need help sighting in with open sight....

[JEFF WARD2]

well i took my 45-70 guide gun back to the range today and to say the least im confused, i shot it 4 times the day i got it with 300gr. remingtons and was clover leafing at 50 yards,
today this gun with same ammo was hitting way low 5 inches, and to the right 5 inches with open sights.. i havent bumped the sightes at  all.
i was shooting at 50 , 25, and 100 yards all from a good rest...
what on earth could be going on with this ?? i tried adjusting the up and down it didnt seem to affect it at all, is there any way to adjust for windage with the factory sights ?
this is my first lever gun and would like to keep it with open sights, this is the first gun in 14 years that have had open sights.. am i rite about adjusting the sights up for lower impact, and pulling it back for raising the point of impact...

thanks for any help you can give me!!!

[John Traveler1]

Check that your rear sight is securely mounted in it's dovetail.  Try to move it by wiggling left and right.  If it moves, the dovetail needs to be tightened.  This is a common problem in dovetail mounted rear sights.

The rule in adjusting the REAR sight is: move it in the direction you want point of impact to change.  UP to move groups up, DOWN to move groups down, and LEFT to move groups left, etc.

[Keith L]

You could be flinching also.  People can be amazingly consistent with their flinch.

Make sure you are using a good solid rest, and even a sand bag between the gun and your shoulder to absorb some of the kick. Concentrate on your sight picture and your trigger squeeze.

I have more trouble with this in a pistol than a rifle, but I tend to anticipate recoil with any heavy caliber weapon and pull the bullet off target unless I concentrate.

[CEJ1895]

Make sure that you're not resting the rifle's magazine tube on the sand bags. This will cause you some problems. Also make sure that all the screws are snug. CEJ...

[JEFF WARD2]

well i just checked all my screws they are tight,the dove tail is secure and idont see any way to adjust it left or right. i dont think i was flinching, im pretty use to shooting heavy kickers, iwas also shooting my encore in 300 win.with good accrecy 1inch at 100 yards and 1.5 at 150 ( new barrell ).

i thank everyone for there help, if anyone knows anyhthing else please let me know..jeff..

[foto]

To adjust the rear sights left and right you take out a mallet and wack the sight in the direction you want it to go. You get the idea. Ideally, use a small wood block to make finer adjustments with a small hammer but its lot of trial and error. This is why the dovetail has to be real tight. If its loose a small hit will knock it way out of alignment and make adjusting and sighting in impossible. Good luck. You should also consider a rear aperture sight. More accurate and far easier to adjust in an exact manner. Take care.

[Jerry Lester]

I don't have a clue as to why your POI changed, but usually it can be traced to your hold or a different placement on bags or other rests.

This is how I adjust open sights...

Moving the rear sight up puts your POI higher, and lowering it of course puts the POI lower.

When adjusting windage, I first take a sharp lead pencil, and put a mark on the front point of the rear sight, then another perfectly lined up with the first one on the barrel. That way I have a visible reference to start from. I then tap the sight over with a small hammer, and piece of hard wood, or plastic so as not to scuff the sight finish. Right will move the POI right, and left will move the POI left.

[clodbuster]

When light is radically different from day to day the point of impact can shift a lot but this is usually at longer distances 100-200 yds.  The bright sun on your sights will pull the impact towards it.  If you had a very bright day and then a total overcast day it will change quite a bit.