Sights on a Smooth Bore

[cannonball1]

I just got thru making an Alex Henry 12 ga shotgun with the bead on the front and nothing for a back sight. I plan on making a second AlexH. gun only this will be a 20 Ga. that will be for both wing shooting a lot of slug shooting also. Would like to see what you are using for sights on such a gun.

 

[tenngun]

Mine have half octagon barrels. And dovetail a a rear sight on.

 

[Bushfire]

My fusil has a slight v notch into the tang, it helps centre the front sight. It's a bad photo but you can kind of see it.

 

[DuncNZ]

I just use the tang screw on both my smoothbores , Wilson Chiefs trade gun and Charleville as , not so much a rear sight , but a post to help align the front sight and prevent canting . With my Charleville I stack the barrel bands one under the other with the front sight and tang screw in line . I can't put a rear sight on either as it is not authentic for either gun .

 

[Eric Krewson]

My fowler is a jug choked turkey gun, I put a rear sight on it to make sure I had it dead on a turkey head in the heat of the battle. I made the sight out of a piece of angle iron.

 

[Stantheman86]

I had a Harper's Ferry ladder sight soldered onto the barrel of my Pedersoli 1816 Springfield percussion conversion, and it shoots 6" at 100 yards

 

[deerstalkert]

My fowler is a jug choked turkey gun, I put a rear sight on it to make sure I had it dead on a turkey head in the heat of the battle. I made the sight out of a piece of angle iron.

View attachment 176410

dang Eric! wanna make me one? that is dandy. I have been stumbling about trying to come up with something like that for my new fowler!

 

[cannonball1]

great looking sight

 

[tenngun]

On my TFC, not correct for the gun but contemporary to the time

 

[Eric Krewson]

My sight started out like this; it took two days of hand filing to complete.

 

[Smokey Plainsman]

My red painted Carolina Type G by Clay Smith sports a period rear:

These early trade guns were commonly used with round ball for warfare and hunting, so a rear sight makes sense. This rear sight features a large U-notch that still allows a good field of view when using shot.

 

[RonT]

Here's one, hand filed from Brass.
Cheers,
R

 

[hanshi]

My 20 ga smoothbore does best with a .600" patched ball. Since I no longer go hunting I can't recall much about the shot loads. Mine came with a rear sight which I opened up for plenty of light. It has a "turtle" front sight.

 

[nhmoose]

All my smoothys have them as I do not compete in NMLRA matches any more.

 

[Brokennock]

Stock rifle sight on a TVM Early Virginia smoothrifle followed by a small brass sight I took from some forgotten old gun and put on my Centermark Fusil des Chase.

The brass sight is glued on as it was supposed to be temporary..... it is staying where it is. Maybe someday I'll have it removed and properly dovetailed in place.

 

[Robby]

I make the standing breech from angle iron and position the hook mortise so I have enough material top side to file a notch.

It may not be appropriate for the style you are making but it works great for wing shooting and ball.
Robby

 

[Brokennock]

I make the standing breech from angle iron and position the hook mortise so I have enough material top side to file a notch.
View attachment 176811
View attachment 176812
It may not be appropriate for the style you are making but it works great for wing shooting and ball.
Robby

Gorgeous gun, absolutely fantastic.

 

[bud in pa]

My red painted Carolina Type G by Clay Smith sports a period rear:

View attachment 176553

These early trade guns were commonly used with round ball for warfare and hunting, so a rear sight makes sense. This rear sight features a large U-notch that still allows a good field of view when using shot.

This is the type of sight that is in the book by Kevin Gladysz (sp). There is a drawing of a fusil from the 1700's with that same type of sight. I bought one from Clay Smith for a friend. When I tried to order another he was out. I have a chunk of brass that I will have to make one out of.

 

[Smokey Plainsman]

This is the type of sight that is in the book by Kevin Gladysz (sp). There is a drawing of a fusil from the 1700's with that same type of sight. I bought one from Clay Smith for a friend. When I tried to order another he was out. I have a chunk of brass that I will have to make one out of.

I recently bought this gun from Clay, and he had it up for sale on his website without the rear sight. I messaged him to see about having one added per his older guns, and he informed me he no longer used them on account he didn’t have anyone to cast them for him. As luck would have it, though, he had one last sight and he offered to install it for me for a modest fee should I purchase the gun.

The rest is history.

 

[cannonball1]

Robby, Like the concave area at the tang. Thanks everyone for ideas for the gun sights.. Think I may do what Robby has done with a bead front sight.