Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 21

Thread: Smack Your Front Sight To Make It Zero Correctly- WHAT?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    A Little Here And A Little There
    Posts
    2,525
    Feedback Score
    77 (100%)

    Smack Your Front Sight To Make It Zero Correctly- WHAT?

    Ok, so a fellow I know does a lot of his own work to his ARs, and in this regard he's way ahead of me, so I figured I'd run some stuff he's said recently by the folk here and see if I'm right or not in thinking there's something a bit off...

    So a while ago he was talking about zeroing a new AR he got. It had a fixed USGI-style front sight, as usual, and I think an ARMS #40 rear. Or it may have been some sort of fixed rear- I don't remember 100% as this was all a month or so ago, but he likes the ARMS so it was probably that.
    It would not zero correctly, as he said he turned the rear sight all the way to one side, and still could not get it on paper. I figured it was either a bent barrel, bad barrel alignment, or rear sight not on straight/out of spec upper- said so to him, but he said it was ok.
    So he said he took the front sight, and gave it a couple wacks with a mallet in the direction it needed to go to get it to zero in. Apparently that's how someone he knows does/did it in the Army....

    Needless to say, I was like...
    Is this legit?
    I actually had this same type failure to zero issue with my DD, and it was a gun issue, not a FSB alignment issue...

    Second thing was he installed a new FSB- one of those folding ARMS ones. He did the same "whack it into zero" with that too- according to him, the FSB pins did not engage the slots in the barrel....or maybe he said it was the slots were cut to shallow to engage- whichever it was, I was still enough of a "WTF" moment to have me scratching my head over it for the last month or so.

    I read a couple threads- one by BCM and the other with some info by a guy from AR15 Barrels (https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread...ment-Of-Sights) (https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread...er-vs-straight)
    and neither of those seem to support the "whack it" technique, or pins not engaging, unless, as I surmised, it's a gun manufacturer issue, or misinformation on his buddy's part.

    Thoughts?
    "Once we get some iron in our souls, we'll get some iron in our hands..."

    "...A rapid, aggressive response will let you get away with some pretty audacious things if you are willing to be mean, fast, and naked."-Failure2Stop

    "The Right can meme; the Left can organize. I guess now we know which one is important." - Random internet comment

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Posts
    439
    Feedback Score
    11 (100%)
    .....
    Last edited by krichbaum; 02-23-14 at 09:33.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Location
    CONUS
    Posts
    5,184
    Feedback Score
    3 (100%)
    I spoke with an armorer years ago who said he had done this. If he had an AR that would not windage zero, he would lay the rifle on sand bags and whack the FSB with a soft lead mallet. I opted to buy tools to loosen the barrel nut to rectify the problem.

    The front sight base needs to rotate in the opposite direction you want the bullet to impact on target. If I have a carbine that is shooting right with the rear sight adjusted all the way to the left, I loosen the barrel nut, insert a wood dowel rod in the front sight base and apply CCW pressure while I tighten the barrel nut. In most cases this has allowed me to adjust the rear sight to a usable part of the windage adjustment.

    The AR receiver is made of alloy, not steel, so avoid using a BFH for making adjustments.
    Last edited by T2C; 01-27-14 at 16:18.
    Train 2 Win

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Posts
    1,291
    Feedback Score
    0
    If something is out of spec, a hammer won't change that.

    Even though the hammer may have appeared to 'fix' the problem, it's not the right way, and it's not the best way.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    NoDak
    Posts
    294
    Feedback Score
    1 (100%)
    Don't let him touch your guns.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Burpelson AFB
    Posts
    1,084
    Feedback Score
    14 (100%)
    I admit to using a tire iron to zero a Busmaster, over a decade ago.

    Sent from my PG86100 using Tapatalk
    Up men! Up! And to your posts! Let no man forget today that he is from Old Virginia! - General George Pickett

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    AZ
    Posts
    27,217
    Feedback Score
    14 (100%)
    I've seen this phucktardery posted before. No forking way am I deploying a gun that's had this type of "work" done to it.
    "You people have too much time on your hands." - scottryan

  8. #8
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    Rural Bluegrass
    Posts
    48
    Feedback Score
    0
    I encountered this on my first couple builds and a brand new rifle I just got. Some uppers have a wee bit of slop in the index pin slot. Since I am using an upper vise block I found upon tightening the uppers get turned to the "wrong" side of the slop in the slot. Since the GI Method has the barrel in a barrel vice block the upper does not shift. I had to run my rear Irons all the way left to hit paper. When I figured out what the deal was I made some tiny shims out of some splattered 44 mag bullet jackets. I put them to the right of the pin in the slot ( view is looking at the upper from the muzzle end ). I then applied the Molykote P37 paste and torqued until lined up. Reassembled and bamyo...mechanical zero right on with barely a couple clicks adjustment to make them dead nutz.
    On the new rifle I just got I found in trying to zero it that some numbnutz whom installed the barrel did not even torque to 30 lbs. I disassembeled , cleaned and applied molykotte and reassembled. The index pin to slot fit was bugger tight !...no shim needed. Took 70lbs torque to line up. Zeroed with Irons with two clicks windage none on front sight. Removed Buis and zeroed ACOG like a walk in the park.
    ARE you Human , Negative , I am COG popsicle.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Location
    victorville, ca
    Posts
    48
    Feedback Score
    0
    Quote Originally Posted by markm View Post
    I've seen this phucktardery posted before. No forking way am I deploying a gun that's had this type of "work" done to it.
    Lol. I have seen it done. But proper thing to do is drop a straightness gage to make sure it's not the barrel and insure everything is lined up right. Take of the front sight post and realign it.

    but like they say if that doesn't fix it a BFH will or a tanker bar

  10. #10
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    Rural Bluegrass
    Posts
    48
    Feedback Score
    0
    PS ; I fixed a neighbors "olympic" junker with shims to the new Del-ton barrel he wanted on it. His was so out I had to file one side of the index pin slot and use a .'012" bronze shim to get sights on mech zero. But it worked and no BFH needed.
    ARE you Human , Negative , I am COG popsicle.

Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •