Shooting across the flats

[Tanglefoot]

I'm with Zonie. Looks to me like the muzzle would block your line-of-sight. I don't see anything in 52's sketch that changes that. What might make sense to me --- and the older I get, the shorter that list gets --- is a shooter lining up his front sight with the target, then carefully raising the muzzle until the dot/inlay sits in his rear sight notch, thereby telling him that his muzzle is still aligned with the target even though the muzzle now blocks his view of it. That's basically how I managed to hit a Ram silhouette at 150 yards with my ol' .54 Hawken (once), only I don't have a dot on the barrel --- Just guesstimated the elevation.

 

[dlidster]

. . . Looks to me like the muzzle would block your line-of-sight . . .

With the rear sight and mark on the barrel aligned, position the front sight on the target. Your line of sight is no more blocked than with normal rear sight/front sight alignment. (Actually, a little less so; the rear sight is not superimposed on the target.)

The illustration does not represent this.

 

[nkbj]

Having shot at small game at long ranges...
Maintaining windage alignment is where that witness mark becomes understandable.
Round ball has marks impressed into it by the rifling through the patch. Each gun to its own extent. That spinning ball resistance to air flow with whatever the rifling pattern with ball diameter and rotation are, that all makes for spiral drift forces acting upon the ball. At longer ranges with a down the barrel witness mark it would be offset to the side a little to be spot on.

 

[Eterry]

If you want to do a trial run of this theory, just put a rubber band around your barrel, about 6 inches or so from the rear of the FRONT sight. Then shoulder your rifle, sighting the rubber band on the top of your REAR sight. While holding that sight picture place your FRONT sight on your target. It takes a little getting used to, but you can consistently, which I believe is the point.

 

[TNGhost]

If you want to do a trial run of this theory, just put a rubber band around your barrel, about 6 inches or so from the rear of the FRONT sight. Then shoulder your rifle, sighting the rubber band on the top of your REAR sight. While holding that sight picture place your FRONT sight on your target. It takes a little getting used to, but you can consistently, which I believe is the point.

Exactly.

A grease pencil, soapstone marker, or automotive detail striping would work too. One could set more that one of these lines as a graduated scale, and with some practice, "dial in" the ranges at which they were effective. As with any shot, knowing the range of your target is vital.

As far as the muzzle blocking view of the target, in taking long shots, picking an environmental item/feature directly above said target has always been a technique used. If one were in a defensive position, like a fort for instance, it would not be unusual for range markers to be set, and geographic features above them noted for effective defensive fire on an attacking enemy.

 

[Coalforge]

Thanks, That diagram helps.

 

[bud in pa]

Wow! 200 yds. with open sights on a muzzleloader, at 76 yrs. old I'd have trouble seeing the whole barn, let alone the side of it.

 

[52Bore]

Found a video of Hugh’s $100k Rifle, taken at Friendship along with the class - a few screenshots.
The 300 is much farther back than I recalled. Maybe a foot from the front sight - barely seen in the photo of both it and front sight.

 

[Tinhorn]

We do this stuff in Stickbow Archery all the time. We call it Gap Shooting. This method of extreme 'Kentucky Windage' I have used with six-guns for years. Haven't tried it with my Hawken yet, but it sounds workable. My old .44 hits at 100 yds this way, reliably (if I hold real steady, of course) Tinhorn