Too much elevation.

[scythefwd]

Gentlemen, I ask here because I suspect you guys are more retentive about adjusting your sights than say the average plinker.

I have a mossberg 44 with what appears to be a generic globe front sight and a ring insert. The rear sight is a redfield olympic. I cannot lower my rear sight enough to be on target at 75y. I have to rest the bottom of an 8 inch ring on top of the ring in the insert to hit bull (approximately). I am shooting crap ammo, thunderbolts to be exact, but I don't think this is causing my elevation issues. I was shooting from a bench. What are your guys suggestions to remedy this issue. Should I replace the front sight with a lyman or redfield (I have access to a redfield with approximately 3 inch long hood, but not here at home), shim the front sight (if possible), or shave a couple mm off of the rear sight (where the top half hits the stop).

As a summary, I am shooting 3 -4 inches high at 75y and cannot lower my rear sight any more. I see my only options are:
1. Replace with different globe sight on the front (requires gunsmithing to get the rail on)

2. Shim the front sight (its a dovetail with the rail the sight fits on perpendicular to the dovetail, will require gunsmithing)

3. Shave down the bottom half of the rear sight (requires a machine shop with a mill accurate to .0001 inch or better for best results)

4. Replace globe insert with extra tall post (lose my ring all together).

What say you guys?

 

[Grump]

Before we get too ambitious on this, tell me this:

On your rear sight, how much room to you have from the bottom of the "windage leg" (that holds the aperture) to the top of the receiver when you're otherwise bottomed out?

If there's lots of room, as in some other part of the sight is hitting bottom, you *may* want to look into somehow getting your aperture under the arm instead of above it.

It's common for these receiver sights to bottom out on the stock, with the elevation scale slider or whatever you want to call it getting in the way. Relief cuts in the wood are common enough--I've seen them on dozens of rifles, including hunting jobs (I know some old guys who used irons on their hunting guns all the way into the 1960s).

How is your Olympic mounted to the receiver? The mounting blocks can be higher or lower by up to a quarter-inch, depending on what front sight it was meant to match.

If your rear is truly at the bottom of its range and there's no more than 1/8-inch between the receiver and the bottom of the arm, your best bet is to work on the front sight. A taller base is first choice, as far as I'm concerned.

 

[scythefwd]

Grump,
The elevation scale isn't contacting the rifle. The adapter plate that mounts the sight to the rifle is as low as it gets. I will look into flipping the arm if it is possible (I don't think it is). The arm that goes up and down is actually touching the other half of the sight. I will go with the newer front sight then. Just have to pick it up from the old man when I am back in IL this winter.

Thanks
Scythe

 

[scythefwd]

Well, I can flip the rear aperture, but it feels like I have to force the threading. I will be looking into a new front sight as I don't like how the adjustment felt after I got the aperture flipped.

 

[Grump]

Aw, it was worth a try though!

It was once common to have a two-step front sight base, so the shooter could stay tight to the comb with a 100-yard zero. Yours sounds like it would still be high out to 150, so my guess is just a simple mis-match with the FS, or a base that fits the side of the receiver but puts the whole thing too high.