Fixed Sight Adjustment

Sight Alignment 2.0: Looking back, I realized that I wrote extensively on Sight Picture and Sight Alignment. I failed to include a post on how one goes about adjusting the sight/s to "hit where yer pointing". It is not a difficult process in most cases, but you can save yourself a lot of grief if you proceed slowly, and follow some simple mechanical principles. 

Sighting In Target: I discussed in this post my suggestions for establishing a precise aiming point. A follow-up addendum I had intended to publish never made it past the planning stage. However, I would suggest that you adopted this variation on sight picture:

Sight Picture and Point of Impact. Once adjusted, the Point of Impact will always be at the top edge of the front sight (right).

I recommend that instead of a conventional bullseye target, you substitute a black paper square rotated 45 degrees, as seen in this sample. In the first sample, the sight picture now centers on the lowest corner of the square target, giving you an exact point of impact. Since Trail Walk targets can be ridiculously small (think card splits), this is more reliable for our type of shooting.

The following text has been copied directly from the source, and re-formatted to simplify the salient facts. Remember the old truism: If you copy from one source it's plagiarism. If you copy from multiple sources, it's research.

"...If the sights are not aligned correctly, then they should be adjusted to bring the line of sight to meet the point of impact. Theoretically, this can be done with a single shot—clamp the firearm into a vise, fire one shot, then adjust the sights so they are pointing at the hole in the target. In reality, it generally takes a number of shots to establish a group, then the sights are adjusted to move the line of sight closer to the group, and the process is repeated iteratively until the sights are correctly aligned.

Vertical Adjustment (Up and down): 

1. If your shot (strikes high) from your target... the rear sight should be moved lower or your front sight should be moved higher. 
2. If your shot i(strikes low) on your target ...the rear sight should be moved higher or your front sight should be moved lower.

Always remember: Move the rear sight in the same direction you want your point of impact to move and your front sight the opposite direction you want Point Of Impact (POI) to move.

Horizontal Adjustment (Left and Right):

1. If your shot (strikes to the left) of your target... the rear sight should be moved right or the front sight should be moved left.
2. If your shot (strikes to the right) of your target ... the rear sight should be moved left or front sight should be moved right. 

Always remember: Rear same, front opposite the direction that you want POI to move..."

Modern barrels and modern drilling techniques make the screw-in, self-contained adjustable rear sight the better option for the modern sportsman, who would need only a small screwdriver to affect the necessary adjustments. Since screw adjustable sights can vary, check you owner's manual for the correct way to adjust your sights.

More traditional rifles and pistols, particularly the Lyman Plains Pistol and the Plains Rifle, have their dovetailed sights adjusted by tapping the sights back and forth. The Plains Rifle comes with an elevation adjustable rear sight installed, but is shipped with an optional "primitive", non-adjustable sight to qualify as a "primitive" firearm as required by some events. Adjustment is best done with a ball peen hammer and a brass punch. Since you'll probably be doing this between shots on the range, be sure to work on a sturdy surface.

Important! Installing and Removing Pins and Dovetails: It may be necessary to remove a dovetail sight. With the muzzle pointing away from you, be sure to drive the sight in from right to left, and out from left to right. This has been standard gunsmithing practice for years, and while I doubt that pinholes are taper reamed. I do it this way because it's the way I've always seen it done. 

Bad, bad, bad.

Adjusting Front Sights: If your fixed-sight rifle or pistol shoots low, you can raise the POI by carefully filing a bit of the top off the front sight. I believe that fixed f ront sights are purposely left a bit tall to allow for such fine adjustments. When filing, remove only tiny amounts of metal, because even the smallest reduction can affect huge changes of your POI down range. And be sure to keep your file level with the barrel. Imagine looking at this sight alignment while trying to make a hit on a long gong. Okay, slight exaggeration. 

Replacement Front Sights: Now if our gun shoots high, or if you overdo the  filing, you'll need to replace the front sight. Track Of The Wolf provides a wide variety of replacement sights. Before ordering a replacement, carefully measure the existing dovetail base on your current front sight because the dimensions can vary. Many dovetails use the smaller "European" dovetail width of.355" (9mm), while others use the "American Standard"  3/8" (.375"), which is also the standard on modern firearms. Also, the thickness of the dovetail base (height of the base) can vary, so be sure there is enough clearance for your sight to slide into place. The dovetail, both the male (sight) and the female (barrel) have a 60 degree bevel.

My personal favorite is the California Sight, available from Track of the Wolf. The sides are parallel, and because its front to back dimension is narrow, the sight is less subject to perceived width changes when viewed off center, as  would be the case if a severe windage adjustment was required. One could also taper the sight so that it is thinner at the muzzle edge This way the sight is always the same width when seen by the shooter.

Image Source.

To illustrate this point, I included a photograph of the rear of a 1970s vintage National Match Front Sight for an M14 Rifle. Notice the sight blade is tapered toward the muzzle. The "062" stamped on the side indicates a front sight width of 0.062", or about 1/16". Since the M14 is often used in competition at ranges of 1,000 yards, extreme windage corrections are often required when the conditions get windy. Keeping the perceived width of the front sight is extremely important.

Front Sight Adjustment: I would like to mention that sometimes it's better to make your windage adjustments by moving the front instead of the rear. I own a  Wilderness Arms .45 caliber flint long rifle. For some reason, the rifle shot way to the left, and when I moved the rear sight to the right I had difficulty maintaining proper cheek pressure on the stock. So I opted to center the rear sight and make all necessary adjustments to the front. The result was a more comfortable shooting rifle which, in spite of the offset front sight, shot very well.

The convenience of the self-contained adjustable sight cannot be underestimated. But if you are wondering how to get the most from traditional fixed sights, these are some methods you might try.

* Sources: https://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/How_to_adjust_an_iron_sight

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