, the only thing I can think of is that firing the gun for several hundred rounds knocked the sight out of alignment. Is this possible? Will simply "using" a gun work a sight out of alignment?

October 18, 2005, 09:51 AM	#2
JoeHatley Senior Member Join Date: July 1, 1999 Location: Iowa Posts: 2,135	Sounds like your barrel is loose. Might want to have a local smith check it. Good Luck... Joe __________________ Go NRA

October 18, 2005, 01:09 PM	#3
Dfariswheel Senior Member Join Date: May 4, 2001 Posts: 7,478	Sounds like something is wrong somewhere. If Pittsburgh repaired it, I'd very definitely send it back to them. They stand behind all their repairs, and they'll find out what's wrong and fix it right. While it's very unusual for Pittsburgh to miss something, it does happen even to the best, and Pittsburgh are among the best.

October 18, 2005, 07:07 PM	#4
James K Member In Memoriam Join Date: March 17, 1999 Posts: 24,383	Those Colt front sights are routinely "adjusted" by screwing the barrel in or out. It sounds like they screwed the barrel in a bit more but not quite enough. Note that Colt smiths care less about the sight being lined up visually than about it being set so the bullet hits point of aim. From your description of the gun shooting to the left, though, it sounds like the sight needs to be brought more to the left (barrel screwed in more). Could the sight change with shooting? Yes, if the barrel is not a crush fit the torque involved in firing can unscrew it. Jim