I now have enough time in with the GP100MC to realize that it definitely needs an adjustable rear sight. I've placed an order with Novak: https://www.novaksights.com/Detail.a...11282&CAT=9509 I concur that the factory front sight is big, a bit too big for my liking. I'll work on that next. The trigger on my example is very good. The gun has run flawlessly so far and seems like it's built to last. Best, ELN.
On Novak's web site, there is a "Sights 101" page containing the following admonition:
I have my doubts about the relative likelihood of the inertia of the front sight blade under the relatively gentle acceleration and deceleration of recoil opening up the dovetail, versus the mass of the whole gun being almost instantaneously redirected during bumps and knocks of normal handling when it involves the front sight, but I guess "Your gun has a lot of recoil" is an easier sell to most people who would purchase Novak sights than "You screwed up your gun by mishandling/abusing it."The next critical part is what we refer to the “points of contact” issue. If there is any light showing through the underside of the sight there is a chance of it “opening up” the dovetail and becoming loose from the repetitive cycling of the slide. The front sights, which are more prone to becoming loose, need the five points of contact to minimize this from happening. The five points are the front underside of the blade, both angles of the dovetail, the bottom of the dovetail, and the rear underside of the blade. Having contact with all five of those points and having the roll pin installed, as an added protective measure, will keep the front sight in place under the most extreme conditions and help prevent fatiguing or opening of the dovetail cut.
My GP100 Match Champion has already been back to Ruger and returned with nothing done about the gap under the front sight blade. Others have been told it's not a problem, and they won't fix it. This seems to be the latest approach, posted here 12/18/2017:
I'll just note that the lathe I used to make the brass pin is thoroughly worn out, to the point I don't trust it for anything serious.Originally Posted by FES313
In any case, I wanted to be sure the front sight doesn't start walking around due to the dovetail loosening, and Ruger isn't going to help me. I bedded under the front and rear of the blade with the Devcon 10110 steel-filled epoxy putty that's popular for bedding bolt-action rifles to stocks. Degreased everything thoroughly, first hosing it down with brake cleaner and then isopropyl alcohol. Applied blue masking tape to everything I didn't want epoxied, using an edge cut with sharp scissors so it would be smoother and straighter than the roll edge. Worked the edges down tightly with a wooden mixing stick cut to a chisel point. (Thanks, Starbucks!) Mixed 0.9g of putty to 0.1g of hardener thoroughly, and worked it under one side of the blade until there was a bead squeezing out the other side and the end - basically, everywhere that I wasn't forcing it in. That way, I knew the whole space was filled. Troweled away the excess, removed the masking tape, taking care to re-trowel with a clean chisel-point Starbucks stick as the first side of the masking was removed. Let it sit for 24 hours, supported in an upright position so it couldn't sag to one side.
Had this on my list to do for way too long, and it turned out to go more smoothly and easily, and work better overall, than I had expected. I guess building all those model airplanes when I was a kid paid off.
I don't know if driving the dovetail base will be able to break this bond. I do know that if I really have to change the sight one day, it will be possible to mill or grind the blade down to epoxy level, remove the epoxy, and drive the dovetail base out normally. The brushed stainless finish may show some marks, but it can be brushed again. But I don't anticipate having to change the sight. It's unlikely to move, and if I do have to remove it, the dovetail will likely retain its original geometry and tight fit on a new base, no matter what abuse it sees between now and then.
One process improvement might be to have the sight removed, degrease everything and then apply a release agent (i.e., Johnson's floor wax or Kiwi clear shoe polish) to the top of the barrel before installing the sight. Then, the epoxy would only stick to the underside of the sight blade, not the barrel.
I haven't yet reapplied any anti-corrosion oil in the photo, so it will blacken up. The little smudges that appear wet should blend just fine.
With the tuneup of the Hogue NFG grip I've described elsewhere, mainly flattening out the hunchback from the back strap, I continue to be happy with this little guy.
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Not another dime.
If the front sight were loose to begin with, and the shooter was firing large numbers of heavy loads--like 125 grain magnum ammo--recoil inertia might cause the sight to break away from the barrel. I've seen this occur on 1911 front sights which had been staked. Once loose, they soon "departed". However, comparing a front on a recoiling slide with your Ruger's sight may not be a best practice--not exactly the same by any means.
You did a neat epoxy application. Could you have accomplished the same end by roughening the sight base bottom and coating it with Loctite? I ask out of curiosity and am not implying that you should have.
Last edited by willie; 12-20-2017 at 06:41 AM. Reason: addendum
I wouldn't expect Loctite to have the same compressive strength to support the blade against fore-aft rocking motion. And the liquid would be a lot harder to get to fill the gap and then stay neatly in place until it cured. The Devcon 10110 has more of a smooth peanut butter consistency. Its dark grey color is also appropriate for the location.
Last edited by OlongJohnson; 12-20-2017 at 09:35 AM.
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So, is the front-sight gap for the Novak sights on the GP100-series not a real problem or a bet by Ruger that the cost of fixing the guns of shooters whose sights break will be less than the cost of fitting the front sights per Novak's installation instructions?
If we have to march off into the next world, let us walk there on the bodies of our enemies.
Well done! I yesterday replaced the factory rear sight with the Novak adjustable: https://www.novaksights.com/Detail.a...11282&CAT=9509. The sight comes without installation instructions. I used a brass punch and light hammer from a Wheeler kit. The "old" sight is removed from left to right. The new sight is installed from right to left. The fit was tight, but not so tight as to require any fitting. I applied blue loctite to the base of the sight and the set screw. From the Big Empty, ELN.
As noted in the quote from FES313, the brushed stainless finish on the top of the barrel would be marred by sliding a sight into a correctly-machined dovetail approximately 100 percent of the time. So people will complain about that when it comes out of the box. Unsupported sight blades can go decades in a sock drawer or closet shelf without issue.
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Back when I cleaned up the action, I also stoned the roughness off the edges of the laser-cut billboard on the slab. It felt a lot better, but the look wasn't perfectly regular. Took a little time this weekend to do a more thorough job, protecting the edges around the flats with masking tape and using 320 and 600 grit paper backed up with nice, flat blocks. Used some 1/2" round aluminum bar I had sitting on the back of my bench to get the radius near the frame. Just barely enough to remove the tool marks. All movement parallel to the bore. Looks quite nice. Can recommend it.
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Finally got the GP to the range with the Bowen Rough Country rear and the front as seen above.
Sighted in at 15 yards, since that was about as far as the indoor range went.
Had to play with windage a bit because my barrel is offset slightly to the left in the frame. It came out right when the notch was centered up on the front sight as indicated by the serrations on the top of the barrel. Logical, at least.
With the elevation cranked all the way down and bottoming, Geco 158gr .38 SPL FMJ was right on. PMC 132gr .38 SPL FMJ was a few inches low. The few rounds of Perfecta .357M FMJ I shot were a little high.
I probably won't be shooting a heck of a lot of magnums through this. I can live with a standard load of 158gr hitting dead on. I have two cases of it that I bought right before the dempanic made everything crazy, so I at least won't need to make any adjustments for awhile.
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Not another dime.
The Rough Country gives a nicer sight picture and are rock solid on my GP100.
The Ruger factory-adjustable rear has a reputation for losing adjustment, besides being a PITA to adjust with that tiny windage screw.
I also replaced the front with a 1/10” Dawson FO. My old eyes need more light.
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