Loose rear sight n izzy

[ihasagun]

Is there some way to tighten it down? Mine is moving around a bit and the only thing I see holding it in place is a pin with no hex or groove for use of any tools.

[Lenny]

If it's the whole sight, there is a screw that goes in from the bottom through the frame. The grip has to come off to get to it.

[m1963]

Blue loctite is your friend when fixing this, for a more permanent solution. Does fixing the loose sight fix the left/right stringing?

[ihasagun]

Blue loctite is your friend when fixing this, for a more permanent solution. Does fixing the loose sight fix the left/right stringing?

I did use Loctite on both the sight and the grip. Afterwards, I tried shooting to see if it eliminated the left/right stringing, but I guess I'd had too many glasses of wine already to get all my shots in the black. I did get my best score yet, and with two flyers, the remaining eight all grouped up a little to the right of the 10 ring. My two flyers were also to the right, so I'm back to sighting in now. Discounting the flyers, my group seems to be better.

[David Levene]

.... so I'm back to sighting in now. Discounting the flyers, my group seems to be better.

Are you combining the mechanical process of firing the shot with calling the shot (before looking at the target).

[ihasagun]

.... so I'm back to sighting in now. Discounting the flyers, my group seems to be better.

Are you combining the mechanical process of firing the shot with calling the shot (before looking at the target).

I find I'm not able to call my shots accurately. Some that I swear should be right turn out to be tens. Others that I swear should be tens turn out to be high flyers on the one ring. I'm just not there yet.

[David Levene]

I find I'm not able to call my shots accurately. Some that I swear should be right turn out to be tens. Others that I swear should be tens turn out to be high flyers on the one ring. I'm just not there yet.

That would suggest that you're not looking at the sights and following through properly.

[Rover]

I find I'm not able to call my shots accurately. Some that I swear should be right turn out to be tens. Others that I swear should be tens turn out to be high flyers on the one ring. I'm just not there yet.

That would suggest that you're not looking at the sights and following through properly.

Not to mention jerking really hard on the trigger.

But then, maybe you just need "Olympic" grade pellets.

[Gwhite]

I find I'm not able to call my shots accurately. Some that I swear should be right turn out to be tens. Others that I swear should be tens turn out to be high flyers on the one ring. I'm just not there yet.

As David mentioned, if you can't call your shots it's almost certain that you aren't really well focused on your sights (especially the front sight) when the shot breaks. With a sub-six hold, high shots are almost invariably the result fo looking at the target. The hand tends to naturally drift up towards the point of visual focus.

To call your shots, you need to train your eye/brain to freeze the image of the sights & target the instant the shot breaks and then figure out where that means the shot went. With practice, you should be able to reliably call within +/- 1 scoring ring and +/- 1 hour IF (and ONLY if) you are focused on your front sight.

It's easy to fool yourself into thinking you are focused on the front sight when you aren't. One thing that can help is to put a small splodge of orange chalk on the back of your front sight. That gives you something new & different to focus on. Don't cover the whole sight. You want an irregular mark with some character & features. The last one I put on a student's pistol looked like Florida... One advantage is that it is easy to change if you find that over time you get too used to a particular shape & begin to "tune it out".

Another test is to shoot on the back of a target. if your groups shrink, you are looking at the black.

[David Levene]

One thing that can help is to put a small splodge of orange chalk on the back of your front sight.

Careful with that. It could be regarded as a reflecting colour and therefore banned under the ISSF rules.

[Gwhite]

One thing that can help is to put a small splodge of orange chalk on the back of your front sight.

Careful with that. It could be regarded as a reflecting colour and therefore banned under the ISSF rules.

Hopefully it is just a training aid that can be dispensed with once the eye/brain have learned to focus on the front sight. I would be surprised if a small mark would raise the ire of the equipment folks. I thought that rule was put in place to avoid mirror sights.

"Reflecting" is open to interpretation. Are colored sights/inserts of any kind not legal now?

[David Levene]

.....
I thought that rule was put in place to avoid mirror sights.

"Reflecting" is open to interpretation. Are colored sights/inserts of any kind not legal now?

The full wording of 8.4.1.3 a is:-
"Only open sights are allowed. Sights using fiber optic, light enhancing or reflecting color surfaces are prohibited. Optical, mirror, telescope, laser-beam, electronically projected dot sights etc. are prohibited"

I haven't spoken to any senior ISSF people about this yet but can't see how anything other than black (i.e. non-reflecting) can be allowed.

To be fair, this wording slipped into the Pistol EC manual in January 2016, but I don't think many people realised it was there.

[TenMetrePeter]

"Reflecting" is open to interpretation. Are colored sights/inserts of any kind not legal now?

Any colour other than black is reflective by definition.

[David Levene]

"Reflecting" is open to interpretation. Are colored sights/inserts of any kind not legal now?

Any colour other than black is reflective by definition.

That was my initial reaction, but a couple of glasses of wine have got me thinking.

Surely even black is reflective. How could we see black sights if it isn't. They aren't emitting light so surely they must be reflecting it.

It might be the wine but it sounds logical at the moment.

[TenMetrePeter]

I would say you cannot see black sights particularly if you soot them with carbide. You can however see the light around them. AKA silhouette.
And a tree falling in a forest does make a noise even if theres nobody there to hear it.

[David Levene]

How does that explain the fact that I can see surface machining marks?

[TenMetrePeter]

How does that explain the fact that I can see surface machining marks?

because it isnt perfect black, just almost black. Surface reflectivity ie gloss or matt is rather different from wavelength absorption and reflection. 50 odd years since physics class though.

edit: carbon black soot is as close as it gets to perfect black for light absorption.

[David Levene]

I have received an answer from the ISSF Technical Director regarding the meaning, and more importantly the spirit, of the new rule regarding colour.

Normal colours are allowed. It is fluorescent colours that are prohibited.

[TenMetrePeter]

Normal colours are allowed. It is fluorescent colours that are prohibited.

OMG - interpret that!

[David Levene]

Normal colours are allowed. It is fluorescent colours that are prohibited.

OMG - interpret that!

It is so rare to find anything other than black sights that I don't thing it will be a problem.

I think most EC Officers will apply common sense and just go for "Day-Glo" type paints.

Plain red or white would be fine.

This is just regarding colour; fibre optic inserts (of any colour) are not allowed.