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Zeroing Skinner on 357 Big Boy

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Hal Copple
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Joined: Sat Feb 11, 2023 7:52 am
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Zeroing Skinner on 357 Big Boy

Post by Hal Copple » Sat Feb 11, 2023 10:51 am

New member, and reading on older threads about zeroing a 357 with Skinner rear peep. So am reviewing what has worked for me. My rifle is very accurate at about 75 yards with the Henry sights, but shooting into the sun was almost impossible to focus on the sights, hence just not working for me in the late afternoon. My cartridges are my own reloads, Starline brass, near max powder under Extreme plated 158gr RNFP's. I'll post my chrono data in another thread.

So put on the Skinner peep with the smaller orifice and just couldn't get any adequate group, and my hits at about 50 and 75 yards were way too high, as much as 8+ inches. So put on a taller Skinner Patridge front sight, and found the front sight was canted slightly left, as if the barrel was screwed a few degrees too tightly into the receiver. So Sent to Henry, and it was back in a week, new barrel and mag tube, with standard sights. Even replaced the stock for a small crack I had never noted.

Removed the bead "Sourdough" front sight, tapped in the taller Patridge, and began to file down the top of the front taller Patridge little by little at the range, holding my rifle in my lap. Dabbed some hi-vis white paint on the sight, and it didn't take long to move my impacts off a sandbag to a perfect 2-3 inch bull. I wanted my peep to be about in the middle of its adjustment.

I have been shooting long enough to know when my accuracy is as good as I am going to get with my glasses and old eyes, and ability to precisely aim at the same spot on a target with a wide front sight.

Here is how I removed and installed the front sights. First, never file the barrel's cut, only work on the sight, because if you make a mistake, it is only a few bucks to source another sight, and not ruin a barrel. I put the rifle side down on my workbench, a small piece of wood under the muzzle and applied heat to the muzzle with a heat gun, then held a ice cube to the sight's base, trying to add perhaps a thousand's of an inch clearance to remove the sight. Tapped out with a brass punch. Then removed an tiny bit of the new sigh's base with a fine diamond stone, and used a fine file to every so slightly open the new sights's grooves.

To install, again heat to the muzzle, ice to the new sight, and once I could easily tap it in about half way, removing several times to again stone the sight's base, finally tapped the sight fully in. Done. Applied a little dark blue to the sight flats, then to the range per above with my file to shorten the front sight about 20 thousands of an inch, so that it zero's with the rear peep mid way between high and low, with my particular loads.

Looking over the suggested ballistics of my reloads, it seems that it will shoot with only about a two inch drop out to about 150 yards, then it starts to drop a lot more. So a zero at 70 yards will be within several inches out to that distance. I don't hunt, so for my recreation shooting, I am all good to go.

I will post my chrono data in that thread later. I really enjoy my first lever, after many thousands of rounds with every other sort of firearm, including a lot of full auto SMG's. Sort of like the enjoyment of driving a stick shift car, having something other to do than just steer.

All the best.. NAM VET
9 x

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Rifletom
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Re: Zeroing Skinner on 357 Big Boy

Post by Rifletom » Sun Feb 12, 2023 2:58 pm

Seems like you're on the right track Hal. And thank you for your service! Welcome aboard.
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GaCop
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Location: Warner Robins, Ga
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Re: Zeroing Skinner on 357 Big Boy

Post by GaCop » Wed Mar 29, 2023 7:50 am

Just installed Skinner's on my Big Boy yesterday. Good information. I have a Universal Sight mounting tool and will try that to remove/install a new front sight if that becomes necessary. The rear sight was very easy to remove and I replaced them with a filler I ordered from Skinner. The dovetail filler did require some filing before it would fit.
2 x
Vietnam Vet 6/66 to 12/67

GaCop
Tenderfoot
Posts: 40
Joined: Mon Mar 13, 2023 8:17 am
Location: Warner Robins, Ga
United States of America

Re: Zeroing Skinner on 357 Big Boy

Post by GaCop » Sun Apr 16, 2023 6:50 am

Replaced the factory brass bead front sight with a taller (.600'). Got the front sight regulated POA/POI at 70 yards now. Surprisingly, 180 grain cast, 158 gr plated FP and 125 grain JHPs print very close to POA.
2 x
Vietnam Vet 6/66 to 12/67

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