Trouble drifting a front sight

[mustanggt]

I have recently bought a Winchester 1894 in 25-35. I am shooting 117gr Hornady round nose in it and am getting very good accuracy but it is shooting left by a few inches. I have tried to drift the front sight but it acts like it is welded in. Even using a brass punch it is starting to peen the edge of the sight base. I have a Marbles W1 tang sight on it with no windage adjustment. What can I do to get the front sight to move without boogering it up anymore. Thank you

[Winger Ed.]

Any chance you could move the rear sight to get where ya want to go?

[Shawlerbrook]

Did you try moving it both directions ? Some are really wedged in tight.

[mustanggt]

The rear sight has no windage adjustment. I have not tried going the opposite direction but will do so now. Thanks

[Conditor22]

You might be able to drift it out the other way then file a very little off the sides and drift it back in.

When I couldn't drift a handgun sight I ended up getting a sight pusher tool. --- got her moved :)

[Winger Ed.]

I've seen them rust underneath.
It might do some good to soak it awhile with penetrating oil and warm it up.
I wouldn't heat it, but one the dash of the truck it'll get pretty warm on a sunny day.

[country gent]

most dovetail cuts are tapered and can get very tight depending on how they are fit and how far the sight is driven in. What may help after years of being in one place( pressure weld, corrosion, ) is to make a clay dam around dovetail and sight fill with penetrating oil and let soak for a day or 2. another is to heat cycle with a heat gun expanding the metal to break the bond grip.

Sometimes you dont need the heavy blow but the light tap of a bigger hammer, more mass and more momentum to push with. Start out with a straight pencil line from sight to barrel as a witness mark then try driving out left to right to break grip bond. The line will show you if it moved and how much.

[mustanggt]

It was easier to drift it out to the right. I took a safe edge file I forgot about and with a few strokes I drifted it back from right to left and it went in to approx. where I wanted it to go nice and snug. It would not go in from left to right so I had to do it this way. Thanks for the help fellas.

[Eddie Southgate]

They go in from right to left and out from left to right . You found this out the hard way . If you install a new sight in a dove tail always drive it in from right to left .

[Win94ae]

They go in from right to left and out from left to right . You found this out the hard way . If you install a new sight in a dove tail always drive it in from right to left .

Indeed! Push it RIGHT out, unless you want it LEFT in.

[Randy Bohannon]

Wyoming Sight Drifter will move any stubborn dovetailed front sight .

[prs]

It was easier to drift it out to the right. I took a safe edge file I forgot about and with a few strokes I drifted it back from right to left and it went in to approx. where I wanted it to go nice and snug. It would not go in from left to right so I had to do it this way. Thanks for the help fellas.

It is done now, but when I need to fit a too tight dove tail sight, I modify the sight, not the slot in the barrel. Typically, if it is close to fitting, I place sight base onto wet 3M sand paper and on very flat surface and gently remove material from botton of sight base. Put a little grease on the barrel slot and the sight base bottom and sides. I do not know if that is a correct procedure, but it works for me.

prs

[CamoWhamo]

Wyoming Sight Drifter will move any stubborn dovetailed front sight .

This.

If the rifle is made by Miroku the front sights are tight and in the past i've had to pound on some with a brass punch and hammer to get them to budge.

I bought the Wyoming sight drifter and it moves the sight in a couple of taps with no marring or damage. It's a fantastic tool that anyone who uses iron sights should have in their kit.

[beshears]

Cut a piece of shim from soda can and put under one side of the tang sight to cant it over a little bit.

[farmbif]

if its dovetailed sight I'd soak it with kroil for quite a while then try to persuade it to move with quick sharp blows with brass punch. if still wants to be stubborn might think of applying heat with propane torch or soldering iron

[Randy Bohannon]

Camo has my same experience with the Miroku rifles and front sights, they are pressed in on a machine and only a Wyoming Sight Drifter will move them without damage.

[Don McDowell]

The Wyoming Sight Drifter makes changing out or moving a Miroku installed front sight easy work, along with other dovetailed sights.

[salvadore]

Beshears right, I did this to a tang sight 45 years ago and it worked great.

[pietro]

.

Hit it from the right to make it tight; from the left to make it loose.

Righty-tighty; lefty-loosey


.

[farmbif]

looking at the Wyoming sight drifter I can't understand how it would be different than quick sharp blows from a small ball peen hammer and brass or bronze punch. I'm no physics professor could it have something to do with how firmly the gun barrel is held in place while drifting a sight?

[Gunlaker]

The Wyoming sight drifter is definitely the way to go. It seems like it would apply less force than a hammer and punch, but I've easily removed sights that I couldn't get to budge with a hammer and brass drift. It also really reduces your chance of leaving brass marks on the sight or barrel which I've done accidentally with a punch.

Chris.

[pietro]

.

FWIW, ANY barrel movement while drifting a sight in/out steals enough energy from the hammer blow(s) to make moving the sight harder, and if the sight is stuck for one reason or another, near impossible.

.

[John Boy]

Wyoming Sight Drifter will move any stubborn dovetailed front sight .
The best sight adjusting tool invented and no buggered edges on the sight. I have 2: one for range box and one for the reloading room
https://www.wyomingsightdrifter.com/

Check out Harlan Sages review ... God Rest His Soul