Peep Sights & Fiber Optic

[WalkerMountain]

Hi all, looking for some input on a rifle build for my Grandson to hunt deer in Oregon. I have built maybe dozen rifles or so for myself and the wife (yes she is the better shot lol). Grandson is 14 years old and been shooting his dad Brown Bess musket and casting his own bullets. I have never shot a bullet always shot round ball in a muzzleloader. In Oregon it's illegal to hunt deer with a muzzleloader using a bullet with a sabot, but bullets are OK (Minimum muzzle loading caliber: .40 cal). So for fun I got a Green Mountain round blank barrel 1.20 OD length 27 inch .50 cal with 1:28 rifle twist. Cut threads for a hook false breach (percussion). Leaving the barrel breach end round with a taper about half the barrel length then a wedding band follow by the rest with a straight octagon. Yes it's reversed I did it for a different look but also allow me to mill front sight holder (fiber optic sight) and wedge key slots right into 1.20 OD barrel

My question is height with front and rear sights; all my other builds used iron sights. It seems I always pick front and rear sight for that style of rifle being built. Keeping my dovetail cuts small always ended up in the ballpark with little adjustment needed to sight in. I like Peep sights maybe cause I'm getting old, peep & fiber optic legal with in Oregon muzzleloader hunting seasons. Plan on mounting Marbles rearward folding peep sight on the wrist just back of my thumb grip in front of the comb. Peep sight will be cut in for mounting so I got to get it close. They're a good 1 1/2 inch of travel up or down the wrist for mounting peep sight. While taping the peep sight to rifle wrist and aiming rifle I fine big different in height in that 1 1/2 inch of travel. I like to have peep sight height adjustment bottom out zero in at 35 yards. I know the breach and front sight holder (fiber optic sits in holder) are the same height from center. Plus 1/8 inch for front sight fiber optic that sits in holder and I can measure distance between rear peep and front Optic plus or mines 1 1/2 inch travel. Thinking I need to know where bullet hits at 35 yards using 385 gr. bullets. Do I used 2FF or 3FF, how much powder can I load with that short barrel (27 inch). I like to keep peep sight low profile as possible. Was looking at Marbles sight to see what it would take to shorten as I don't need it's full range, 200 or 300 yards would be tops. I sure like to get it close but thinking to many variables, thinking now trial error method is all I can do. I really do need to cut the Marbles peep sight base plate into the gun stock. Wow what if I temporarily raise front optic sight to same thickness of peep rear base plate. I could then slide peep sight up or down gun wrist as needed while developing a load then cut in peep base and lower front sight back down in tuning. It also not to late to change style of peep sight, the false breach makes a good mounting platform for lower profile military style peep sight. Comments are welcome, having fun in this build will try to post pictures so far gun stock cut from curly hard maple, barrel & hook false breach cut in and H&R percussion lock.

 

[UndeadPoet]

It will be interesting to see this when you are finished with it.

 

[WalkerMountain]

Hi all, looking for some input on a rifle build for my Grandson to hunt deer in Oregon. I have built maybe dozen rifles or so for myself and the wife (yes she is the better shot lol). Grandson is 14 years old and been shooting his dad Brown Bess musket and casting his own bullets. I have never shot a bullet always shot round ball in a muzzleloader. In Oregon it's illegal to hunt deer with a muzzleloader using a bullet with a sabot, but bullets are OK (Minimum muzzle loading caliber: .40 cal). So for fun I got a Green Mountain round blank barrel 1.20 OD length 27 inch .50 cal with 1:28 rifle twist. Cut threads for a hook false breach (percussion). Leaving the barrel breach end round with a taper about half the barrel length then a wedding band follow by the rest with a straight octagon. Yes it's reversed I did it for a different look but also allow me to mill front sight holder (fiber optic sight) and wedge key slots right into 1.20 OD barrel

My question is height with front and rear sights; all my other builds used iron sights. It seems I always pick front and rear sight for that style of rifle being built. Keeping my dovetail cuts small always ended up in the ballpark with little adjustment needed to sight in. I like Peep sights maybe cause I'm getting old, peep & fiber optic legal with in Oregon muzzleloader hunting seasons. Plan on mounting Marbles rearward folding peep sight on the wrist just back of my thumb grip in front of the comb. Peep sight will be cut in for mounting so I got to get it close. They're a good 1 1/2 inch of travel up or down the wrist for mounting peep sight. While taping the peep sight to rifle wrist and aiming rifle I fine big different in height in that 1 1/2 inch of travel. I like to have peep sight height adjustment bottom out zero in at 35 yards. I know the breach and front sight holder (fiber optic sits in holder) are the same height from center. Plus 1/8 inch for front sight fiber optic that sits in holder and I can measure distance between rear peep and front Optic plus or mines 1 1/2 inch travel. Thinking I need to know where bullet hits at 35 yards using 385 gr. bullets. Do I used 2FF or 3FF, how much powder can I load with that short barrel (27 inch). I like to keep peep sight low profile as possible. Was looking at Marbles sight to see what it would take to shorten as I don't need it's full range, 200 or 300 yards would be tops. I sure like to get it close but thinking to many variables, thinking now trial error method is all I can do. I really do need to cut the Marbles peep sight base plate into the gun stock. Wow what if I temporarily raise front optic sight to same thickness of peep rear base plate. I could then slide peep sight up or down gun wrist as needed while developing a load then cut in peep base and lower front sight back down in tuning. It also not to late to change style of peep sight, the false breach makes a good mounting platform for lower profile military style peep sight. Comments are welcome, having fun in this build will try to post pictures so far gun stock cut from curly hard maple, barrel & hook false breach cut in and H&R percussion lock.

It will be interesting to see this when you are finished with it.

DS trigger is all I got done today will post progress

 

[Old Hawkeye]

Mounting the Peep on or near the tang seems a good idea until you are in heavy timber in low light. Mounting a peep type sight out on the barrel, such as a Skiinner barrel mounted peep or a Marbles Bullseye will offer you a better hunting sight picture & field of view. Just food for thought. Try it, you might like it! 300 yards with an open sight muzzleloader in a hunting situation seems a little optimistic to me! Looks like you may be building a Target rifle to go hunting with. Best of luck with your project!

 

[WalkerMountain]

How do you delete a post?

 

[WalkerMountain]

Mounting the Peep on or near the tang seems a good idea until you are in heavy timber in low light. Mounting a peep type sight out on the barrel, such as a Skiinner barrel mounted peep or a Marbles Bullseye will offer you a better hunting sight picture & field of view. Just food for thought. Try it, you might like it! 300 yards with an open sight muzzleloader in a hunting situation seems a little optimistic to me! Looks like you may be building a Target rifle to go hunting with. Best of luck with your project!

yes I having second thoughts while playing with it in the shop thinking that tall post subject to damages if drop. I have a .50 cal smoothbore with peep sight mounted at the breach does well in low light and would not hesitate taking 100 yard shot. My thought was to take it apart trim it down for lower profile but leave it adjustable to 300yards, as it stand now must be adjustable better than 1000yards. Well it was a thought, lol. I'll take a look at peep sight mounted near the breach; if the rifle were for me I would make a primitive peep sight none adjustable like on my smoothbore. I know the grandkid would like it adjustable and that a lot harder to make. I was looking at peep when I read your post, thanks for the input.

 

[centershot]

This peep might work for you.....

https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/folding-peep-sight.145105/