629 revolver rear sight problem

[TienLungTaoist]

So I have been noticing that I really stink at shooting my revolver. I'm new at handguns but ive been doing rifles for a long time. I was getting really frustrated at the fact I could not put in a grouping. I had enough at 15 yards to hit center mass on a target but no where near getting it on bulls eye. Now ive never been a bad shooter, I usually can get a dragonfly off my target frame at 50 yards no problems.(scoped rifle no rest) Being frustrated as I am I went to the range to improve and my front sight broke off so I shot instinctively and sure enough I had a better grouping. Im not good at shooting instinctively, thats just how bad shooting with the site was. anyways getting to the point. I borrowed my dads laser sighting device which goes in the barrel and puts a laser directly out of the barrel. At 25 I was about 6 inches below the bulls eye. I feel better because I dont completely fail at shooting a handgun but now I realize I cant get the elevation screw lose enough (back sights up enough) to get it on the mark im still short about 2 inches. is this a common problem for the smiths or am I doing something wrong? I tested the laser by spining it in the barrel and making sure it did not move. I did read online this was common for smiths but there is no info on a fix. do I need a shorter front sight or a higher profile windage plate? any help is appreciated but I will be putting my sights back to 5inches bellow because I dont want my rear sight breaking this is my only cw so I guess if im in trouble I gotta shoot 5 inches up.lol thanks all. sorry for the long essay just want all the details out.lol also I did the dummy test before and im not flinching on the trigger pull. just fyi. thanks

gratefully yours
luzbel

 

[john traveler]

The laser boresighting device only indicates what is aligned with the gun bore, and NOT point of impact where you want it to go.

A pistol recoils when fired, and the bullet will impact higher than where the boresight alignment indicates. Firm and consistent grip is essential if you want your impact groups to be consistent. That is one of the big reasons why shooting a handgun accurately is much more difficult than shooting a rifle accururately.

For shooters new to handguns, I can recommend the old adage: Practice, Practice, and more Practice! The more consistent you develope your grip, and the more you concentrate on trigger control and sight alignment, the tighter your groups get.

A S&W revolver will give you 1" to 2" sized groups at 15 yards, but YOU have to be capable of holding your groups to that standard. If after several hundreds of rounds of target practice and you still don't have enough elevation adjustment, you can have a higher rear sight blade installed.

 

[TienLungTaoist]

hmm I see. I do indeed have to practice much more but Im convinced that the gun is hitting low. I loaded some wax rounds and tried to site it in indoors and I have gotten just as I expected, two inches low on the target and this is with the gun rested.(this is after I lifted the back site to its peak) now i expect wax running on just primer loses altitude after about 5 yards and its not a perfect bullet. I dont expect perfect grouping but I wanted to check my assumption about gun shooting low. I will hit the range when I can and make sure its fine Im just not happy with my rear sight being so high. is there some way to get it to the spot on acuracy of the gun then I can just focus on my deficiencies but to at least know that Im shooting an accurate gun. Again im a newbie with handguns so I will take all the helpful criticism I can get! thanks all

 

[Snowbandit]

Your wax bullets don't recoil and will by nature always shoot low. Handguns are more difficult to learn to shoot correctly than rifles and it sounds like you could benefit from some instruction in the basics. Even spending a few hours with a knowledgeable friend would probably be helpful. That 629, even with Specials, isn't ideal for a beginner either.

 

[scooter123]

As mentioned there are factors in shooting a handgun that make them much more difficult to master. In addition, that model 29 is not a great choice for learning on unless you're shooting 44 spl.

As for why, it's Bore Transit Recoil. While the bullet is transitting the barrel the gun is under recoil. This means the barrel is moving while the bullet is still in it. To some extent handgun sights are designed to accomidate this but an individual shooters hold and bullet weight can be a major factor in how well a gun shoots to the sight. Because of this CONSISTENT recoil management is an absolutely critical aspect to shooting a handgun and as energy level and barrel length increases the importance of consistent recoil management increases. As noted the only answer for this issue is live fire practice, while dry fire helps with trigger skills it does nothing for recoil management.

Another factor that comes into play is the bullet weight, which can vary widely in some revolver calibers. In general a heavier bullet spends more time in the barrel than a lighter bullet at the same pressure level. As a result of this, a heavier bullet will shoot higher because of Bore Transit Recoil. If you are shooting low, a heavier bullet can make a big difference in the POI.

Finally, the power level of the load chosen also comes into play. More recoil in general means more muzzle rise while the bullet is transitting the barrel, so it's not unusual to find a 44 spl. shooting lower than a 44 Magnum. If you've chosen a 44 spl. for practice with a light bullet I would not find it all surprizing to find that you are shooting way low. BTW, this is especially true for wax bullets because they weight nothing and the recoil is nill.

 

[TienLungTaoist]

Alright I guess I will be reloading for a week and going to the range next weekend and shooting as much as I can. I reload some 240 grain rounds with I believe (dont have my book with me) 32 grains of IMR4227 and cci magnum primers. I trim the shells to spec and make sure they are spotless. I shoot the same load I use for self defense. should I just go to targeting rounds till I get the hang of it. I just dont want to be used to a targeting round and having it change on me with my self defence round. I also want to get into hunting with the gun and I dont want to shoot an animal in the wrong place and have the poor thing suffer so I want to be dead on before I use the gun for hunting. So should I just keep using the same rounds I use and just spend more time on the range or will I be able to progress through the targeting rounds into full loads and get more acurate. I tend to be a perfectionist when it comes to shooting. lol Also I do understand that a .44 mag is a big gun for a beginner but im a college student and for the next 5-10 years this will be the only handgun I could get so I wanted the most multipurpose gun I could get. besides my dad has one and you know, like father like sun. she shoots pretty much instictively though, the man barely aims and gets it on center each time.lol

 

[dsen]

32 grains! Make sure you check your book that seems like more powder than I've ever seen in published load data.

 

[TienLungTaoist]

24 grain.lol just looked at it. I think ive gone to 25.