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Hitting high

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Joined
Nov 24, 2018
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Location
NW Missouri
I pulled my .45 flintlock rifle out on Monday for some load development. Tried. 440 and .445 balls with patching from .007 through .017 and charges of 50-75 gr fffg Swiss. All hits were 7-8" high at 50 yards and 5-6" high at 85 yards. Only thing i knew to do was cut a deeper notch in the rear sight. I did that and now to hit point of aim, the front sight has to be in the middle, vertically, of the rear sight. My question is, do I file the rear sight, which is flat across, down so that the front sight sits like it should? I was thinking of using a round file to bring the middle of the flat down??? Your thoughts...

Thanks and God bless,
Rodd
 
Just my opinion but I wouldn't. If the front sight is dovetailed it would be easier to get a taller front sight. My father filed the rear sight down on an Enfield Musketoon and its very hard to get a good sight picture. He should have cut the front and brazed on a taller front.
 
My Crockett rifle was shooting very high as well. I changed the front sight to a taller one, 1/2 inch, ( I think it was ).
It then was shooting too low, so I filed off about 1/8 inch and now it's dead on.
 
If the front sight is dovetailed it would be easier to get a taller front sight.
Agreed, if a .45 round ball is hitting that high at 50 then you probably could do with a taller front sight and then file THAT down until your sight picture is as you want for where you want to hit.

LD
 
Well, to me, for my usues, it largely depends on what I am are shooting at, how far away it is, and why.

If this is a hunting load you are developing, I would be interested in seeing where it landed at 100 yards, what kind of game you are after and what you felt were the ranges you would be afforded shots, and were willing/able to take them.

Given the 85 yard figures you give in relation to the 50 yard ones, it is apparent the ball is past its peak trajectory and as round balls fired from a muzzleloader lose their energy rather quickly, I am going to guess that you are going to be pretty close to dead on at 100, and if your objective is to hunt and your game is something like a deer, then you are pretty close to maximum point blank range(MPBR), or the greatest distance which you can hold "dead on" and still connect with the vital zone.

MPBR helps while hunting when ranging may not be absolutely accurate as it gives you a good chance of connecting for the longest distance.. Your MPBR may even be good out to a little past 100 yds. depending where you print at 100. I don;t know about you, but the older I get the more difficult it is for my eyes to tell the difference between 85 yards and 105 yards.

Now if you are shooting paper targets at known ranges of 50 yards, 85 yards, etc. then I would consider replacing the front sight with an appropriately taller one, or even having a set of them for varying ranges.
 
I'd look at the rifle as a whole then decide on what to do with the sights. Since you can cheek the rifle now lowering the rear sight may be the better solution. Very tall sights can not only look shoddy but be rough on your gun case.
 
Take your soldering iron and put a drop of solder on the front sight blade. Then file it to shape. Takes about 10 min. and is reversible. You could also solder a small piece of brass on the blade. Once you find the height you need then you will know what to do for the permanent fix. Because some of my rifles have engraved front sights worth saving, I usually just leave the solder and go shooting.
 
Your thoughts...
Thanks and God bless,
Rodd
Lots of good suggestions already replied, but here is my take. My sights are at my preferred height. Too high is aesthetically wrong. Too low and you get heat mirage causing target distortion. If it were my gun, I would do what keeps or changes the heights to my preference. In your case if you decide to adjust the rear sight, a file that fits the configuration of the rear sight is needed. If the top of the rear sight slot is flat.....use a flat file. If it is V shaped or U shaped, then a three corner or a radius file etc.
Flintlocklar 🇺🇸
 
I've filed down a couple of rear sights to bring down the point of impact. For me it would depend on the design of the sight. Years ago I installed a set of TC brand primitive sights on a TC Hawken. They needed to be filed to regulate. Once I filed the rear to regulate them I was very happy. You need to be careful to keep the top of the sight flat. Often primitive sights need to be filed to regulate.
 
Thanks for the ideas! I kinda like the idea od a semi buckhorn rear instead of a straight, flat sight with a small notch. The front sight is about the right heighth aesthetically. I know that it doesn't take much to move the impact, so I'll research and choose.

Thanks again!
Rodd
 
I had a TC Hawken that was shooting high also. I pondered changing the sights but before I did that I put a straight edge on the barrel and sure enough it was bent. Using a hydraulic press and some 4x4s I straighten the barrel and now it shoots great.
 
There is a formula for calculating the amount of sight change to move a POI at a given distance on the target. Can't remember it right off. Do a search for it. "Sight correction Calculator" Distance in inches front sight to target and distance from sight to back sight with height of back sight.
 
when sighting in a new muzzleloader, my gunsmith said to fold over a piece of masking tape, sticky side against each other. Use the 'tab' ends to tape it to the front sight. Use the oversized tape to adjust the sight by cutting off small increments of tape. Then measure the sight with the tape on it, and thats how tall your sight needs to be. Clear as mud? Cant get rid of the crazy underline, sorry.
 
What is your powder charge? Maybe try a little less and see if that changes the point of impact. If not then either install a taller front sight, or if that's not an option, file down the rear sight.
 
I pulled my .45 flintlock rifle out on Monday for some load development. Tried. 440 and .445 balls with patching from .007 through .017 and charges of 50-75 gr fffg Swiss. All hits were 7-8" high at 50 yards and 5-6" high at 85 yards. Only thing i knew to do was cut a deeper notch in the rear sight. I did that and now to hit point of aim, the front sight has to be in the middle, vertically, of the rear sight. My question is, do I file the rear sight, which is flat across, down so that the front sight sits like it should? I was thinking of using a round file to bring the middle of the flat down??? Your thoughts...

Thanks and God bless,
Rodd
File a thin line across the rear sight that corresponds with the top of the front sight for 50 yards, then it looks like your sights as they sit will be good for 100 yards (based on the above post).
 
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