Hi all,

I just recently acquired a 1917 and took it to the range yesterday. I noticed it was shooting high and to the left. Didn't pay too much mind to the shooting high but the to the left had me scratching my head. Nice tight group with .45 acp ball at least. When I got home and started cleaning I noticed that the front sight is bent to the right. The proverbial light bulb went on!

So the question for you all is the best way to remedy this. Can I put the barrel in a vise (well protected of course) and use a brass punch to try and hammer it straight? I am pretty sure that the sight is forged with the barrel correct? Or should I not take any chances and bring it to the smith? Thoughts?

Mike

Mike - years ago, I straighted a friends M&P sight (like you described).
I put the barrel in a vice between two pine jaws with sight standing straight up. I then took a large pair of vice grips with padded jaws and clamped tight on the sight.
I was able to gently move the sight to true north without harming the blueing or cracking the sight/barrel.
I did not want to use heat or tonk as I thought it might do more damage.

NOTE: this was a friend's CHEAP M&P with little to no value.
BE extremely careful if you try this on your revolver.
I AM NOT A GUNSMITH

Are you sure the sight is bent? Is the barrel screwed in properly?

__________________
S&WCA 1729

Yep, squared up the gun and the top 1/3 of the sight is bent slightly to the right. Enough to throw it off about 3" at 7 yards.

I'm sure that you can bend it, but I don't think the method you suggested would just bend the top 1/3 as needed. I'd clamp the top of the sight in a vice and bang on the barrel with a lead hammer.

Pay a gunsmith. It will be cheaper in the long run.

S&W and Colt lore on the 1917's suggests that the front sights were *hammer zeroed* at the factory in those days.

...or maybe so many of them got bent in action, the fiction explains reality.

?

Bending the front sight was a common method of windage correction back in the day. Maybe a previous owner bent it to suit himself. In any case, you can bend it back. Just work slowly and carefully.

Hey everyone, thank you for the input. I put the 1917 in a vise with leather and 2x4's and used a pair of vise grips to slowly bend it back to vertical. Now to hit the range and test it out again!

Once again, thank you for the help!

Mike

Great, I was going to suggest using an adjustable wrench to grip the sight blade with, but the vice grips worked just as well if not better.
Good job
Gary