peep sights fragile?

[hou5ton]

I've noticed some conversations regarding the desirability of peep sights for those of us with eyesight that isn't what it used to be .....

I'm pretty fond of the basic sights I have on my GPR ... they are solid and you could drop the thing upside-down on a rock, sights first, and they wouldn't move. Now... I don't do stuff like that ... but I do like knowing they are very solid and will withstand any bumps that may come their way.

Having said all of that, I've never had peep sights like I hear described, that mount back on the stock. It seems like they would be pretty fragile if bumped on a tree or hanging on brush. Any thoughts?

 

[jtmattison]

I have a Lyman peep on my Trade Rifle. I don't consider it fragile at all. It's machined out of aluminum and is very strudy. I think you would really have to give it a hard whack to mess it up.

Huntin Dawg

 

[Old Charlie]

I have the Lyman 57 peep on my GPR caplock. It is very sturdy. I have had no problems with it and it lets these old eyes keep shooting. At least good enough to get a deer this your.
Old Charlie

 

[SCATTERSHOT]

I'm almost 60, and they keep making those dang sights fuzzier all the time. Must be the newfangled production methods! anyway, I have peeps on most of my rifles, and I think it depends on the sight. The Lyman and T/C peeps are pretty sturdy, but I have one on my Browning 1885 that looks like it would snap off if you looked at it real hard. I have seen some that consist of a long tang with an L bent up at the end that would be pretty sturdy, and I have seen older rifles with those mounted. Looks authentic, whether it is or not.

You can't beat a peep with a large aperture for hunting, IMO.

 

[gmww]

Here's a peep sight I put on my underhammer. It is a Williams sight. It's not PC but neither are my eyes.

The sight is pretty sturdy.

 

[walruskid1]

i have peep sights on most of my rifles. the lyman and t/c sights are very durable. unless your clubbing large wounded game to death, they will hold up fine.

 

[hou5ton]

Thanks for the feedback ... I'll have to order one. Like Scattershot said .... they're making these others to fuzzy anymore....

 

[ryoung14]

I've got a Lyman peep on my GPR and T/C peeps on my T/C Hawken, Greyhawk, and System 1 (spit) Inline. They've been tough, reliable and much easier for me to use than open sights. Williams apertures screw into both types so you can have a choice of a range of aperture sizes (.040" to .125" I believe).

I find the tight .040" apertures that come with the sights give the best groups at the range, however, the front sight gets hard to see rather early when the light fades. Substitute a more open Williams aperture (say .093") and the front sight gets much clearer in dim light. But, I don't get the best groups with the large aperture.

Only time one came close to failing on me is while hunting in freezing rain. Aperture iced up. Blew on it several times and was back in business.
Bob

 

[Stumpkiller]

Depends a lot on the peep. The military uses them as routine since WWI.

Williams sights are rugged enough, but, if dropped, the sight will slide in the side dovetail and your elevation will be off (easily remedied - if you marked the sight). I always scribe a line on anything dovetailed once it is sighted in.

There are some that are much more rugged, and certainly most are as rugged as open iron sights. Some of those are relatively delicate (I sheared off a "flip-up" rear sight at the hinge once). On the other hand, the long range peeps are relatively delicate, but are carried folded down or off the rifle.

Biggest complaint I have is keeping them clear of snow, ice or rain when hunting.

 

[faw3]

I was wondering if he ment those or the kind youd see on Sharps ect and if you mount those to the tang your ok, Ive got a Brit 451 Vol rifle and that type sight is inleted into the wood a taken off if I dont plan on a 100 to 1000 yard shot. Fred :hatsoff:

 

[Idaho Elk Hunter]

I have peep on 2 of the 5 BP rifles I own and I like them. I have one on my Lyman GPR it is the GPR 57 tang sight. It is probably more sturdy than the adjustable buckhorn sight that came on barrel new.
The other is a T/C peep and it is really sturdy and again, it is no less stable than the barrel sight that came on barrel from factory. I have never had a problem with peep sights being fragile.
Jim in Idaho

 

[Landngroove]

I agree with the others. I use several T/C Hunting Style Tang Peep Sights, and have a Lyman 57SML. All very sturdy. No problems.

 

[hou5ton]

I'm about to order a rear peep sight for my GPR ... do I need to order a different front sight as well?

 

[ss1]

" I have seen some that consist of a long tang with an L bent up at the end that would be pretty sturdy, and I have seen older rifles with those mounted. Looks authentic, whether it is or not." Does anybody know of any pictures of these type peeps that SCATTERSHOT mentioned ??

 

[Stumpkiller]

This one's a bit fancier than a bent "L", but appears mighty rugged. Also has windage adjustments. Track of the Wolf RS-MA.

I had one I made out of a piece of metal strapping on my first BB gun. THAT was a bent "L" (and worked great).

 

[ryoung14]

Houston, you can get by with the blade front sight on your GPR. However, the sight picture is better if a bead type front sight is used. I went to the Lyman 37ML white bead sight and it has worked well, is easy to see, and didn't cost much.

Lyman pushes the 17AML front sight for use with the #57 peep sight. It's a hooded design that has interchangeable inserts to give you whatever sight picture you want. It's kind of big, bulky and relatively costly. It's more for target shooting in my opinion.

I think Williams makes a fiber optic "Fire Sight" to fit the GPR. They stand out when hunting but are definitely not PC.

Whatever you get, keep in mind that it has to fit the Lyman dovetail which is not the same as the 3/8" dovetail T/C uses.
Bob

 

[ss1]

Thanks for the info.

 

[Joel Lehman]

I have the long tang sight Stumpy shows on my 54 Isaac Haines flintlock. I did a proof test for strength last Friday.

When I hunt from a 14 foot tripod stand, I haul up the rifle by a rope attached to an old longbow case that is long enough for the 38 inch barrel.

My son drove up to the tripod about 10:00 in the morning. I put the rifle in the case and started to lower it to the ground with the rope. The loaded rifle dropped out of the case and hit butt first 14 feet below in the dry dirt. I had the hammer stall on the frizzen and a dove feather in the vent hole. The only damage to the rifle was a slight nick on the brass butt plate.

My son and I both shot the rifle back in camp to check the sights. The had not changed as we both hit the bullseye at 50 yards.

I bought the sight from the Log Cabin Shop and would rcommend them to everyone. The low profile of the sight may have prevent any damage.

 

[Terry D.]

I think the T/C standard rear sight is delicate as I broke it two years in a row. I feel much more comfortable with the T/C "hunter style tang peep" site, $42 from Cabela's. Although I'm not experiencing deteriorating vision yet, I'm used to peeps and get much better accuracy. I should have bought one long ago.

 

[BS]

I looked at several and thought they were a little weak also, so I built my own. Nothing fancy, just simple and strong. the weakest part is the peep insert.

Or this one that is mounted to the barrel. It has a little'spring' to it, but still quite sturdy.