Confusion Over Sights On A Smoothbore

[Dave Rosenthal]

I've been using my 10 ga. Pedersoli SxS percussion shotgun with patched round balls in our Club's Smoothbore division. Fired a Match in March, came in first place. Shot the same gun yesterday at the same Club and now my scores for BOTH Matches get thrown-out cause the shotgun has two beads, one in the middle and one at the muzzle :idunno: .

I don't quite understand what all of the fuss is about, especially since neither bead is directly over a barrel (they're mounted on the metal holding the two barrels together) and the barrels aren't "regulated" to shoot to point of aim. So in effect, I feel that I have the greater handicap since I'm shooting an unregulated barrel with a .715 round ball and a spit patch, which requires that I lob the balls into the target by guestimating how much to "hold-over" at any given distance, and having to hold off-center due to non-regulation of the barrel to the beads. I can only see the one bead anyways, and everything has just been a guess.

Can anyone show me what I'm missing? What about "sighted Smoothbore" designation?

All help cheerfully accepted.

Dave

 

[rabjr]

Can't you remove the middle bead for your shoots and then replace for normal shooting?

 

[Stumpkiller]

Fired a Match in March, came in first place.

There's the problem. If you had come in last place it would still be OK. Someone has a sour grape lodged up their nose and whined about it.

 

[rabjr]

One of these little tools takes care of your problem right quick.
http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/cid...bmit=y/Products/All/search=shotgun_sight_tool

 

[roundball]

Can anyone show me what I'm missing?

All help cheerfully accepted.
Dave

Yes, you may be missing the fact that others don't like it that you won with a lowly mass produced SxS.
:grin:


If it was an established rule, it may be that having won, somebody only just now looked at what you were using close enough to notice the double beads.

If it was not an existing rule, it may be that someone...not liking that you won...then decided to make an issue out of it.

Anyhow, you have my congratulations, winning with that SxS howitzer, no matter how many beads it had on it.

:hatsoff:

 

[Britsmoothy]

Those beads were screw in on mine, screw it out and go woop m' again :thumbsup:

B.

 

[Chilidog]

Fired a Match in March, came in first place.

There's the problem. If you had come in last place it would still be OK. Someone has a sour grape lodged up their nose and whined about it.

Yep...

Congrats on your score. :hatsoff:

 

[rabjr]

Hmm just Brownells comes up. :hmm:

I put "shotgun sight tool" in the search.

 

[rafterob]

What about "sighted Smoothbore" designation

Haven't seen that one yet.Some clubs won't bother too much but typically smooth bore class does not allow a rear sight. You couldn't win the argument that its not a "rear" sight its a "middle" sight?

 

[Dave Rosenthal]

Never tried doing that so I'll have to see if it can be put back in without losing it too easy :hmm: . Hopefully I won't lose it while bird hunting due to stripped threads or something.

I'll check later tonight when I clean the monster :wink: . Does it take a special tool or should it come out by hand?

Thanks Rich!

Dave

 

[rabjr]

Not sure why that link won't work now but I searched "shotgun sight tool" at brownell's and a list of them came up, I just scanned the prices quick and saw for about 7, 8 bucks you can get a install/removal tool that will allow you to keep using your gun in matches. You might have to go to brownells.com and register, sign in to search but it shouldn't be that way. The little tools allow you to do it without marring the bead up.

 

[Dave Rosenthal]

My biggest B with an itch attached is that I showed the gun to two or three members of the "Shoot Committee" from our Club, and explained what I had to do to lob the rounds in with extreme hold-over at 50 yards BACK IN MARCHand only after I shot the SECOND full Match out of four that count towards "Smoothbore Champion" did they change their minds.

I'm tempted to ask that my scores get posted as if they were in the Percussion Rifle Division, so at least I have a snowball's chance in the yearly aggregate score for THAT Division. After-all if I don't even have rifling for half of my scores, can somebody cry about that? :idunno:

I'm a good Sportsman, and I never complained about what ever anybody else was using. Just doesn't seem right......

Dave

 

[rabjr]

Dunno if this will work but its called "shotgun sight installers"
http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=879/Product/SHOTGUN_SIGHT_INSTALLERS

 

[MSW]

I agree with Swampy & Stumpkiller... you're the victim of 'sour grapes' who doesn't even have the stones to complain in public.

Sad to see that kind of behavior in the shooting community.

 

[hoochiepapa]

Sad that it's everywhere.

 

I have front and rear sights on the factory .56 T/C SB that I recently became the proud owner of. Your smoothy is factory set up. All I can say is factory gun sight set ups should be allowed. Does anyone think that an original smoothbor rifle/shotgun used for protection, big game or birds never had a sighting set up.

 

[Dave Rosenthal]

I saw the wording for sighted smoothbore on the NMLRA web site. It was listed in a Territorial Match List on the site.

 

[Dave Rosenthal]

Thanks Bill,

I appreciate your perspective on this.

I'm a Sportsman that usually doesn't complain about anything or anybody. I already earned Cap Lock Champion last year with this Club.

I enjoy going there and will continue to do so.

Maybe I should ask for my scores with the 10 ga. to be credited as if I shot them with a rifle, just so that I have SOME points on the board, since half of the Shoots that count towards the Championship have now been shot..... :idunno:

 

[tg]

Many original smoothbores had rear sights from all nations current smoothbore shoots usually do not allow them, how far ahead of the breech or the style is likely a moot point, it is best to get the issue clarified on paper before the event so there is no problem, I think many trade gun shoots are single barrel only, I understand seperating guns with and without rear sights but some consistency is in order.BTW nice shooting which is likley the main issue here.

 

[Stumpkiller]

http://www.brownells.com/userdocs/learn/Inst-590 Shotgun Sight Installe.pdf

It's basically a pin vice or collet chuck with a handle. The jaws are "cherried out" to fit a bead and may also be relativey soft to keep from digging up the barrel or bead.

I had one of the first T/C New Englander kits and the bead they sent wasn't near the same thread as the hole tapped in the barrel. A local gunsmith swapped me the bead for a proper fitting one and installed it nicely with one of these type of tools.