(C)  LSA 2018

Same Post.  PostImage links re-linked.  Love these photo posting places.  Originally PhotoBucket failed and lost all the images.  Then PostImage failed and lost the images.  It is the same text with the photos re-linked. Knowledgeable shooters or those who read it previously, can skip it.



For the novice shooter with a new pistol, there are a number of things that can be done to increase the ease of use of the new pistol. The steps likewise help insure future satisfaction and avoid problems. While not all inclusive, they would include:

1) Read the manual that comes with the firearm.   The Ruger SR22P here is just a generic gun for talking points.  But it is highly recommended for reasons that become obvious.

Photo below:  Manual, pistol, and second interchangeable grip for a larger hand.  The smaller installed one is a perfect fit for children and small handed folks.



2) Strip the pistol, clean it, lubricate it, and re-assemble it. Some manufactures ship pistols dry of any lubricant and really need lubed to run without damage.

3) Discretely number the magazines that go with that pistol. Fingernail polish, electro-pencil numbers, or your own system. The reason is so that you can attribute any firing difficulty to a particular magazine or know it happens with all of them.

Photo below:  Five magazines with small electro-pencil numbers on the side of the floor plates.



4) Take the pistol out and shoot it for function with different ammunitions. This is to break it in functionally and to settle the parts so that they can be zeroed and not wander off as they settle in later.  Clean and re-lubricate it ever 100 or 200 rounds.

5) In this process, you can get a rough sighting in.   The easily adjustable SR22P rear sight with two white dots and the factory post front sight with one dot make the classic three dot sight picture.  The rear sight has windage and elevation adjustments that make this easy.  Use a screwdriver that actually fits to avoid maring the screws.  Center the rear sight in its notch and see where it impacts.

Photo below:  SR22P rear sight.



6) After some shooting to settle all the parts, the adjustable SR22P rear sight can be final fine tuned for this click left or that click right as need be. As the pistol is being carefully shot at this stage to set a zero, it might be bench rested or carefully fired offhand as shooting skills allow.

7) As the points of impact of different ammunitions are noted and recorded, along with accuracy comparisons, the new shooter will start to get an idea of where this or that ammo might be expected to impact.

Photo below:  Ammunition boxes.  Ammo is always good to have.  CCI products work better than any thing else made today.  CCI MiniMag and CCI Blazer.  Buy'em if you can find them.



Photo below:  Target shot with different types of ammo.



8) Make a simple 3x5" data card of where each ammo type impacts on the same sight setting.  Keep it in the Ruger box.  Then in the future, if forced to use a different ammo than your “standard”, meaning whatever you could find to buy and worked, you will have a good idea of where something else will impact and not need to start all over again.

This Ruger SR22 put:

-CCI MiniMag 40RN
-Remington 40RN (1964 Golden Bullets)
-Federal 40RN HS
-CCI Blazer 40RN
-American Eagle 40RN

into essentially the same zero at 15 yards.

I haven't gotten to try the Velocitor or any standard velocity 40 grain yet. The CCI Quiet snuck into the photo.  At 700fps, I don't think it will operate the slide, but I mean to try it next time out.  But you get the idea. The Magic Marker colors of each group on the same target let you put 10 shot groups on the same target for quick reference and yet tell the shots apart. I later lowered this rear sight to zero the gun.  As you shoot, try to get some idea of the amount of adjustment each rear sight click creates. It would be nice if the manufacturers listed the change rate.

9) Other ammo of note shot later on different targets:

WW SuperX 36HP: same point of impact: good function
Remington Viper 36TCSB hyper velocity: same location and snappy action function.

9a) I have noticed that the Federal 40RN gives both erratic ignition and recoil impulse from more or less powder. Needing second strikes and rounds firing that do not operate the slide are tell-tales. Both affect accuracy which is poor. The AmEagle 40 RN is not much better, also a Federal product.  Thus I have no problem saying Federal .22LR products generally suck.  The Federal and AmEagle rounds were identical to look at.

9b)  Beware of one CCI Blazer headache.  SOME bulk CCI labeled as Blazer has a "F" headstamp meaning it is the Fedral/AmEagle not so good of stuff.  Only buy CCI Blazer in 50 boxes with a "C" logo on the head.

9c)  The CCI "C" products and especially the RemViper function with alacrity and you can tell they fired. The gun clearly likes snappy ammo.

9d)  Good place for the new owner to stop reading for now.



10)  Below this point are some non-beginner more complicated sighting in concepts just possibly useful depending on the type of firearm being used.

10a) Non-brand specific info:  Depending on the type of pistol, if it has an adjustable rear sight and a dovetail front sight, center the rear sight. Then shoot the pistol and move the front sight left or right to adjust windage on the assumption the movement keeps it fairly near the center line of the slide. At the same time, you can adjust the elevation for vertical impact using the rear sight.

10b) In moving either the front or rear sight of dovetailed sights, how much to move it is always a headache. There are mathematical formulas down to the last 0.001". Easier is to use a 0.7mm mechanical pencil and put a pencil line on each side of the sight on the bottom of the dovetail cut into the slide. As you move the sight left or right, cover one line and expose the other line more. With a full size 4-5" barrel service pistol, one line is about 2" at 15 yards and 3" at 25 yards. With a smaller pistol having a 3-3.5" barrel, one line is about 3" at 15 yards or 5" at 25 yards. The difference is because of the sight radius being much shorter. The same amount of move generates a larger change in the smaller pistol. The line that you move away from is always there so you can move back towards it if you went too far. Degrease the dovetail bottom before marking and the pencil mark lasts a good while.

10c) If the pistol has a fixed front sight, then you can only move the rear for windage.

10d) If the pistol has a dovetailed front sight, or if you have changed the front sight for another style such as the HiViz that is actually installed in this SR22P, in this process it is a good time to fix the location of the front sight.  Then it doesn’t decide to wander off in the future. You will avoid questions like, “Why is my gun shooting a foot to the left all of a sudden.” This is done easily with either or both of a super glue and Locktite.

10dd)  Locktite the screws as with this SR22 HiViz front sight and let super glue seep into all the cracks and crevices between the slide and sight. It will stay put, but yet come loose if needed. The glues work best if the sight and slide were degreased before any shooting.

Photo below:  This shows the HiViz front sight installed and adjusted for windage.  The grey lines are the pencil marks such that if it had needed moved, you know where you were or which side you covered the line on.  This sight works perfectly with the Ruger factory adjustable rear.


10e) Please note that this sight information applies directly to the SR22P and may not apply to other pistols. It would depend on the nature of their sights, the sight material construction, and how tight the sights are in their dovetails. The factory front sight in the SR22P is very serviceable, but made of plastic and moves in the dovetail quite easily. The HiViz sight was a snug fit, but easily moved in the dovetail with a brass drift. It needs the set screws tightened and Loctited.   My old eyes see the combination of factory rear and HiViz front way better than just the factory three dot.  Plus the HiViz is more durable in rough use.

10f)  Glock:  Other pistols like the Glocks have a fixed plastic or steel or steel night sight front sight, a plastic or steel or steel night sight rear fixed sight, or even a plastic adjustable rear sight depending on the model. They should be moved left and right only with a Glock sight tool.  Should is relative.  The wider standard slide width Glock plastic sights can be damaged drifting them brass drift and brass hammer style.  The skinny slide 42/43 plastic rear sight moves easily with a carefully tapped brass drift.  Valuable since the old Glock sight tools don't work on the skinny slide rear sights.

I replace the Glock plastic sights with Glock steel ones or HiViz as soon as I get around to it with a new firearm.

Photo Below:  Glock sight sizes.



Elevation in fixed sight Glocks is done by changing the rear sight.  RARELY necessary.  Each sight is about 3" change at 25 yards.

10ff)  A real headache is the Trijicon steel night sights installed on a lot of police surplus Glocks for sale this fall and winter.  They will often destroy the Glock branded $100 sight pusher.  Glock no longer replaces the pusher if you wreck it on the Trijicons since Glock sells other steel night sights factory installed.  You gotta know which is what or it can get expensive.

10g)  S&W Shield:  Shield sights are another common nightmare.  The rear is so tight that the sight itself is easily damaged moving it, has loose parts under it, and the manual says to move the front sight to adjust windage.  Another good reason to read manuals.

11)  While the cost to a beginner is out of proportion to its value, a high quality general purpose sight mover is valuable when the shooter has more than one firearm.  The ease of adjusting sights for your personal zero will be appreciated.  A pistol slide padded with leather in a vise while the sights are moved with a brass drift is the old standby and works well.  But not with the greatest precision.  10b) above is a serious bit of knowledge to keep in mind.

Photo below:  S&W Shield slide with the sight removed showing the striker block safety parts that go flying if you do take it out.  Note especially the leather padding to avoid marring the slide while G E N T L Y clamped into the vise.  Avoid pressing on the unsupported portions of a dismounted slide, if possible.



The vise is used for inertia and a third hand.  If you start pounding on a dismounted slide, any degree of touch of finesse is gone.  The slide will not hold still and the metal will get marred sooner or later.   The inertia of the vise allows you to tap, tap, tap and see movement.  Or tap harder to get movement.  But it is under control and you can predict the result of a tap.

12)  Good luck and enjoy your new pistol.

LSA 2018 (C)

This should be a pinned post. FOR REALS!

Bump.

Nice write up and very useful for many shooters. I would not make the sight in part so complicated as you have- meaning if a gun has an adjustable rear sight use it for zeroing and mess with a front sight only if it is very visibly off center to start with.

Captain:  

You are promoted to Major.  You suggestion was perfect and well taken.  I cleaned up the language, moved some things to segregate non-beginner info, and added a couple pictures.  It reads a lot cleaner, yet has the general sight/Glock/Shield notes at the bottom where they are not confusing.

LSA

Bump.  Sorry, but it keeps drifting away.

Bump.  

Bump.

Bump.

. Bump.

Totally boring stuff to Da'Experts.  Make fun if you must.

But occasionally interesting to the beginners to whom it is addressed.  Besides, pre-Hillary, everyone is buying again.  Even NewBees.

Yeah....I think I know the reason.

Bumped for yet another Christmas.

Wow.  Another Christmas is here.  Bumped up.

I always forget to number magazines.

Would've saved me some trouble when I took my P-01 out and had one mag giving issues. (I'm an idiot and installed the mag spring upside down when I was changing out the sheet metal floors for the rubber CZ basepads)

PostImage lost photos re-linked.

Experts please skip reading this old thread.