Want New Sights - Need Advice

Can I get a 'precision' sight for my rifle? I don't want a scope. But something that would marry up with the peep sight and give me a better sight picture would sure help. I am tired of holding the gun for long periods, trying to find my sight picture. I want a 'natural' sight that finds my eye when I shoulder the gun. Right now, I'm hunting for my sight picture. It's frustrating.

I'm currently shooting 2 different barrels on my TC Hawken. I have the factory .45 barrel and a Green Mountain .54 barrel.

I really hate the factory TC sights on the .45 barrel. The log shallow Vee shape with a dip in the middle and the round bead on the front sights -- drives me nuts. Don't like the sight picture. I have a hard time judging how deep into the Vee I should set that front bead. My elevation is always up and down from shot to shot, due to inconsistency in how deep I draw that front bead down into the Vee.

The sights on the GM .54 barrel are better. When I first got that barrel, I loved the sights. The Vee taper is not as sharp. It's more flat across the top. The bead on the front sight is much smaller, so when I do get my sight picture, the bead kinda sits right down into the Vee on the rear sight. Shot to shot consistency is pretty good. Seems like the sights kind of 'fit' or 'seat' together better.

Last weekend, I installed a Lyman peep sight on the Hawken. http://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/883/1/RS-57-SML

HOLY COW!!!!! :shocked2: I really like how the peep sight forces your eye to look at the front sight. Sort of a tunnel vision effect. But I still don't like the rear Vee on the rear sights of either barrel. I'd prefer a straight, flat sight.

I'm wondering if a globe front sight would suit me, but I've never tried one.

This is the TC sight. Slow sloping Vee


This is the Williams sight on the GM barrel. More shallow, but still reletively identical to the TC.


This is the TC Patriot pistol rear sight. I LIKE this sight a lot. The front sight is a square. It's very easy to fill the rear sight with the front one. Get the elevation lined up. Look for a little daylight on each side of the front sight. Squeeze and fire.

My factory .54 Renegade barrel had a rear sight much like the TC Patriot pistol rear sight you like. I took a file to it and cut away some of each side of the notch while maintaining the squared notch. it gave me a sight picture with a little daylight showing on each side of the front sight blade. My tired old eyes liked it better that way. It looks like "B" below only not as wide.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipe...ight_types.svg/600px-Open_sight_types.svg.png

I use a TC Hunter tang mounted peep sight on my GM barrel and my old eyes like it even more.

most of the renegade sights i've seen have the flat top/square notch rear sight. but it seems to me like if the peep's workin' so good for ya(and they really help my old eyes), ya'd just take the rear barrel sight off. for what it's worth and have a good'en friend, bubba.

Yes, thats how the Patriot pistol sights look. Like 'B'

Thats what I want. But I can't seam to find a rear sight that is adjustable and has that square notch. I could maybe file the factory TC sight with a flat file and open up the center portion to square it up.

I don't shoot competition, and I don't care about HC/PC. I am shooting a TC Hawken, afterall. I'm after a set of good hunting sights. I want to be able to shoulder the rifle and have the sights line up almost naturally, without having to hunt in order to get the right sight picture. For some reason, round beads and Vee notches don't work well with my eyeballs and what little grey matter remains between my ears. :haha:

I think I'll buy this globe sight for the front. A couple of the inserts appear to be flat/square and might work if I can get the relief correct on the rear sight, after filing. http://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/875/1/FS-17-AHB

Depends on your front sight. If you have a bead - either #1 or #2. If you have a post/ramp - #3.

I have sights like your #1 on my .22LR pump and Hastings Paradox barrel (Williams Sights) on my 11-87 rifled slug shotgun. Gold bead on the .22 & white bead on the slug-gun. I really like these for hunting.

My flintlock rifle, all my percussion rifles and all my c.f. & rimfire pistols have a sight like #3 (as does my Beeman pellet rifle) with a rectangular/partridge front sight - some ramp, some post and some undercut. Great for target and good for most hunting.

Be sure to leave about 1/3 the apparent front sight's width on either side if you intend a low light sight for hunting conditions in the woods.

I much prefer these sights now :haha:

I ain't that old, yet. ;-)

I'll just skip the rear sight and go with a smoothbore. If I can't see the sights I likely can't see the deer very well, either. :haha:

T/C sites,,Renegade "Partridge Style" on the left.



You can still find the Renegade site if you keep an eye on the auctions,

I don't like the rear sight on my TC Hawken either. The front is ok, better if bigger. Been making "trial" sights with black construction paper, just like kids use. Different colors just need a black marker. A little sissor work, some tape and you can see where a change is needed.
So far a shallow V and a wider front seems most comfortable. Still havn't decided between a 1/8 bead or square. Light gold front is very nice (from a candy wrapper) against brown forest background, or snow.
You can sure find out quickly where to locate the rear sight for the focus that you need.
Woodbutcher

ChrisHarris said:

Can I get a 'precision' sight for my rifle?

Click to expand...

Brownell's is one place to check that has tons of various sights...mounting holes might not line up and some drilling / tapping might be required.

This is the TC sight. Slow sloping Vee

Click to expand...

That image reminds me of T/C's early style 'wide-view' rear sight...they use a more narrow rear sight assembly on their round ball barrels with a slightly deeper notch which I found gave better precision.
I adjusted the sights with the sight picture having the front bead resting down on the bottom of the notch in the same position every time so it was consistent every time.

Old style wide view left...new style, more narrow on the right:

Thanks for the pics Roundball. I definitely have the older sight on the left.

And Necchi thank you for the pics of the Renegade. I'm on a mission to find one of those now.

Yep, the picture Necchi posted (one on the left) is the TC Renegade rear sight I filed open a little bit.
Here is a link to the style front sight I used with the rear.
HTH
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Thompson-C...365?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19d0ad5b0d

I bought a set of the Williams sights on fleebay for about $15. They came from a GM .54 drop-in barrel for the TC Hawken. I already have a set of those, but I am going to try and file this 2nd set to suit my needs.

Still on the hunt for a Renegade sight and also a sight for the TC Contender pistol. A member here sent a PM and said the Contender sight will mount up to the factory TC .45 Hawken barrel.

Going to order that globe sight tomorrow.

The Lyman globe front sight is great. Several different sizes of appertures (Williams sight co)and you can play around and see what you like for hunting and target shooting. The best part of the Lyman globe is all the different inserts you can try.

if you are searching that much you may need to address the LOP on your gun.

This is the best sight I've developed, here on my .58 fullstock flint Hawken I built, shooting at milk jugs at 170 yards. The rear sight is in the normal place on the barrel with a .185 hole that breaks out the top. The top is .400 high and the center of the hole is .340 high. The front sight is .100 thick steel and .240 high. I built it to be zero with elk hunting loads at 100 yards with the top of the front sight CENTERED in the rear sight hole. Then when I aim with the blade at the top, as here, that gives me a new zero at about this range, I forget exactly what yardage.

This is the same kind of sight on a .50 flintlock I built. It is not a peep sight, just an open sight with a round notch.

Some testing done with this sight, 50 yards from rest.

Same rifle shot at 100 yards from rest, with different sight pictures. On the right group, I did not cheek the stock for shot #5, way to the left. I had enough recoil from this testing series that my cheek was tender. This sight is very easy to use.

How about a full or semi buck horn. It draws your eye right in almost like a peep sight.

Dusty 14 said:

if you are searching that much you may need to address the LOP on your gun.

Click to expand...

It's not the LOP. It's a TC Hawken. Not exactly a long stock. I'm short (5'8") and that stock fits me pretty good.

I don't really like the buckhorn or the kind with a round hole. Thats the problem I'm having right now... the round bottom on the sights I have now is hard for me to 'get on'

I've decided to go with a partridge style. I really like being able to have a flat square rear sight and a square front sight that lines up with just a snerch of daylighton eihter side.

Really appreciate the suggestions fellas. I'll post back after I get the sights installed and show ya some pictures. :hatsoff:

Darn edit feature must be quick.

I just ordered the Lyman globe sight from TOW. Also ordered a 3/8 hickory ram rod. I hate those stupid synthetic ones. They're ugly.