Making a front sight shade for my Hawken

[Crawfish]

I bit the bullet and put a Lyman peep sight on my T/C Hawken. I don’t like the way it looks, but I can see the difference in group size. I put a German silver front sight on it, which looks great. However, if the sun is at the right angle, the sight looks like a super nova. I tried soot, and even a black sharpie with not much success.
some of the guys at Talking Rock Black Powder club use sight shades.
i am curious how a sight shade could be made to work on a Hawken barrel. I made a dummy from toilet paper cardboard, and immediately thought I may just have to live with the super nova look.
I have tried just using masking tape, which works well, but I have a small sheet of copper just sitting there whining about not being used.
thanks in advance.

 

[Crawfish]

Masking tape photo just for effect, loop in practice must be much shorter

 

[64Springer]

Magnets.

It's the newest thing in getting stuff to stick to steel.

 

[Grimord]

I've made front site shaders out of 1" black PVC well pipe. I cut a slot so that with some expanding of the tube, it fits on the side flats of the barrel. Cheap, and seems to work for the times I need it.

 

[HSmithTX]

If I were trying to prototype something for a front sight shade I'd probably look to tubing, copper or brass if you can find it so you can blacken or tarnish it to remove glare potential. It'd be easy to solder to the front sight and remove if it doesn't work or refine and finalize if you like it.

 

[Crawfish]

I am ok as a solderer, but no Ace. Anything special needed to solder on to front sight dovetail?
It will take a lot of heat to get that dovetail area hot enough, I think

 

[Crawfish]

I do have a lot of super magnets I use on my model planes

 

[64Springer]

I do have a lot of super magnets I use on my model planes

You don't need super magnets.

Especially if they scratch surfaces.

Buy some of that rubberized strip magnet stuff.

Won't harm your finish.

 

[longcruise]

A piece of pex of the right size shot with flat black and split to slide on. I don't use them but see them on others rifles. Some have them on the rear too.

 

[Crawfish]

I took a piece of the cardboard, modified it a bit, and stuck it on with magnets. Easily removeable. I’ll make one from the copper, experiment with it. Magnets won’t look any worse than the peep sight does.

 

[Grenadier1758]

Most of the chunk gun shooters at my club, the chunk gun matches and bench rest matches are the only ones that allow the use of shaders, use a sheet of copper formed to slide on the barrel. So very frugal me, I use the slit toilet paper tube or an old plastic shower rod cover that slides on the barrel.

 

[Larry (Omaha)]

I do have a lot of super magnets I use on my model planes

Forget the magnets!! I tried a magnet once for a smooth bore removable temp rear sight. The mag worked somewhat OK, but the issue for me was anytime you got close to other ferris metal, it wanted to stick to that also. Not a good idea in my opinion.
Larry

 

[Crawfish]

Ha, I can hear the things jumping off the bench and pinging into the magnets! At least no more lost Allen wrenches!

 

[Crawfish]

Or big pliers! I’ll try it out and see how it works! hoping recoil will not be a problem.
it may just be another failed experiment, but fun doing-and it might just work!

 

[Crawfish]

Looks a little low rent, but so do I. As to whether or not it works, as they say in the South, “I’m fixin’ to find out”!

 

[Crawfish]

Thanks everyone, for the suggestions!

 

[necchi]

Why not just put the original front blade back on?

 

[Crawfish]

Did not like the original Hawken sights, so I switched.

 

[HSmithTX]

You would want to remove the sight to solder it on, easy enough to mark and replace where it was.

 

[Rifleman1776]

I've made front site shaders out of 1" black PVC well pipe. I cut a slot so that with some expanding of the tube, it fits on the side flats of the barrel. Cheap, and seems to work for the times I need it.

I've done that also. Works well and can be removed easily. Not so useful in the field but fine on the range. For field tape on.