Pistol shooting low, DIY sight correction

[gb6491]

I recently found a P40 Covert in a local pawn shop. They were asking a touch over two bills for it and though I saw it had at least one issue, I paid the ransom.

My first range visit with it, I found it shot a couple of inches low at 10 yds. (with both 160 and 180 grain loads).

Using the Sight Correction Calculator at Brownells it was was easy to figure out how much one of the sights would need correction.
Now you could go to Dawson and buy either a lower front sight or a higher rear, but I prefer not to put a lot of funds into a bargain gun (if I can help it).
So I decided to try the DIY route. I don't weld well enough to make adding height to the rear sight a desirable option. So the front sight will be shortened.
A potential issue with this was that removing enough material would probably cut into the sight's white dot. I proceeded to go ahead with the shortening process and would deal with dot if it became a problem.

I used the same bar stock brass punch that I have previously used on Kahr rear sights and to my delight, the sight came off with little effort and no damage.
Heres that punch being used on a rear sight:

To reduce the sight's height, I used used a Dremel tool, followed by diamond files. While doing this, I filed the front of the sight to remove a slight nick and found the more I filed on it the smaller in diameter the white dot became....seems the hole is cone shaped and that's welcome news.
Here's the sight filed to height:

Next, I'll enlarge the dot hole, blast and parkerize the sight. Here it is straight from the parkerizing solution:

Cleaned and painted, it's going back on the slide:

I'm tried orange paint (well it's a red that converts to orange when you apply super glue to it) to see how I like it:

Back from some shooting, the gun is spot on now, but I've decided to go with a white dot and no paint on the rear:


If anyone is interested, I'll follow up with some info on the P40 Covert.

Regards,
Greg

[Bawanna]

I admire the fact that you never do anything half way. I probably would have filed the sight down on the gun so I didn't have to remove it. Probably dinging up the gun and leaving tracks so every one know half way bawanna had been there.
No way I would have parkerized it and if my red / orange dot turned out looking as nice as yours I probably would have no way removed it to replace it with white.

I'm paying close attention and hoping I can develop some better do it right attitude like you have. It's late in the game for me but hopefully I can learn some new tricks.

[finpro]

I have not recently encountered this problem, but I thought of another way to do this. To shorten a front sight, on a very flat surface, like a glass table top, place a sheet of fine sandpaper flat on it, grit side up. Place some tape evenly over the top of the rear sight and place the slide standing on its front and rear sights with only the front sight on the sandpaper and the rear sight on the bare surface without sandpaper, so the sandpaper contacts only the front sight. Standing the slide on the sights should align the slide perpendicular to the surface, but this should be verified periodically. Having estimated the amount to be removed from the front sight, move the pistol back and forth slowly with medium pressure on the sandpaper. From experience, the normal sight math doesn't necessarily hold for real world real shooters. I would stop and test the sighting, if possible, when, say, half of the estimated material was removed. This will give an idea of how to proceed. Continue until the POI is where desired.
I see no reason why this could not be done to the rear sight, within limits, to lower it.

[gb6491]

I admire the fact that you never do anything half way. I probably would have filed the sight down on the gun so I didn't have to remove it. Probably dinging up the gun and leaving tracks so every one know half way bawanna had been there.
No way I would have parkerized it and if my red / orange dot turned out looking as nice as yours I probably would have no way removed it to replace it with white.

I'm paying close attention and hoping I can develop some better do it right attitude like you have. It's late in the game for me but hopefully I can learn some new tricks.

I've seen your work and think highly of it Colonel.
Removing the sight was not that big of a deal as I knew I would be refinishing it (putting it back on was still a little stressful).
I just microwaved a small amount of parkerizing solution to do the sight.
The orange dot did turn out well I think. It was much easier to do off the pistol. The white dot done on the pistol is ok, just not quite as nice.
Like you, I am always opening to learning new tricks.

One thing about that red paint and covering it with super glue is that it seems more fluorescent when applied to a flat surface of the sight than when put into dots.
Here's my buddy's Springfield





Regards,
Greg

[Cokeman]

Any idea on why it was shooting to begin with?

[gb6491]

Any idea on why it was shooting to begin with?

A friend and I both bench rested it to confirm it was shooting low and as it didn't appear that any of the internals had been modified (well the slide stop spring had been buggered up), I'm guessing it was like that from the factory.

However, as you have asked and got me to thinking about it, perhaps it was sighted to hold with the front sight completely covering what I was aiming at. I remember some folks writing that is what they use with their Kahrs.

I shoot to hit a target just over the front sight. The rest of my Kahr pistols shoot to that point of aim so I guess I just expected this one to do likewise.
Water under a bridge at this point, but worth consideration and thanks for asking.

Regards,
Greg

[jonholl]

"One thing about that red paint and covering it with super glue is that it seems more fluorescent when applied to a flat surface of the sight than when put into dots.
Here's my buddy's Springfield"

Thanks for the super glue idea, I paint my own sights & never thought of that - probably why I keep painting them over & over .

[Bawanna]

Ditto here, I paint a few of my sights as well and never thought of the super glue idea. That's a good one.

[Ed M]

Quite a few years ago, I discovered a method of painting sight dots and ramps on my guns that needed it.

It's a three step process that has held up great on every sight I've done it to.

A coat of florescent white acrylic craft paint, followed by a coat of florescent orange craft paint, followed by a coat of Sally Hansen's Hard as Nails clear fingernail polish.

The Sally Hansen's holds up much better for me than superglue does. They tend to yellow in the long run, and get brittle.

This sight was done about 2 1/2 years ago, and is seriously bright. About $5 for the supplies, and applied with a toothpick.

[Bawanna]

I do a little work for a fishing lure company and he gave me a jar of clear coat they use on some of the lures.

I haven't had a chance to try it out yet. I actually keep forgetting. Hopefully this thread will remind me to give it a try and see if it works.

In the mean time I'll look for some finger nail polish, never know who you'll run into in those aisles. Might be fun.

AIRret, don't worry honey, I'm just playing ya know?