Peep Sight on flintlock?

rusticbob said:

Darkhorse, I am interested in your homemade peep sight. It looks like something I might need. Care to elaborate? What is it made of? How is it attached? More pictures would be great.

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Sure, I don't mind at all. It's going to be at least a few days before I can get it all ready to post so just check back until you see it.

I can shoot until close to legal quitting time in most environments. Of course I can see better in a field than in thick, dark woods. What I do after the sight is installed is to shoot it a few times to get a baseline, then using # drills I open the hole 1 size and shoot for effect. I do this until I can clearly see the body of the deer and make an accurate shot at my chosen distance.
I found some fingernail polish that's almost blaze orange in color. It even glows a little right at last light. I paint the back slope of my front sight with this polish. The bright orange serves to prevent the front sight from getting lost in dim light against dark woods. Combining the larger hole in the peep and the visible front sight allows me to shoot earlier and later than I can with open Iron sights.

Thank you, many of us, me included, have trouble seeing conventional rear sights, but a large hole peep, or "ghost ring" are ok. Thanks in advance.

Be very careful about putting a dovetail right over the breech end of the barrel. The pressure is highest there. Some barrels may not be safe depending on the remaining wall thickness. This also goes for putting a dovetail over the plug threads too. Putting the peep in the tang is safer and puts the peep closer to the eye, where it should be.

Scota@4570 said:

Be very careful about putting a dovetail right over the breech end of the barrel. The pressure is highest there. Some barrels may not be safe depending on the remaining wall thickness. This also goes for putting a dovetail over the plug threads too. Putting the peep in the tang is safer and puts the peep closer to the eye, where it should be.

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I agree 100%. You have to understand the barrel thickness and assume you will be going directly over a groove...the thinnest part...do the calculations and know that the remaining steel is plenty to take the pressures.

Since a Johnson peep sight cannot be mounted on the tang, the only choices are to drill holes, put in a very thin dovetail, or directly solder it to the breech if that's the type of sight you want.

Peep sights are certainly not historical for anything I want to do, but if you have to have one, you have to have one. My eyesight has deteriorated the past few years, and I actually find I like peep sights less than before. So far, I can still see normal sights just fine.

I don't know where I got these photos, so I hope I'm not offending anyone posting this. Here's a Boyer heavy target rifle with an adjustable peep sight.

There was a time when being Historically Correct had value for me, but now it doesn't mean anything. I can no longer shoot iron sights accurately but I can shoot a rear peep to great effect. So to stay in the game I decided to go with the peep.
I agree about cutting dovetails near the breech but my peeps are mounted on a 10-32 peg threaded through the tang just behind the breech plug.
Besides the number of deer taken after I fit the peep sights here is another reason I like them.

Rifleman had commented on changes Dave Person made to the Johnson Peep sight. I asked him about it and he directed me to the build pics of the rifle Dave made for him. Dave made some very interesting and functional changes that allow additional adjustability to the peep, moving it further back the way a peep really should be, yet still allow access to the tang bolt and gets the attachment point off the breech, so no more concern over creating a weak point at this critical area of the barrel.

For anyone else interested in seeing these modifications, that most anyone could do, I'm attaching the link to the pics and Dave's tutorial on what he did and why. Note the big aperture disk is just screwed in to the normal Johnson, so one could still use any aperture they desired.

https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/building-a-chambers-little-fellas-rifle.110688/page-3

Used to have peeps front and rear on target rifle. Had to change to post in front acct. could no longer see where in black I was on target and where on fur I was with game.

First and foremost, one needs to see well to hit target or game. If a peep helps you to shoot better that's all the excuse/permission you need. Do it!

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Lowell Haarer ghost ring

A full Buckhorn can be used as a Ghost Ring also.

the last gun I bought (cabelas/petersoli) has a full buckhorn rear sight. when sighting it in I stopped filing the front sight down at the point where the buckhorn works as a ghost ring. works well for me, but not when someone else shoots it "i usually forget to mention it to them". all my hunting guns have peeps (homemade) some are pretty crude/redneck looking but work well.

Rear apertures were used on some crossbows....
I have a shortened original matchlock barrel used on a later Arabic gun "modernized" with a Brown Bess lock.
It has a rear Aperature integral with a raised potion of the tang.

I quit shooting Aperature-sighted rifle at matches & roundyvoos & went to shooting trade gun to get away from the rule-book police.
Now that I only shoot by myself, I added an open sight to my fusil.

I think the various pix of simple Aperature sights are "in the spirit" of what we try to re-create.
A micrometer adj. target sight would not be, but if that's what it takes for YOU to be able to take squirrels or make a humane killing shot on larger game, that is YOUR "business" & no one else's.
Davo

I have a TC Hawken that i fit an L&R flintlock to, then added a GM 62 Cal smooth barrel rifled by Mr. Rayl
The open sights would not stay in focus so I removed the rear sight and installed a Skinner Sights lo pro peep in the screw hole by the hammer
This is a single screw stud with the peep mounted on it. I have never been so happy with a sight on a bp rifle
This simple solution is serving me very well.
The .62 barrel is a real shooter with the sight

Hamourkiller said:

I have a TC Hawken that i fit an L&R flintlock to, then added a GM 62 Cal smooth barrel rifled by Mr. Rayl
The open sights would not stay in focus so I removed the rear sight and installed a Skinner Sights lo pro peep in the screw hole by the hammer
This is a single screw stud with the peep mounted on it. I have never been so happy with a sight on a bp rifle
This simple solution is serving me very well.
The .62 barrel is a real shooter with the sight

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Would you have any photos of the sight Hamourkiller to post here?

Best regards, Skychief.

The Skinner Lo Pro looks like a great option. A tad of height adjustability. Very unobtrusive. Simple install. Can be mounted back on the tang. Available blued, brass, or stainless. Kind of pricey for what it is though.

Here are 3 options made for the TC Renegade/Hawken.

Williams, and 2 OEM Thompson Center sights.

Hi,
Here is Rifleman's gun and sight.







It is made from a Johnson peep but changed a lot and allows elevation adjustment.
dave

talking about peeps sight on a flintlock. looking at putting one of these on my deerstalker..
RMC Aim-Right Closed Peep Sights and this one
Lyman 57SML using it to hunt with.. the lyman cost more.. looks like the lyman would be better to hunt with??.. thanks michael

michael mcghee said:

talking about peeps sight on a flintlock. looking at putting one of these on my deerstalker..
RMC Aim-Right Closed Peep Sights and this one
Lyman 57SML using it to hunt with.. the lyman cost more.. looks like the lyman would be better to hunt with??.. thanks michael

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The Lyman is a "receiver sight" so it will be close to your eye, the RMC fits in the conventional rear sight slot, so it is far from your eye. So it depends on your vision, but I think receiver placement is better for me. I have both.