M17-3 rear sights / bent barrel?

[duckloads]

I have a beautiful M17-3 that was given to me as an incredible gift. When I got it, the rear sights were to the far right. When shooting at 50 ft, I had to move the sights a couple of clicks further to the right. The sights are now outside of the frame to the right. I tried a couple of different brands of ammo, but both were HV rounds.

Shooting two handed, double action, I shot one 6 shot group of just over 1-1/2" at 50 feet. Then I started getting excited and shot all over the place .

Don't worry about the sights far to the right or is the barrel bent?

thanks

 

[Texas Roots]

I doubt it is actually bent. But take a close look and see whether or not the barrel is centered exactly straight when it was screwed in. Sometimes, if they are not screwed in at the factory so that the front sight is sitting exactly straight up it will cause your problem. Rugers are notorious for this problem. I have an Old Model .45 that when I got it, the barrel had not been screwed in so the the front sight was straight up....it was leaning to the right, which caused me to have to adjust the rear sight slide all the way to the right to get it to shoot right.

 

[jrm53]

You might try sighting down the frame top and them making sure that the barrel rib is straight with the frame top. I have a early 686 that I think the front of the frame is not true to the barrel threads and the barrel points about I degree to the left, shoots fine but the rear sight is to one side, what makes me mad was I had for it 2 or 3 years before I noticed it, now thats the first thing I check on a revolver. Jeff

 

[duckloads]

I've looked at it as close as my eyes can see. It appears that the front sight is not exactly in the center of the barrel, and the barrel ribs go not exacly line up with the frame ribs. Perhaps the tollerances stacked up against me?

Is this a case where a skillful person could wack the barrel with a lead babbit bar?

 

[Texas Roots]

duckloads, somebody that skillful would probably want to do a more skillful repair than that. If that were my gun, I think I'd send it in to the factory and let them repair it. You might give them a call, tell them the problem, and they may get the process going for you. If it can truely be repaired by wacking on it with a babbit bar, I'd want them to do it. Just my $.02 worth.