Poa Vs Poi With Fixed Sights

[alzo]

At 10 yards, my POI is about 1 inch high and 1 inch left of my POA. Of course there is a little variation here and there, but if I am concentrating I can usually shoot tight groups, but they are always a little high and left.

I have heard that high/left can be caused by anticipating recoil. I'm not ruling it out, but if I'm doing it, I'm doing it very consistently.

My real question is whether I should have the sights (fixed sights) adjusted by the manufacturer or a gunsmith, or if they are "close enough", and I am being too picky.

Any thoughts or suggestions ? What is considered acceptable with respect to POI vs POA ?

[AikiDale]

A simple starting point for your testing may be to have another, preferably better, shooter fire a group with your pistol and see if that reveals any new information.

[JD45]

With most .45s an inch high at ten yards should work great.

First decide what load you will shoot for competition and check the windage at 25yds. Fifty yards would even be better if you can shoot well from a benchrest. If the windage is off, find a big hammer and a brass or delrin punch and drift the rear sight.

I must add one trick that I believe helps. Shoot groups from the bench, prone, and standing. See if the windage is the same for all three. You need to find a common denominator.

For example, say your standing and prone groups are always about 1 1/2 inches to the left of your benchrest groups. Split the difference, or correct closer to the standing groups.

As far as elevation goes, check at 25-50 yds. and see if you can live with it.

[alzo]

I don't know any better shooters than myself, not because I'm so great, but because we don't have a burgeoning shooting community here. Most of the guys I see at the range on either side of me seem to be there trying shooting for the first time just to do something different that day. If I ever notice someone shooting decent groups, I will surely ask.

I've had the gun for three years and have had plenty of different brands of ammo through it, all 230gr, which is what I shoot. The gun has fixed, tritium sights on it. I tried loosening the set screw and drifting the sight with a wood dowel and hammer, but it wouldn't budge. I didn't want to go wailing on it for fear of damaging the tritium tubes in the sight.

So, before I go packing it off to have this done, I was just doing a sanity check....i.e.- is it already close enough and I'm making a big deal out of nothing, or should I go ahead and get the sights adjusted ?

[benos]

alzo,

Zero your pistol so it's "dead on" (POA and POI coincide) at 25 yds. 10 yds is too close. If your pistol's an inch left at 10 yds, in theory it will be approx. 2.5" left at 25 yds, which is not acceptable if you want to call your pistol "zeroed."

It's very common for a factory, fixed-sighted pistol to not be zeroed "out of the box." There's just too many variables involved. Between your vision, grip, and bullet weight and the velocity of the ammo - very seldom will a factory gun be zeroed.

be

[usmc1974]

10 or 25 yards samee samee with 45 fixed