How to Fix 3rd Gen Pistols Hitting Low?

OK, Thanks!

I'll be giving them a call on the 3953 very soon.

After I measure the sight heights on some of the other guns with errors, I may be calling them some more.
 
So... I called Novak for my 3953 that had dead night sights and was shooting way low.
They told me to go ahead and send the slide in and they would call me back.
When they called, they recommended going to an adjustable rear on the night sights as they didn't have a front sight post that was low enough to correct my problem with fixed sights.
(Which begs the question: Did S&W have QC problems with cutting the depths on the dovetails to the correct depth? That might explain why the guns I have that all shoot the same amount low...)
Anyway, I went ahead and authorized them to install the adjustable night sight set.
They called me back fast, did the work really fast, fast turnaround in general, didn't take my CC until the work was complete.. And surprisingly, the adjustable rear sight wasn't much higher than the old fixed sight. Not too worried about it snagging anything. All for $217 shipped. Not bad in my book.
Except...... I got it back today, installed the slide and checked it out in the dark, and...... The front night sight doesn't glow, it's dead...
So, back it goes.. What a bummer! I was really looking forward to a range trip this weekend to get it sighted in and getting this going..
I've never heard folks complain about Novak, hopefully this is just a one-off screw-up?
 
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One thing no one else has mentioned. What distance are these guns supposed to hit POA at? The bullet starts out lower than the sights. The bullet has to be aimed higher than the sights to come up to the target. If it is zeroed for say 30 yards and you are shooting at 10, then it will most likely hit low at 10. It may be dead on at 30 yards. Try shooting at a longer distance and see where your POI is. Of course, the bullet is falling also so at some point, it will be low again at distance. If the guns are on at 30 yards, the error at 10 yards is still a kill shot anyway you look at it.

Rosewood
 
I've been doing 'Bill Drills' with my (new to me) CS-9; trying to draw and place 5 rounds on IDPA -0 circle ( I think 8"dia.) at 7 yards in under 2 seconds. I'm using the front sight 'combat-style' but I really don't have time to accurately line up the rear. I'm no expert by any means, but I guess it's a matter of what you're trying to accomplish with a defensive pistol. Speed and accuracy are a balancing act until you find that groove.
 
rosewood, that's a good point, but I'd expect that the difference from POA to POI at very short ranges should be no more than the distance from the center of the bore to the top of the front sight. That should be about an inch low. That amount of error at short range is perfectly acceptable to me. Most of my guns are like that when checked with the bore sight.
However, the guns in question are 3" to 4" low at 20 ft. with the bore sight, and shoot similarly low at 20 ft at the range.
If the gun is zeroed at 30 yards, then the bullet shouldn't reach the 3-4 inch low point until reaches 75 yards or so out.
I like to use this calculator: Ballistic Calculator GunData.org , it has all kinds of useful information.
What I'm noticing is that on the affected guns that are 3-4" low at 20 feet, they are waaaaaay low at 25 yards, I have to aim over the top of the target to hit the bottom. Actual bullet drop from the muzzle to 30 yards is only about an inch or so. So those sights are way off.
I agree with you though, if the gun is properly sighted at 25-30 yards, you're still "minute of bad guy" all the way along that distance. One of my instructors is big on "aim small, miss small", so that's why I'm trying to get sights on various guns to be on target, especially over that 0 to 30 yard distance.

Vinny, that's some pretty good shooting there. My normal range doesn't allow draw or rapid fire unless you're in a class. So, I try to present the gun from my chest to arms extended and put one shot on an 8.5 X 11" sheet of paper at 7 yards as quick as I can push the gun out. So far nobody's complained about that yet.
 
The LPA adjustable rear sight is "ok", but on a pistol for defensive and carry purposes, I prefer a no-snag, nothing to break fixed sight.

This is the correct answer.

And a shorter front sight.

My 6906 was a low shooter too. Measured the front sight (a Trijicon) and found it was .216".

In my S&W parts stash I found a spare Trijicon frt sight that measured .193. It was originally intended for use on S&W 3rd Gen models with the adjustable rear sight (45XX & 10XX).

Installed it and it worked perfectly. POI now = POA. Happy camper right here.
 
If you are absolutely sure it's printing low. File the front sight down.
 
Yep, I use the white dots.. And in this case, if using the night sights in low light, I couldn't see the top of the post anyway.
Not that I can see the sights very well in good light... My old eyes absolutely need the dots, especially if I'm shooting w/o my glasses (which will probably be the situation if this turns real)
 
That doesn't move the white dot, assuming that is what he aims with. I do.

Yes, to raise POI, the OP's going to need a whole new - and shorter - front sight.

He first needs to measure his existing front sight, but I'll hazard a guess that it's in the .216 range.

Then he'll need to track down a Trijicon frt. sight or used/NOS S&W factory frt. sight in the .193" range.

It's possible Novak's could make the OP a custom frt. sight, but he'd have to know what height he needs to make the POI correction, so he'll have to do the measuring anyway.
 
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Perhaps my gun is an outlier...i was having the exact same problem last yearwith my 6906. Sent it to S&W with a note explaining that it shot 2-3 inches low and asked them to install new sights to correct the problem. Instead of replacing the sights they installed a new barrel. Drives tacks now.
 
I have the same problem with my 3913TSW. The cure was to load up 147 grain TMJ Speer bullets with 5.4 grains of Blue Dot. Instant center black at 25 yards on a standard 25 yard Bullseye target. I quit carrying factory 124 grain loads and now carry 147 grain jhp. This using factory 3-dot fixed sights.
Arman
 
The LPA adjustable rear sight is "ok", but on a pistol for defensive and carry purposes, I prefer a no-snag, nothing to break fixed sight.

I have LPA sights and they are better than "OK" and they dont snag in my holster.
I'm using a White Hat IWB and I can draw and shoot and be on target as fast as my plastic guns.
Practice and familiarization does wonders.
 
.198" Factory Front Sight

For the compact 3913 series you can try going with a .198" factory front sight. These are standard for the full size 3906 4006 etc. series. Numrich has them new and in stock for under $20.00 including S&H. This should solve your 3900 compact series shooting low.
Front Sight, New Factory Original | Gun Parts Corp.
 
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