Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors Front sight too low or rear sight too high - need some advice

Hey guys

My 1930 99 "G" has always shot too high and I would like to fix this problem...

See target - all shot at 80yards - bench rest - the top hole is 3+ inches high.

I took the step wedge out of the rear sight so the rear of the sight was sitting on the barrel - the two shots below the top hole was the result.

Then I aimed at the bottom edge of the target without an elevated step wedge and the result was the closest hole.



No more room to lower rear sight - so I guess need to raise front sight (correct? )

Front Sight measurements:



Any suggestions — better plan ?

Which size front sight ? - I would like to raise the rear sight so it's not sitting on the lowest step also...

Any front sights for sale??

Thanks Guys

Chris

Lowering the back sight raises the point of impact.

not true. just the opposite

Just seeing if anyone really read anything before posting

You Sure

Front sight post goes up, point of impact comes down.
If rear sight aperture can move down, point of impact moves down.


From "Adjusting iron sights" web site....

Front sight post goes down, point of impact comes up.
Front sight post goes up, point of impact comes down.
Rear sight aperture moves left, point of impact moves left.
Rear sight aperture moves right, point of impact moves right.
If rear sight aperture can move up, point of impact moves up.
If rear sight aperture can move down, point of impact moves down.

I am really listening - LOL

A bench rest shooter once told me, that as a rule of thumb, a center fire cartridge will cross the line of sight going up at "ABOUT" 25 yards, and coming back down, at "ABOUT" 100 yards. So, you should sight in at either 25 or 100. She told me that, sighting in my T/C Contender with 14" barrel, 4X Lobo scope, in 35 Rem. This sight in practice has held true with every center fire cartridge I've owned. A 250-3000 and a 45-70 will cross the line of sight at about those points, the 250 will have an almost flat curve compared to the 45-70's big arc. If all you shoot is 80 yards that's fine, you'll be dead on. But if you use charts for hold over, or sight in 2" high at 100, to be dead on at 200, all that goes out the window. I sight in at 50 yards on my range knowing all groups will be high, for deer season. But, I've already shot for group size at 100 yards. Sorry I didn't answer your question. I always get confused which way to move iron sights, and have to draw a stick picture of a gun and sight, to figure it out, Joe.

You could pull the bullets and dump half the powder out.


Or else you are going to have to replace the front sight with one .05-.07 higher, and go from there.

I did not have my laser range finder when I set up the target — it was a guess

Later - after shooting - I laser-ed it at 78+ yards

All my deer stands are setup for 65 to 75 yard shots — which is my limit with iron sights ( old eyes - I use 3x readers to read )

I will tell you that my Eye Dr. told me to get lowest power readers I could find and use them with iron sights — (1x readers) seems to focus well enough to see the front sights bead...

Also the bullet never rises — it only descends along its fight path — most bullets are shot from a slightly raised barrel creating the arced fight path she was talking about.

Interesting note: If the barrel is held level — the fired bullet will hit the ground at the same instant as a bullet dropped at the same instant as the fired bullet.—

Thanks

.05 to .07 thanks Jimy - That what I was wanting to know

Yes, the bullet starts to fall the instant it leaves the barrel. But in relation to the line of sight it must cross that line twice, once going up and once coming down. If it didn't cross the line of sight going up you would never be able to hit 100 yards. It would always be low. As you said, the barrel is in a slightly raised position, in relation to the line of sight, causing the bullet to cross the line of sight going up. If the line of sight and the trajectory of the bullet were parallel, you could never hit a target, the bullet would just keep getting lower.

Rather than start an argument, I challenge you to do this, set up three targets at 25, 50 and 100. Sight in at 100, then shoot 1 round at 25 and 50 and post pics of all the targets, Joe.

What cartridge, what bullet?

Is your front sight dovetailed or earlier style?

Lightfoot it's dovetailed

thanks

That makes it easy.

Hey Steelhead

They are 150 gr Nosler Ballistic Tip (Spitzer) Boat Tail
using 37.5 grs - Reloader 15

I have some Speer 165 gr Soft Point - BTSP - - But I have not loaded any of those yet...

It shot equally high with different brands of off the shelf ammo - mostly Remington Core-Lokt.

I'm away from home until next weekend. I should have something that is taller than what you have. I can check then if you can wait.

There is no hurry Lightfoot - thanks

i used brownells' front sight correction calculator:

Formula

Amount of Error X Sight Radius = Sight Correction Needed
Distance to Target

4.5 x 21"
2844" = 0.033

Old sight = 0.035
Correction = +0.033

New sight = 0.068

Is that the right calculation - seems like a tall front sight !

80 yds (in inches) = 2880"

distance from front bead to rear sight is about 21"

2880/21 = 137.143"

every .001" of height you add to the front sight will lower the impact point by .137".

So, 3"/.137" = .022" additional needed to lower the impact point 3" at 80 yds. This is a minimum as the rear of rear sight is setting flat on the barrel.

Thanks Rick

So how much more front sight height do I need to calculate - if I move the rear sight up off the barrel to the second notch in the rear sight wedge. ( It seems to sit firmly on the second notch)


Rear Sight heights:

Resting in barrel = 0.277
Second lowest notch of wedge = 0.308

Thanks again