I finally got to spend some trigger time with my new acquisition: a 1937 Brazilian. The gun is in reasonable shape, with minor pitting and a clear, sharp crest. The action is very smooth and the trigger breaks clean.

My only complaint is that the pistol consistently shoots low and to the left. After firing a few cylinders with two hands, I got some sandbags and a rest to make sure it wasn't me. The pistol patterns nicely at 8" low and 6" left from the 25-yd line.

My question is: Is it worth it to accuratize the gun? What would a gunsmith do to move the POI to the POA, or thereabouts? Or, should I just learn to aim at the upper right corner of the target?

i have the same gun as you and mine shoots low and left, just not as bad.

don't mess w/it.
it is a collector gun and will go down in value if you make any modifications.
your suggestion of "kentucky windage" is the best choice, imo.

I would try different ammo ensure I was both square to and level to target and all the usual stuff before attacking the gun.

Everything you do to the front sight will have the opposite effect to point of impact. File it down, impact rises; bend it right, impact moves left. It will likely take minimal movement and filing. But it is a last resort.

Take a look at the muzzle. See if there are any crown scars or dings that have distorted the shape of a land or groove. My Brazilian was throwing a little to the side until I gently filed down a slightly distorted land. That didn't take care of the entire problem, but it improved the POI.

If the muzzle is OK, take a look at the position of the front sight relative to the frame. If a barrel is underrotated, the sight will be slightly angled to the right and will conspire to throw bullets left; if it is overrotated, bullets will fly to the right. Squaring the barrel so the front sight is Top Dead Center will improve the situation.

For elevation, I think I would just learn to compensate, or try a different ammo. Maybe you would want to adopt a sight picture where the top of the front sight is elevated above the top limit of the rear sight notch. This would be easier with a flat-top/square notch Brazilian than one of the round-top/U-notch specimens, but it's just a matter of getting used to it.

A skilled gunsmith would check for alignment issues like the ones I mentioned, maybe recrown the barrel, and then whack the thing with a babbitt to "persuade" the barrel into proper position. That's essentially bending the barrel, but that's how the S&W smiths fixed POI issues back in the day. And may still, for all I know, at least on the longer barrels. The movement is pretty small. To correct a six-inch error at 900 inches (25 yards), you need to nudge the muzzle a little less than .01" with respect to the frame in which it is mounted.

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David Wilson

Try aiming high and to the right.

Sounds to me it's shooting the way they's hanging




Sorry

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Forum consigliere

I *think* the Wondersight will work on the 1917 without any gunsmithing.

No one has even asked yet "What bullet weight are you shooting?" This is the first thing that needs to be known. Bullets lighter than standard will shoot low, and often to one side too.

I was shooting a mix of 200 gr SWC and 230 gr ball. What was the design load for these pistols?

I like shooting the lighter loads in the revolver. It doesn't need the energy that my 1911 does to cycle, and the 1917 grips are harder to hold on to (I have big hands).

I'll look at the crown more closely but, on a quick check, it looked clean.

"What was the design load for these pistols?"

230 grain FMJ, at about 830 fps.

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

The babbitt trick is still used and still works. Takes nerve.

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S&WCA 1729

I had a S&W trained armorer at a gun show back in the 80's "fix" a Mod 19 for me that I had to have the rear sight extended as far as it would go. It did help considerably. Hand-loading can correct the elevation problem.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244