Turning down your front sight.

JohnnyReb · February 12, 2007, 16:10

I want to thank member Plucky Purcell for this most excellent tip.

In case I'm not the last on the Files to find this out I want to pass it on.

The problem: front sight too fat for precision work, and you don't have a mill.

The solution: chuck it up in a drill press and use a flat file to turn it down. (I suppose you could use a power hand drill clamped down too).

The little lip on the underside is perfect, you don't have to worry about messing up the threads.

I did 3 this afternoon and it only took a few minutes. Took them from .065 down to .045.

JohnnyReb · February 12, 2007, 16:11

Second pic.

JohnnyReb · February 12, 2007, 16:12

Last one.

JohnnyReb · February 12, 2007, 16:25

Will do WEG. The thing I wanted to fix was the front sight obscuring so much of the target, my group sizes were fine before.

Edgsmth · February 13, 2007, 07:18

Neat trick, one I modified a bit by adding a dremel when making a firing pin for a rolling block I'm working on I might add.

Not to post OT but has anyone tried those crosshair type front sights that DSA sells?

Also, WTF does WECSOG mean?

instr8 · February 13, 2007, 09:26

Quote:

Originally posted by Edgsmth

Also, WTF does WECSOG mean?

Wile E. Coyote, School of Gunsmithing.

Edgsmth · February 13, 2007, 09:28

I don't care who you are, that's funny.

Mason · February 13, 2007, 09:46

http://www.wecsog.org/

**W.E.G.** · February 13, 2007, 10:07

Ahem.

Only one letter "G" in gunsmithin' please.

Bwana John · February 13, 2007, 10:52

Gary,
When I changed from the stock M-14 front sight to a NM one that was narrower (and cut to create a sharper sight picture) my Hi-Power scores went up ~15 points (~425 to 440) Matches mostly shot at 200 yds with reduced standard targets, outside, under ocasionaly VERY challanging conditions(15 degrees f., 30 mph x-wind in the winter sometimes)
This was not as good of a improvement as switching to a NM AR, or buying a real shooting jacket instead of my old USMC one, but I personally noticed some improvement with a thinner NM front sight.

However, where I perceived the most improvement was in informal plinking at irregular targets at different distances which is harder to quantify.

I also thought that squareing the top of the sight on the FAL instead of using the little pointy nipple thing top was more percise.

I would think the inch front sight would be much more percise than the metric on a FAL.

lhofeld · February 13, 2007, 11:25

I would think the inch front sight would be much more percise than the metric on a FAL

Actually I find keeping an inch sight centered nearly impossible. I have turned down most of the front sights I have to .050. It is about a perfect match for the SR-21 targets we use in our Big bore battle rifle as you could hope for. The rifles are zeroed for a six 0'clock hold and the the thinner front sight keeps the target centered. For accuracy it has been my expierience the Para configurations shoot more accurately than the standard set up. I believe this is more due to the lack of play in the rear sight than anything else.

Para Driver · February 13, 2007, 16:37

I believe the original front sight was designed for 'fast' target acquisition.. not target work..

JohnnyReb · February 13, 2007, 17:12

Quote:

Originally posted by Para Driver
I believe the original front sight was designed for 'fast' target acquisition.. not target work..

Correct. And now you know how to thin it down if you want to.

Edgsmth · February 13, 2007, 18:26

I never turn my front sight down, even if I'm not feeling well.

G2 · February 13, 2007, 18:47

NICE work JR

G

Azrial · February 13, 2007, 18:58

Now I need a spare sight to try this out! Thanks!

shootist87122 · February 13, 2007, 20:02

I've been doing mine at .050" for several years. Ed Vandenberg says
.040 works for some people and .050 works for others. They work great, especially on the long range gongs. Hits vs misses at 500 meters (18" gongs) is the difference. Close in stuff would not see much (if any) benefit.

One benefit at long range is the ability to favor a fraction of the target to offset a cross wind. Very hard to do when the front sight is wider than the target picture. (Centering up is one thing, but favoring a fraction is another.)

Use 44/40 (Brownells) cold bluing for a jet black finish and top it off with some sight black for bright sunny days. I have no problems with dim light like I did when I tried the thin cross-hair front sight. I "swear" I was getting consistent hits at 500M last Saturday evening (overcast/dim light) when the long range gong was fading out completely. Maybe my rifle just knows where to point.

Ammo was F4 Aussie sighted dead-on and a very similar reload that needed about a half target left windage.

JohnnyReb · February 13, 2007, 22:45

Did 1 more and parked them today. A 1 dot, two 2 dot's, and a 3 dot.

JohnnyReb · February 13, 2007, 22:48

The 1 dot installed back on the Blue Pig.

**BUFF** · February 14, 2007, 00:42

I still want a photo of your airplane with the wing tip tanks. Enough of the front sight blades already. Show us the airplane, dammit!

Radio · February 14, 2007, 05:42

Hey Gary, still got your Chicken Mitt??

I've never had complaints that my front sights were too FAT. Not with MY eyes. But I do have three matching-numbers StGs with sights that were plain-out too TALL. Guess the Austrians wanted to shoot them in the knees??

--Radio

JohnnyReb · February 14, 2007, 06:06

Quote:

Originally posted by BUFF
I still want a photo of your airplane with the wing tip tanks. Enough of the front sight blades already. Show us the airplane, dammit!

LOL! Here you go Buff. Its not the same plane I flew to the CRPC shoot but its the same type, a Cessna 402-B (and its blue!).

Radio · February 14, 2007, 06:52

Hey! That's the same aircraft that took out Aaliyah!

--Radio

Para Driver · February 14, 2007, 10:02

Quote:

Originally posted by JohnnyReb
Correct. And now you know how to thin it down if you want to.

Oh, I think it's a good idea.. just favor the standard front sight as my eyes are getting a little older.. I have issues focussing on the target anyway..

ostrobothnian · July 14, 2007, 01:25

Back to top for great info.

powermad · July 14, 2007, 08:12

Thanx for reposting that.

I was just lookin at mine trying to figure out how to thin it down.
Jugs at 200 are completely covered and I can nail em but at 400 it's all over the place.

Good tip JR

hockeysew · July 14, 2007, 09:02

Good info Reb-Thanks!
I am going to give it a try.

February 12, 2007, 16:25	#4
JohnnyReb Registered FALaholic #: 12093 Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: NC & NV Posts: 3,433	Will do WEG. The thing I wanted to fix was the front sight obscuring so much of the target, my group sizes were fine before. __________________ One Bank to rule them all, one Bank to find them, one Bank to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.

February 13, 2007, 09:46	#8
Mason Registered FALaholic #: 18674 Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: West Virginia Posts: 2,073	http://www.wecsog.org/ __________________ "The only honorable response to violence is counter-violence." To Ride, Shoot Straight, and Speak the Truth, Jeff Cooper

February 13, 2007, 10:52	#10
Bwana John Registered FALaholic #: 3810 Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: N. AZ Posts: 2,507	Gary, When I changed from the stock M-14 front sight to a NM one that was narrower (and cut to create a sharper sight picture) my Hi-Power scores went up ~15 points (~425 to 440) Matches mostly shot at 200 yds with reduced standard targets, outside, under ocasionaly VERY challanging conditions(15 degrees f., 30 mph x-wind in the winter sometimes) This was not as good of a improvement as switching to a NM AR, or buying a real shooting jacket instead of my old USMC one, but I personally noticed some improvement with a thinner NM front sight. However, where I perceived the most improvement was in informal plinking at irregular targets at different distances which is harder to quantify. I also thought that squareing the top of the sight on the FAL instead of using the little pointy nipple thing top was more percise. I would think the inch front sight would be much more percise than the metric on a FAL. Last edited by Bwana John; February 13, 2007 at 11:00.

February 13, 2007, 11:25	#11
lhofeld Registered FALaholic #: 12305 Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: The Great State of Oklahoma Posts: 771	I would think the inch front sight would be much more percise than the metric on a FAL Actually I find keeping an inch sight centered nearly impossible. I have turned down most of the front sights I have to .050. It is about a perfect match for the SR-21 targets we use in our Big bore battle rifle as you could hope for. The rifles are zeroed for a six 0'clock hold and the the thinner front sight keeps the target centered. For accuracy it has been my expierience the Para configurations shoot more accurately than the standard set up. I believe this is more due to the lack of play in the rear sight than anything else. __________________ "Laws that forbid the carrying of arms...disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes...Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man." --Cesare Beccaria

February 13, 2007, 18:47	#15
G2 Veteran Member Bronze Contributor FALaholic #: 17338 Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: USA Posts: 1,466	NICE work JR G __________________ When you are going through difficulty and wonder where God is, remember the teacher is always quiet during the test.

February 13, 2007, 07:18	#5
Edgsmth Registered FALaholic #: 25932 Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: WNY Posts: 582	Neat trick, one I modified a bit by adding a dremel when making a firing pin for a rolling block I'm working on I might add. Not to post OT but has anyone tried those crosshair type front sights that DSA sells? Also, WTF does WECSOG mean?

February 13, 2007, 09:28	#7
Edgsmth Registered FALaholic #: 25932 Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: WNY Posts: 582	I don't care who you are, that's funny.

February 13, 2007, 16:37	#12
Para Driver Registered FALaholic #: 6350 Join Date: May 2002 Location: Texas Posts: 6,297	I believe the original front sight was designed for 'fast' target acquisition.. not target work..

February 13, 2007, 18:26	#14
Edgsmth Registered FALaholic #: 25932 Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: WNY Posts: 582	I never turn my front sight down, even if I'm not feeling well.

February 13, 2007, 18:58	#16
Azrial Registered FALaholic #: 21440 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Atlanta, GA, USA! Posts: 4,198	Now I need a spare sight to try this out! Thanks! __________________ A Police Officer shows just how much he cares everyday, even if it is the last thing he ever does.

February 13, 2007, 20:02	#17
shootist87122 Registered FALaholic #: 7202 Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: NM Posts: 5,126	I've been doing mine at .050" for several years. Ed Vandenberg says .040 works for some people and .050 works for others. They work great, especially on the long range gongs. Hits vs misses at 500 meters (18" gongs) is the difference. Close in stuff would not see much (if any) benefit. One benefit at long range is the ability to favor a fraction of the target to offset a cross wind. Very hard to do when the front sight is wider than the target picture. (Centering up is one thing, but favoring a fraction is another.) Use 44/40 (Brownells) cold bluing for a jet black finish and top it off with some sight black for bright sunny days. I have no problems with dim light like I did when I tried the thin cross-hair front sight. I "swear" I was getting consistent hits at 500M last Saturday evening (overcast/dim light) when the long range gong was fading out completely. Maybe my rifle just knows where to point. Ammo was F4 Aussie sighted dead-on and a very similar reload that needed about a half target left windage. __________________ "So in the Libyan Fable it is told, That once an eagle, stricken with a dart, said, when he saw the fashion of the shaft, it is by our own feathers, not others hands, are we now smitten." -Aeschylus

February 14, 2007, 00:42	#20
BUFF Old Fart Silver Contributor FALaholic #: 789 Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Salt Lake City, Utah Posts: 7,141	I still want a photo of your airplane with the wing tip tanks. Enough of the front sight blades already. Show us the airplane, dammit! __________________ BUFF

February 14, 2007, 05:42	#21
Radio Registered FALaholic #: 263 Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Eastern Washington State Posts: 9,868	Hey Gary, still got your Chicken Mitt?? I've never had complaints that my front sights were too FAT. Not with MY eyes. But I do have three matching-numbers StGs with sights that were plain-out too TALL. Guess the Austrians wanted to shoot them in the knees?? --Radio __________________ Train Like You Fight: Second PLace is NOT an Option. --E.M. (Ted) Dannemiller II* "You seem to fantasize about me a lot. Maybe you should tell your boyfriend? He could dress up like me or something." --*K.O.A.M.*, November 9th, 2009 "You're better off hoping she don't miss, it's quicker that way." --ce, December 15, 2009

February 14, 2007, 06:52	#23
Radio Registered FALaholic #: 263 Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Eastern Washington State Posts: 9,868	Hey! That's the same aircraft that took out Aaliyah! --Radio __________________ Train Like You Fight: Second PLace is NOT an Option. --E.M. (Ted) Dannemiller II* "You seem to fantasize about me a lot. Maybe you should tell your boyfriend? He could dress up like me or something." --*K.O.A.M.*, November 9th, 2009 "You're better off hoping she don't miss, it's quicker that way." --ce, December 15, 2009

July 14, 2007, 01:25	#25
ostrobothnian Rest in Peace May 23, 2011 FALaholic #: 21545 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: St. Louis, MO Posts: 1,643	. Back to top for great info. __________________ “Haake päälle!” Visualize whirled peas

July 14, 2007, 08:12	#26
powermad Registered FALaholic #: 21150 Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Oregon Posts: 1,216	Thanx for reposting that. I was just lookin at mine trying to figure out how to thin it down. Jugs at 200 are completely covered and I can nail em but at 400 it's all over the place. Good tip JR

July 14, 2007, 09:02	#27
hockeysew Registered FALaholic #: 24163 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: colorado Posts: 817	Good info Reb-Thanks! I am going to give it a try. __________________ 911 = Government Sponsored Dial-A-Prayer 1911 = Colt Sponsored Answer-Your -Prayers "I Powder with my brother Ball, hero like do conquer all"--Inscription on early flintlock Pennsylvania Rifle

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode