I have a mix - matched .38 S&W revolver. The frame, cylinder and barrel all have a different serial number. Because of this I designated it my "shooter" victory. Well, at ten yards, it shoots two inches low and two and half inches left. Is there any way to correct this besides aiming to compensate?
Victory .38 S&W
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DWalt
Member
You could file down the front sight a bit to raise the POI. Not a whole lot you can do about the windage error aside from bending the barrel. You might also do some load experimentation, different charges and bullets, assuming that you reload.
Spurdann
Member
Pull the barrel, shave a few thousandths off, resecure the barrel. That should bring the poa to the right.
DWalt
Member
I think I would try the Babbit bar trick first. Or just leave it alone. 2.5":is not terrible.
Years ago I made a posting here asking a simple question about the correct use of the Babbit bar for revolver POI adjustment, and all the answers I got were just useless gobbledegook. Everything except answers to the question I asked. I had to figure it out myself. I did it one time on one revolver. It was pretty easy and it worked.
Years ago I made a posting here asking a simple question about the correct use of the Babbit bar for revolver POI adjustment, and all the answers I got were just useless gobbledegook. Everything except answers to the question I asked. I had to figure it out myself. I did it one time on one revolver. It was pretty easy and it worked.
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Open up the groove in the frame enough to compensate for the left impact. A WHOLE lot easier and simpler to do than removing the barrel and shaving it to rotate or trying to bend the barrel. I have done this on a couple of my S&Ws. Has the same effect as moving an adjustable rear sight.
Matt_X
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Try some different ammo.
Example:
My best two groups are on the right. The 125 gr FMJ from Precision One was centered around the point of aim. The 158 lead round nose was centered above point of aim. That would work well with a 6 o'clock hold. Nice day outdoors with the sun behind. 12 shot group except the last.
Example:
My best two groups are on the right. The 125 gr FMJ from Precision One was centered around the point of aim. The 158 lead round nose was centered above point of aim. That would work well with a 6 o'clock hold. Nice day outdoors with the sun behind. 12 shot group except the last.
shil
Member
The revolver is probably regulated for the British 200 grain loading. 2.5" windage is not necessarily bad for a military revolver intended for shorter range. I'd be in favor of leaving and enjoying it as is.
To test the gun for point of impact make sure you are shooting single action from a bench rest. Standing up shooting double action tests you not the gun. If you still have doubts you might ask a friend with known experience to shoot a group. Opening up the rear sight notch is a very simple process of triangulation. Once done it will never get out of adjustment.
Is that bench rested or off-hand? Single or double action?
Low & left when shooting DA off-hand is a common symptom of an issue with improper grip and/or trigger pull.
But you probably knew that already.
If those are your results shooting SA from a benchrest, then I'd try the Babbett bar adjustment method first, because it doesn't create visible damage to the revolver. If that didn't work then widening the rear sight and filing down the front sight would be last-resort fixes.
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OP
I have been shooting single action off rest. I like the idea of having someone else shoot it first. I'm not going to remove barrel or alter the revolver. Also am now going to try another revolver to make sure it is not me shooting left. Thank you for the help.
Woops. 
Wouldn't take much to move point of impact 2.5" at ten yards. Assuming 10" between front and rear sight, taking one hundred and forty thousands. .140 off of the right side would move the center of the rear sight the seventy thousands, .070 needed to correct the point of impact. Your decision. The notch could be cut to a square configuration in the process improving the sight picture since the gun is not original anyway. What I would do but it's your gun. My bad. Losing my math skills in my old age. Notch would have to be widened by a little more than 1/8" for correction at a distance of only 10 yds.
Wouldn't take much to move point of impact 2.5" at ten yards. Assuming 10" between front and rear sight, taking one hundred and forty thousands. .140 off of the right side would move the center of the rear sight the seventy thousands, .070 needed to correct the point of impact. Your decision. The notch could be cut to a square configuration in the process improving the sight picture since the gun is not original anyway. What I would do but it's your gun. My bad. Losing my math skills in my old age. Notch would have to be widened by a little more than 1/8" for correction at a distance of only 10 yds.
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I didn't do the math, but I thought 14 thousandths sounded like a mighty small amount to make a 2.5" correction at 10 yards.Woops.
1/8" (125 thousandths) sounds more like it.
That's why I'd try the babbet bar first. Widening the rear notch 1/8" would be roughly doubling it's width - and it would be all to one side - making it look REALLY off-center.
Yeah but the rear notch widening is a one step sure fix that will never need adjusting. The Babbitt bar pounding is a hit and miss proposition. Go too far and hammer the barrel back again the other way and hope
Yeah but the rear notch widening is a one step sure fix that will never need adjusting. The Babbitt bar pounding is a hit and miss proposition. Go too far and hammer the barrel back again the other way and hope
Yeah, it certainly isn't an exact science and should be done in stages. On the other hand, a whack to the barrel is probably what created the problem in the first place.
OP
Thanks for all the ideas. I think having a barrel replacement and different cylinder might contribute to the problem. Also, I have to research what grain the bullet is on the reloads. A friend reloaded 500 rounds this last spring and I have to look up the bullet weight, which can contribute to the problem. Is 200 grains the normal for the British load?
200 gr bullets would be the normal weight for the British load. 146 gr is the normal weight for the .38 S&W in the US. Pull one of the bullets and check the weight. Bullet weight and low velocity might cause the low point of impact but should not cause the point of impact to be over six inches left at 25 yds. As to using a Babbitt bar to bend the barrel back and forth I would worry about breaking the barrel off and leaving the threads in the frame
OP
Rest assured I am not going to use a Babbit bar. I shot another Victory today with the same ammo and I had an inch and half group. I do have a set of target grips on other revolver and I think I will take them off, replace with original grips and see if that makes a difference. They are custom grips like Herters.
OP
An update. I switched out the old target grips and shot a nice 15 shot group with my reloads. 140 gr. bullets, shot about inch and half above point of aim. I think those target grips altered my grip enough to mess me up. I sure appreciate all your help and suggestions.
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