went to the range yesterday...

Took my Ruger Mark 3 to the Surplus City range yesterday to shoot out some stress. While there I decided to shoot my 357s and 44 mag some. The latter is what this thread is about.

I started off shooting at 25 yards. I was hitting high! I adjusted the rear sight all the way down and was still hitting high. What I was doing was holding the front sight level with the rear and holding on top of the target's dot.

After a few rounds of trying different things (on the dot, under the dot, etc) it became aparrent I was doing something majorly wrong. Then I thought I remembered reading something once about holding the bottom of the notch of the rear sight even with the bottom of the red insert on the front ramp and holding the bottom of the target just even with the top of the front sight. Not sure if I explained it right (will add a picture later) but I tried that and my groups instantly closed in.

After a few more shots at 25 and 50, I put a fresh target in and put 6 rounds through it at 50 and stacked 4 of the 6 into a circle that is a little less than 5.5" diameter. First shot was an inch under and I pulled #6, putting it 2" out of the circle.

Won't win a bulls eye competition, but this will be a deer/ hog hunting gun and I think that is more than adequate for its intended use.
I'm excited because it is the first time I have shot a handgun over 15 yards in about 18-20 years. And its the first time ever that I took one out to 50!!

I was shooting with my 8" barrel and the ammo was winchester white box 240 gr jacketed soft points
http://www.danwessonforum.com/wp-content/gallery/joe-s/signature/IMG00115.jpg

target...
http://www.danwessonforum.com/wp-content/gallery/joe-s/signature/IMG00116.jpg

sight picture to get it to hit the black, rather than 6" above it.
http://www.danwessonforum.com/wp-content/gallery/joe-s/signature/sight-picture-dw.JPG

Good shooting..... but odd sight picture.

However, IT WORKS.

.

Odd - I agree!! BUT if it works, go for it!! Nice looking pistol you have there!!

Nice pistol, alway's liked Dan Wesson's. Never owned one but did shoot my brother's .357.
What would you estimate the distance is between the top of the sight and the top of steel part of the sight? From the gun pictures, it looks like the top of the red is about a the top of the actual sight making them one and the same.

Red takes up about the top half of the front sight

I talked to my brother and he thinks he still has the owner's manual and would check what it said. He was not at home just now.