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New sight needed?

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tryinhard

40 Cal.
Joined
Jul 18, 2007
Messages
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I've been shooting my T/C Hawken with the 54 cal Green Mountain drop in barrel getting ready for a hunt in Northern Missouri in December. I had it dialed in at 100 yds, cleaned it, brought it out this morning for the regular firearms opener & missed 2 does within the 100 yard mark. Brought it in & shot it at 100 again & it was 4 inches high! I could not get it to pull down to the bullseye at 100. I'm shooting 90 grains of FFF under a Hornady ball. I don't know what my patch thickness is. It seems like the screw that adjusts the rear sight up & down is awfully easy to turn. Does someone make a replacement sight that will fit without any work being done?
Thanks!
 
I've been shooting my T/C Hawken with the 54 cal Green Mountain drop in barrel getting ready for a hunt in Northern Missouri in December. I had it dialed in at 100 yds, cleaned it, brought it out this morning for the regular firearms opener & missed 2 does within the 100 yard mark. Brought it in & shot it at 100 again & it was 4 inches high! I could not get it to pull down to the bullseye at 100. I'm shooting 90 grains of FFF under a Hornady ball. I don't know what my patch thickness is. It seems like the screw that adjusts the rear sight up & down is awfully easy to turn. Does someone make a replacement sight that will fit without any work being done?
Thanks!


Before going almost exclusively to flinter with primitive sights, I shot a lot with clicker sights.

Remove the spring from a ball point spring. Cut a piece and run the elevation screw thru it. You will have some trial and error to get the length of spring correct. OR .... after determining your setting, back the screw off a full turn and apply a dab of blue LockTite on the screw threads and return the full turn.
 
I've been shooting my T/C Hawken with the 54 cal Green Mountain drop in barrel getting ready for a hunt in Northern Missouri in December. I had it dialed in at 100 yds, cleaned it, brought it out this morning for the regular firearms opener & missed 2 does within the 100 yard mark. Brought it in & shot it at 100 again & it was 4 inches high! I could not get it to pull down to the bullseye at 100. I'm shooting 90 grains of FFF under a Hornady ball. I don't know what my patch thickness is. It seems like the screw that adjusts the rear sight up & down is awfully easy to turn. Does someone make a replacement sight that will fit without any work being done?
Thanks!
If I’m understanding you correctly you’re hitting high at 100 yards and you can’t bring the POI ( point of impact ) down to your POA ( point of aim ).

Either the rear sight needs to be adjusted down or the front sight needs to be taller.

You mentioned that you have a GM drop in barrel so I’ll assume you have an adjustable rear sight.

If you have already bottomed out the rear sight by adjusting it down as far as it will go, a new adjustment spring is useless and a waist of time. I assume you have the vertical adjustment screw screwed in as far as it will go? If so, your only other option would be is to install a taller front sight and then address your week adjustment spring issue in the rear sight.

Bottom line is: You need a taller front sight if the rear sight is adjusted down as far as it will go.

Oh! There is one other option that just crossed my mind. You could deepen the rear sight notch with a small diamond file for a field expedient method. That might just be enough to lower your POI without having to change out your sights?

Respectfully, Cowboy
 
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Something changed. It may not be the sight.
Put a drop of solder on the front sight and file it to what you need.
 
Aside from it being the sights, two issues come to mind.
1. you shouldn't have missed the deer even if your gun was 4 inches high at 100. you should have still hit it. Most people have a tendency to "hold over" hold high at distance, and completely over shoot.

2. I'm not a fan of taking guns apart to clean them, especially Hawkens. they sometimes don't go back just right, and repeated removal makes them sloppy in my opinion. This can affect accuracy.
 
My gm drop in sights are the opposite problem. Need to raise the rear sight too high for my taste. I think maybe gm was not consistent in the sights they installed OR maybe there is enough bore run out to cause the problem. Seems unlikely though.

Anyway, none of that is of any help solving the problem.

I suggest you completely unscrew the rear adjustment screw and look for anything that might be preventing it from movin it's full depth. Look for the adjustment tension spring to be out of position or maybe too long.

If there are no problems there you might need a different front sight. If it's like mine, solder isn't going to work.

Also, maybe the problem lay with your shooting position or rest? A hard uncushioned rest can cause the barrel to jump. Think about how you held or rested the gun when you sighted in and when you missed the shots.
 
Thanks guys! I'll be heading to the range asap to get this figured out. December 27th is when I leave for my hunt.
 
From your description, it sounds to me like your sights may be/are innocent.

It sounds like something changed in your load or loading procedure.

Did you change your powder brand or granulation and/or powder charge?

Did you use the same powder measure?

Are you using the same lot of patches as when you sighted in or are you using new ones?

Are you using the same lube and the same amount as when you sighted in?

Does it feel like it takes the same amount of pressure to seat the ball on the powder?

Did you add or remove an over powder wad under the PRB or conical?

Did you sight in using a conical bullet and change to a PRB during the hunt?

If you did not change your sight settings between sighting in and the hunt, there is no reason for your sights to be out of adjustment. ...
Unless one of your hunting partners (if any) or perhaps one of your kid(s) or a "friend" of your kid(s) (if any) "thought" they would be "funny" and changed your sight adjustment.

It is also possible that one or both of your sights may have been damaged during transport from home to the hunting grounds.
I don't know if you used a soft case, hard case, or loose in the car trunk, behind the seat or in the bed of your pickup.
 
Well, I've stretched the original spring under the sight. It clicks better now. I do carry it in a soft case so that could have been the issue. I'm headed to see what I can do with it tomorrow. Is there possibly a way to make the grooves deeper on the screw with common tools? I do have a dremel with an engraving bit if you guys think that would work?
 
Using the Dremel tool will work just fine. Once you take the Dremel tool with the engraving bit to the screw, then you will have to get a totally new screw.

Lock the Dremel tool up until the urge to use it has passed.

A new screw might be in order in any event. A die to recut the threads is a much better choice to clean up the threads. It will be a bit of a search to find one of the correct thread pitch.
 
I've been shooting my T/C Hawken with the 54 cal Green Mountain drop in barrel getting ready for a hunt in Northern Missouri in December. I had it dialed in at 100 yds, cleaned it, brought it out this morning for the regular firearms opener & missed 2 does within the 100 yard mark. Brought it in & shot it at 100 again & it was 4 inches high! I could not get it to pull down to the bullseye at 100. I'm shooting 90 grains of FFF under a Hornady ball. I don't know what my patch thickness is. It seems like the screw that adjusts the rear sight up & down is awfully easy to turn. Does someone make a replacement sight that will fit without any work being done?
Thanks!

I HAD THE SAME PROBLEM . I PUT A SMALL PIECE OF BLACK DUCK TAPE ON IT TO STOP IT FROM MOVING .
 
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Thanks guys! I'll be heading to the range asap to get this figured out. December 27th is when I leave for my hunt.

Two thoughts on this. One, when you go to the range wear the same clothes you will be wearing while hunting. Different thickness garb can change your hold and position.
Two, if it were me, I would just remove the rear sight and replace with a fixed patridge style. That way you can zero and leave alone forever. Advice seldom given here but crucial is 'get to know yer gun'. Shoot whenever you can.
 
I've been shooting my T/C Hawken with the 54 cal Green Mountain drop in barrel getting ready for a hunt in Northern Missouri in December. I had it dialed in at 100 yds, cleaned it, brought it out this morning for the regular firearms opener & missed 2 does within the 100 yard mark. Brought it in & shot it at 100 again & it was 4 inches high! I could not get it to pull down to the bullseye at 100. I'm shooting 90 grains of FFF under a Hornady ball. I don't know what my patch thickness is. It seems like the screw that adjusts the rear sight up & down is awfully easy to turn. Does someone make a replacement sight that will fit without any work being done?
Thanks!
YOU SAD MISSES MAY NOT BE CAUSED BY YOU SIGHT BUT BY YOUR HORANADY BALL WHICH ARE OFTEN OFF WEIGHT.
THE BEST REAR SIGHT I KNOW OF IS AN REAR APERTURE SIGHT BY LYMAN (ML57) BUT YOU MIGHT TIGHTEN YOU TOO LOOSE SCREW BYY RUNNING A THREAD DOWN THE CHANNEL THAT WILLTIGHTEN THE FIT OF THE ADJUSTMENT SCREW.

DUUTCH SHOULTZ
 
I like a fixed sight once dialed in. I have several muzzleloaders with rear adjustable sights and they seem to be susceptible to some movement when handling the firearm. It seems a front loader may have more issues with this than an unmentionable because of the handling during loading.
 
I like a fixed sight once dialed in. I have several muzzleloaders with rear adjustable sights and they seem to be susceptible to some movement when handling the firearm. It seems a front loader may have more issues with this than an unmentionable because of the handling during loading.
I used a Lyman rear aperture sight that would click into a detent and stayed there. I don't think I touched them at all during my last two years of being able to shoot.
A primitive method to ensure no movement has happened:
make a small scratch on the sight that extends on to the barrel itself. If there is any movement. that scratch will not line up and you can easily tap it back in place

Dutch Schoultz
 
I have yet to get to the range. It was raining here last time I had an opportunity. Soon though! I think by stretching the spring I gave it enough tension to hold. I was thinking of using the dremel to deepen the lines on the back of the screw head so that it would catch & hold a little better. Once I get it dialed in, I plan to put thread locker on it as well. I've got to be able to depend on this sight or change it out for something else.
 
THE BEST REAR SIGHT I KNOW OF IS AN REAR APERTURE SIGHT BY LYMAN (ML57)

DUUTCH SHOULTZ

Dutch is absolutely correct on this. I struggled with the factory TC rear sight until I gave up and put a Lyman ML57 on my Hawken. They are not PC and are kind of ugly, but if your goal is to hit what you shoot at, the ML57 will help you get that done.
 
Dutch is absolutely correct on this. I struggled with the factory TC rear sight until I gave up and put a Lyman ML57 on my Hawken. They are not PC and are kind of ugly, but if your goal is to hit what you shoot at, the ML57 will help you get that done.
AT ONE OF OUR MINI MUSEMS THERE USED TO BE A GLASSED IN DISPLAY OF A GEMMER RIFLE. GEMMER BEING THE FORMER ASSISTANT TO THE HAWKEN BROTHERS WHEN THEY EFT ST. LOUIS.
THIS RIFLE HAD A COMPEX REAR SIGHT, MUCH LIKE THE LYMAN (ML57) REAR APERTURE SIGHT IN COMMPANION TO A GLOBE FRONT SIGHT. ALSO LIKE THE LYMAN GLOBE. VERY HANDY FOR A PERSON WITH FADINGG VISION. IT WAS A VERY BEATIFUL RIFLE.
I EXPECT IT AND THE THOUSAND OTHERRIFLES HAVE BEEN REMOVED AS THE LOCAL LIBERALSDECLARED ALL GUNS ICKY.
DUTCH SCHOULTZ




: 26107"]Dutch is absolutely correct on this. I struggled with the factory TC rear sight until I gave up and put a Lyman ML57 on my Hawken. They are not PC and are kind of ugly, but if your goal is to hit what you shoot at, the ML57 will help you get that done.[/QUOTE]
 
Never had a problem with the TC sight but I did have point of impact change on me when I installed the wedge upside down . Flipped the wedge and everything went back to normal .
 
Never had a problem with the TC sight but I did have point of impact change on me when I installed the wedge upside down . Flipped the wedge and everything went back to normal .
Anything you do to your rifle will effect where your ball will hit.
I meant to experiment to see what difference it made if you changed what part of the gun stock was supporting the rifle/ Like a shot with rifle resting at the balance point and then a shot with rifle's weight supported closer to the lock and the another closer to the muzzle. . But then I had to have an operation on my heart and never got around to it.
Dutch Schoultz
 
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