How do you remove the front sight on a Target Classic

[Prof. Fuller Bullspit]

I never could get used to the globe style sights because they obscure so much of what I'm trying to hit! so I ordered some tall post sights that should fit the dovetail.

However I have not been able to budge the factory sight out of the dovetail with a brass punch and hammer. Does anyone know of a way to do this without resorting to the torch or a really big hammer?

[cheatermk3]

Have you tried to drift it out from left to right or right to left?

I think that the dovetail is tapered to keep the twist of recoil from changing the front sight's position.  If so, it should be drifted out to the left, as seen from the rear (breech) end of the barrel.

Of course, I could be mistaken.  I'm sure someone will be along to correct me if that's the case.

There is a tool called, I think, a sight press.  It is basicly a tiny screw jack that hooks to the barrel and presses the sight whichever way it needs to go.  works a lot finer a touch than a mallet and drift.  You may need to hunt one up.

[Cottonwood]

The front globe sight should tap out from rt to lft with no problem.  I use a brass rod, and then tap with a hammer while the BC was laying on the floor.

I don't know why the globe would obscure your target area, you can change the insert to a post very easy.

[Prof. Fuller Bullspit]

Thanks for the information. I did get it, it just took more persuasion that I thought it would.

I've been shooting rifles with a plain front sight for so long it's what I'm used to. The globe sight (even with the post insert) just seemed to be too much, hiding part of the target and making the sight picture something other than what I'm used to.

Now the new sight is in place and I'm ready to sight it in.

By the way, the rear sight has been changed too. In place of the peep sight I have an open rear sight, again, what I'm used to. This gun is mostly going to be used for Cowboy Action Shooting in the Plainsman side matches with the targets being 16" square steel plates anywhere from 50 to 100 yards. Because of that I don't requre ultimate precision as a long range gun would need.

[cheatermk3]

If you would like to sell your rear sight I would like to buy it.

[Prof. Fuller Bullspit]

Back from the range. I am going to keep the original front sight in case I need to revert to it or in case I like it better for long range work when I get the .45-70 barrel.

I was getting 4-6 inch groups at 100 yards today. I'm happy with that considering the rather coarse sights I have on the gun.

The load was 2400 powder with a CCI primer and a 250 grain lead bullet in a once fired case with minimal resizing. Interstingly I got horrible accuracy when I loaded new brass. The new .38-55 Winchester brass is horribly undersized. The bullets bulged the cases badly when seated. I got much better results with the once fired brass and may try decapping with a unversal decapper and avoid sizing the brass at all.

Slugging the bore revealed a minimum groove diameter of .381 at the muzzle and near the chamber with a slightly looser feeling section in the middle 1/3 of the barrel.

Had anyone else had similar results with the Target Classic?

[cheatermk3]

Yes.

Do a search on this forum for 38-55.  Ought to keep you busy reading for a minute os two.

[Prof. Fuller Bullspit]

Thanks for the pointer to more threads on the .38-55.

I had heard from other sources about the chamber so I had a gunsmith re-ream it so it would chamber the .380-.381 bullets.

This is my first H&R tip up gun and I have to say I can understand why it has such a following. These are really neat little  guns and they take to tinkering which I like to do.

I'd like to get the .45-70 and a .22 Hornet barrel... Although I'm kind of thinking of getting a .22 Hornet package, not just the barrel.