pc front sites

[brushbuster]

what materials can be used to make front blade sites and still stay p/c say 1740to 1790

 

[LSU TIGER]

The easist thing I found is the Harper's Ferry sights from Track of the Wolf. They're wax cast brass (yellow bronze) and clean up easy. I file them down and reshape the blade and thin it some.

 

[C_Laubach]

Brushbuster,
You could use brass, silver, and bone.

 

[Terry Zboril]

C,
How about copper?, Got an old Leman type rifle here.(perc.ca.1860's?) that is copper blade on iron, exactly .065 in height.
Yes, I know he said pre 1790, I was just wondering how early copper sights might have been seen.
Regards,
Terry

 

[Zonie]

Brass, Silver, Iron, Gold, Copper.
Brass, Silver, Gold, Copper on an iron base.

Bone and horn were used for muzzle caps as well and may have been used for the front sight, I'm not sure though. These are somewhat fragile and a stout blow might break them off.
Breaking a sight blade off would probably ruin a persons week if he were depending on it for next months food. ::

 

[C_Laubach]

Terry,
I have seen one rifle from the 1780

 

As most people of the era were pretty self sufficiant and would most likely fix a broken gun by theirself I would venture to say ANY metal of the time would be have to be classified as PC :imo: :results:

Woody

 

[brushbuster]

thanks for the input guys now my next question is .where do i measure to get a higher rear sight ,i had to make one out of bar stock steel to raise my point of impact,although it serves its purpose it dont look right on the gun.the barrel has a long dovetail so my choices are limited

 

[Zonie]

"where do i measure to get a higher rear sight..."
Question brushbuster: How tall is your front sight?

My reason for asking is everyone here keeps talking about being "PC", but I've never seen anyone take exception to the front sights on modern recreations of the old guns.
The front sights on almost all modern recreations (my own included) are IMO way too tall.

I have looked at many old muzzleloading rifles and one feature they all seem to share is a very LOW front sight.
Many of the guns front sight blade is no more than 3/32 above the barrel. Some are more like 1/16 tall.

Ya, I've heard all of the stuff about sight picture, and heat waves, and long shots cause the barrel to get in the way of the target, but when all is said and done, why, if all of these things are so important to us, were they not important to the old-timers who used those guns?

As you may, or may not know, I'm sighting in my latest gun.
It started with a .200 tall "turtle" front sight.
So far, I've removed .080 off of it. The more I remove, the better it looks to me. Of course there is a limit to how much can be removed, that limit being how much does it take to bring the shot to zero, but it sure is getting more realistic.

I guess rather than chew on your post, I ought to start my own on the subject, but getting back to your problem, have you considered really lowering your front sight?

 

[brushbuster]

i have already filed the front sight down to about 1/8"and was still shooting low so i made a taller rear sight to raise my point of impact .but my new rear sight looks like cr...compareed to the look of the gun my question was based on making the right measurements so i can possibly order a more correct looking sight from totw or another supplier

 

[Zonie]

I first convert the range I'm shooting at into inches.
For my latest gun I've started at 25 yards.
25 yards times 3 feet per yard times 12 inches in a foot equals 900 inches.

My gun was shooting 2 inches low, so I divided 2 inches low by 900 inches. This gives me a rate of .0022.

The distance between my front sight and my rear sight is 20.3 inches.

Multiplying 20.3 times .0022 gives .045, so I have my choice: either lower my front sight .045, raise my rear sight .045 or split the difference and lower the front sight .0225 and raise my rear sight .0225 or any combination as long as the change is equal to .045.

Putting it another way, (sight error in inches/range in inches)X distance between sights = required change in inches.

or (E/R)(D) = C
Where R is Range
Where E is Error
Where D is Distance between front and rear sight
Where C is the needed Correction.

After calculating the amount of change, add the answer to your existing rear sight height for your new sight height.

 

[brushbuster]

thanks jim

 

[Stumpkiller]

Well Zonie, ye did some right proper cypherin there, but you left out the conversions.

When ye get to the range, the adjustments have to be reduced to:

Units of linear measure:
Hair
Skoche
Sliver
Tad
Tuck
Run


Units of volumetric measure:
Bit
Hunk
Chunk
Poke
Passle


Units of force:
Tap
Rap
Whack
Smack
Pound
Beat


I have measured and calculated front sight adjustments many tmes, and by the time I get to the range and begin to hack at it it boils down to:

"Take a skoche more off the front and wack the rear sight to the left a hair. Ain't movin? Beat on it!"

 

LOL you forgot the following:

dab
smidgen
touch
dollop

:redthumb: